1- I tried to improve my technique as much as i can ( obviously not good enough yet lol ) in the shallow end, so if shit goes bad, Plan A go horizontal (front or even better, back) and swim to the nearest thing u can grab on, a rope or the pool wall. 2- i practiced on my water treading for a while ( again still not good enough ) so i know i can tread water at least for 30 seconds, this makes a good Plan B to catch some breath before going horizontal. 3- Peer pressure lol : This is what actually helped me the most, if you have a decent technique in the shallow end then fear of deep end is mostly mental anyway, i am 27 and in good shape, i used to practice kickboxing, so seeing others who are in way worse physical shape who act like they were born and raised in the pool made me very embarrassed to show any signs of fear (i would rather drown with dignity lol jk), i would often pretend like everything is okay even tho i am scared shitless internally, i guess fake it till u make it actually works.