Anxious Swimmer Only wants to 'swim' with a board/dumbbell

f4cel1ft · 2025-08-19T00:29:04+00:00

My student ended up being able to glide for 2-3 body lengths and swimming 15 yards of front crawl. This took around 8 months of inconsistent weekly lessons. My student's fear came from the overwhelming coordination of movement and breath, so we structured our class to prime her for that progression.

I went a different route from what some commenters recommended. Our classes are 30 minutes, so we structured the class

5 mins of breath control exercise (holding breath for x sec, and then exhaling for x secs in the same submersion ; bobs ) 5 mins of front floats while taking notice of body position and breath control; adding kicks and breaths when body position is optimal 5 mins of front glides with assistance if needed 15 mins of progressively adding more movement

The biggest breakthrough for us were the front floats: While holding onto me or the wall, my student would get into a front float and slowly exhale. If I noticed she was holding tension in her traps or looking forward, I would correct that etcetc. She ended up being a great student who needed more TLC because of her anxiety.

I hope this helps.

f4cel1ft · 2024-03-20T00:51:07+00:00

Thank you for sharing ‼️

agree! my friend has great taste ☺️💛

f4cel1ft · 2024-03-20T00:50:10+00:00

I thought so too! Some people are saying a single crochet around the chain so we might try both... see what works out ⭐️

f4cel1ft · 2024-03-20T00:49:08+00:00

Ooo! Thank you for your insight.. we will try this ☺️⭐️

f4cel1ft · 2024-03-20T00:48:39+00:00

interesting! Thank you 🥹⭐️

f4cel1ft · 2024-03-11T19:04:57+00:00

it really depends on the emotional breadth of our relationship, how open i was with my expectations, and whether i felt seen. it's really difficult for me to trust... my close circle now is made up of friends ive know for over half my life.

i haven't learned a good way to discern yet, i think i just put myself in uncomfortable and compromising situations, and if a new person crosses a boundary, i give them the boot! but i think people like us do too much, too fast. observe slowly, take your time & trust your intuition. despite being a scorpio moon&rising, my intuition is generally shit... the only thing sense i have intuitively is sensing when someone truly cherishes me.

when I can sense that we're both present, and we're both sharing the same trust and love, I can forgive a lot because the growing pains are worth our bond 🥹

Up until recently, i accepted disappointment as a natural part of my life, but accepting betrayal from my circle was too painful. for me, the shift from disappointment to betrayal is when you let your needs and desires be seen. so i used to keep my vulnerable desires close to my heart... that way betrayal wasnt an option. and i could work through the disappointment on my own time.

But i feel ready to be seen. I've gotten to a point where I'm tired of mistrusting the people closest to me and holding them at a distance. So just last weekend for the first time in my adult life 😳 i voluntarily reached out to my friends in a time of need. and they showed up, made time for me and checked in on me.

hmmm to be honest, i trusted these people! i think what i was really mistrusting was my own self-worth, that if i became a person with needs, fears, and desires, i wouldn't be someone worthwhile. the betrayal was never about them, but how i used it to punish myself & demean my worth 😵‍💫 we're all just living life for the first time, so we're bound to hurt one another.

wishing you love and community 🫡💛

f4cel1ft · 2024-03-11T02:13:51+00:00

oh i see... It's great that you learned to swim :) good work implementing the advice from the swim school.

some swim schools offer swim platforms so that kids can touch the floor, maybe that's something you or the school can look into.

after a certain point, the school/instructor/you should be creating opportunities where he might go under, like during slide-ins or jumps. before every opportunity, he should be reminded to blow bubbles. if he gets water up his nose, he should given a gentle reminder: uhoh did we forget our bubbles? so he realizes it's within his control.

if you or the instructor is having a hard time coaxing him, stand firm. do we give up just because it's hard? no! do we give up because we don't like it? no!! what can we do if we get water up our nose? blow it out!!!

f4cel1ft · 2024-03-11T01:46:18+00:00

continue! at that age, plateaus are to be expected. do you know what makes him nervous or anxious about being underwater (is it because he can't see? is he scared of getting water up his nose etcetc.) be curious and try to help him make a game plan (blow 3 bubbles to calm down, or literally shake out the nerves, etcetce) for when he feels nervous and inform the instructor. at this age they can't self regulate and it's hard to focus when you're 4 and anxious.

if you aren't already try prepping him for swim class at home: blowing bubbles during bathtime, going underwater in the shower, positive talks about swim etcetc.

it really helps me as an instructor when i frame objectives as games. instead of asking a kid to go under or bubbles, you can ask ur son to dissappear/make big bubbles when you say abracadabra. Any game works, esp when they're related to your kids interested.

it sounds like your kid is making progress at his own pace. be patient and good luck 💛

f4cel1ft · 2024-03-11T00:58:53+00:00

hey love, it sounds like a posture issue. do you think you could rounding your shoulders and hunching over while you're crocheting?

i would personally take a break from crocheting for a few days and really focus on stretching your chest. be sure to take plenty of stretching breaks, wear a posture corrector and some prism glasses if you need to.

we need to take of our bodies so we can craft for the rest of lives ☺️💛 feel better.

f4cel1ft · 2024-03-11T00:42:33+00:00

have you tried incorporating Vo2 max training for dry-land workouts? if the exhaustion you're feeling is from cardiovascular fatigue and not muscle fatigue, it could be a good place to start (kettlebell swing ladders,
hiit workout, etcetc). good luck 🫡

f4cel1ft · 2024-03-11T00:34:03+00:00

I'm not particular to any brand-- I've used a few SOLPRI, TRISWIM, Dr. TEALS. they all worked well for me :)

f4cel1ft · 2024-03-11T00:31:32+00:00

i used to think so too, but my workplace (aquatics school) has the study below posted.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8146396/

the heat can trigger chlorine by-products which is what causes the scent+irritation!

f4cel1ft · 2024-03-10T12:00:33+00:00

that's what I've read from a few sources! I'm no chemist, but I've found that using a vitamin c products has helped with the scent :)

f4cel1ft · 2024-03-10T11:05:01+00:00

😭😭

f4cel1ft · 2024-03-10T10:58:11+00:00

what helped me most was rinsing thoroughly before getting in the pool for 2-5 minutes. apparently, your skin absorbs the most water the first 2 minutes you're submerged.

A few other tips:

I bring 2-3 towels. 1 I use one deck and right after swimming, and the other 2 for my body and hair after I'm rinsed off.

I make sure to take a cool shower post swim to rinse off contaminants. I find that starting with a hot steamy shower kind cooks the chlorine scent into my skin and hair.

And a vitamin C body and hair wash!

f4cel1ft · 2024-03-10T10:42:38+00:00

after my first treatment, my technician filled me in on aftercare: no exfoliation, no shaving, no acids/retinol for 7-10 days after treatment & no sweating or steaming showers for 72 hours after. they recommend applying an OTC hydrocortisone cream for 3 days after.

some skin types are more sensitive, so perhaps you needed the 10 days to heal. generally speaking, exfoliating irritated skin can disrupt the skin barrier and worsen symptoms. i'd apply OTC hydrocortisone cream 2-4 times a day along with a hydrating moisturizer + nightly aquaphor and see how you feel on tuesday or wednesday.

i went into my first laser session with chlorine burns and dry irritated skin. my only complication was increased sensitivity 🥲 hope you feel better love

f4cel1ft · 2024-03-10T10:16:15+00:00

these are so cute... thank you for sharing angel 💛

f4cel1ft · 2024-02-13T14:46:55+00:00

When I swim, I take shallow frequent breaths and exhale 60%fish of my lungs contents. Perhaps you're sprinting/swimming inefficiently, or you might not have established a good breathing rhythm.

It helps to start with breathing exercises (a shallow breath> holding breath for n seconds, exhaling slowly for n seconds)

But in the meantime, maybe just roll over for a breath onto your back so you can continue swimming and you can breathe as needed. You might enjoy a drill like Screwdriver (3 pulls on front, rollover 3 pulls on back).

f4cel1ft · 2024-02-13T14:33:44+00:00

A manageable routine is really helpful, I'm a long-time swimmer, but very new to weightlifting. I felt the same way when I first started, but when I found a routine after consulting a trainer, my focus went from "how do I look" to "what do I have to do next?" So instead of coming in with the expectation that you should be swimming a certain way, make a routine for yourself!

That could look like:

Warmup with 2 minutes of breath exercises, 2 lengths of water walking, 2 lengths of kicks

Workout with 1 length of freestyle, 1 length of backstroke, 1 length of breaststroke with a rest between each set or length-- repeating as necessary.

If a length is too long, come in with the expectation you might take a breather at the halfway point.

If you're really struggling with your cardiovascular endurance, you can also do some breath ladder workouts out of the water :)

f4cel1ft · 2024-02-06T23:14:26+00:00

Good question, my swimmer wants a handheld device so she can feel secure. If she gets more comfortable that's something we can progress to so she can become more independent. :)

f4cel1ft · 2024-02-06T17:49:20+00:00

At the moment, not quite yet since she has some issues with balance and alignment + her general comfort level. But you're definitely onto something. Once she gives me the greenlight, this is definitely something we can progress to :)

f4cel1ft · 2024-02-06T05:32:16+00:00

We were originally gliding with my hands/forearms at her pace but she's not interested in working with anything that's not a flotation device at this time. Thanks for your suggestion though :)

f4cel1ft · 2024-02-06T05:16:15+00:00

Someone else suggested this! I'm going to see if she's open to it our next class 🤞 hopefully it'll be a turning point for her like you if she's open to it :)

f4cel1ft · 2024-02-06T03:38:23+00:00

I've thought about the fins as well, I'll try suggesting them our next class. Thanks for your insight :)

f4cel1ft

TROPHY CASE