Shy and mostly landlocked...

[BlackPearl]

Hi! My real name is Brenna. I’ve always been enchanted by mermaids and water and the ocean, but a bad experience one summer with a swim instructor and my brutal anxiety has made me unable to swim reliably. Still, I dream of being strong enough to swim in a tail, to the point where I have at least six tails designed in my mind. A friend, Elise, who is a mermaid in the DC Area, I think, helped me figure out a few exercises to build up, but I’m still worried about surfacing quickly enough to get air.

Are there any teachers of mono fin swimming in the Richmond area? And, is my anxiety a total deal breaker?

[fabianfrz]

I would like to encourage you not to swim with your anxiety using a monofin. I recommend to get rid of that first. If you are in a pool you can try to dive to the ground of the pool and stay there and after few seconds surface again. Since pools are not that deep you will feel your buoyancy which will always bring you back to the surface as long as you do not exhale completely. You can also try some distance diving. Make sure you have someone with you (for example a friend or parent) who actively monitors you for your own safety. If you get rid of that anxiety by practicing you can continue with fins.

If you panic under water, you will have a bigger problem. In German there is a saying "Anxiety and death are friends".

Please note that I do not know what triggers you anxiety but my post is expecting that it can happen mostly randomly. If it is for example because of under water creatures you may be fine in a pool.

Just never do a dive unless you are fine doing it.

[Mermaid_Izzy]

I agree with fabianfrz. Learning how to maneuver in a monofin can be constricting at first. I wouldn’t recommend it until you are comfortable being under the water.

Some possibly comforting tips coming from someone with anxiety...
-Try to remember that the water is your friend, its goal is not to fight you
-Do some floating and get comfortable in the water without being fully submerged
-Go under for short periods of time (10-15 seconds) so you don’t get the feeling that you are running out of air
-understand that the feeling of running out of air is merely your diaphragm sending a message to your brain that you have taken a breath in a bit (you still have more than enough oxygen to get to the surface)
-practice holding you breath on land, not only to help increase/maintain your breath hold if you don’t swim often, but to help your body get used to the feeling of your diaphragm contracting (aka it reminding you to take a breath)
-let out long deep breaths before you dive under, this will help calm your nerves and rid your body of excess carbon dioxide, which will increase room for more oxygen when you take your deep breath to dive

I am not recommending that you hold your breath for unnecessarily long amounts of time as this could be detrimental to health.

You should never stay underwater any longer than you are comfortable with.

If you keep reminding yourself that you are okay, eventually you’ll reprogram your brain and it will lessen the anxiety.

The only way to get over your fears is to face them and learn to control them.

I hope this helps you with your journey and give the ability to become a stronger swimmer that is more comfortable underwater.


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[BlackPearl]

If you panic under water, you will have a bigger problem. In German there is a saying "Anxiety and death are friends".

I appreciate the help, but that just makes me more nervous! XP

I agree with fabianfrz. Learning how to maneuver in a monofin can be constricting at first. I wouldn’t recommend it until you are comfortable being under the water.

Some possibly comforting tips coming from someone with anxiety...
-Try to remember that the water is your friend, its goal is not to fight you
-Do some floating and get comfortable in the water without being fully submerged
-Go under for short periods of time (10-15 seconds) so you don’t get the feeling that you are running out of air
-understand that the feeling of running out of air is merely your diaphragm sending a message to your brain that you have taken a breath in a bit (you still have more than enough oxygen to get to the surface)
-practice holding you breath on land, not only to help increase/maintain your breath hold if you don’t swim often, but to help your body get used to the feeling of your diaphragm contracting (aka it reminding you to take a breath)
-let out long deep breaths before you dive under, this will help calm your nerves and rid your body of excess carbon dioxide, which will increase room for more oxygen when you take your deep breath to dive

I am not recommending that you hold your breath for unnecessarily long amounts of time as this could be detrimental to health.

You should never stay underwater any longer than you are comfortable with.

If you keep reminding yourself that you are okay, eventually you’ll reprogram your brain and it will lessen the anxiety.

The only way to get over your fears is to face them and learn to control them.

I hope this helps you with your journey and give the ability to become a stronger swimmer that is more comfortable underwater.

The biggest issue I seem to have is water rushing up my nose (something I have never managed to conquer) and my eyes stinging. I think I can probably cure myself of the eye thing, but I may just have to get nose clips and suck it up.


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[Mermaid_Izzy]

The biggest issue I seem to have is water rushing up my nose (something I have never managed to conquer) and my eyes stinging. I think I can probably cure myself of the eye thing, but I may just have to get nose clips and suck it up.


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There is nothing wrong with wearing goggles when you need to. In fact it is very important to care for your eyes as a mermaid. Even I give in to googles in certain pools as the chemicals are too much.

Not only is there nose plugs, but there are also these things called sinus savers that are more invisible.

Tips for no nose plugs:
-blow a little air out your nose when you dive under
-if you are dropping straight down, blow air out as you go down
-if you turn upside down then you have to blow air out or it will go up your nose

There are a lot of tips online for things like this and most of the time you just have to get used to water up your nose.


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[Mermaid Jaffa]

I like to hum underwater. It doesn't look as explosive as blowing air out of your nose.

Humming looks and feels more natural than nose farts.

[Mermaid_Izzy]

I like to hum underwater. It doesn't look as explosive as blowing air out of your nose.

Humming looks and feels more natural than nose farts.

I never thought about that. I used to hold my nose until I was around 11 or 12. My pappy taught me to just blow a slight bit out when I went under. I later realized it was all just to create a bubble/air pocket. I like the idea of humming.


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