Empowering Journeys: Overcoming Water Fears
When I share that one of my superpowers* is guiding adults through conquering their fear of water, a twinge of imposter syndrome brushes against my confidence. It's not because I've experienced water-related fears myself, but rather because my life on land has often been shadowed by anxiety. Childhood found me gnawing at my nails until they were tender, a restless, sensitive, spirit always craving motion.
My untreated anxiety, combined with the complexities of general adulting, working, and parenting, reached a staggering height in my mid-thirties. I look back and I really wonder how my husband managed to be so patient with me. We did a vision board exercise facilitated by our friend, the talented Anna Beuselinck, known as Life Gardener. Water-themed images danced across my board, each carrying me back to a time when the aquatic realm was my playground. The Jersey Shore's waves, the family pool in my backyard, and eventually the open waters while learning to SCUBA dive – these were the places where I felt truly alive.
So, you can imagine my surprise when my children started their swimming lessons … and absolutely hated them! Months went by as we tried different settings and instructors, and they continued to dread them, not having any fun. I watched them struggling in the water, being expected to perform skills they didn’t feel safe doing. It really wasn’t working for them, so I started investigating different swim approaches … I stumbled upon a program called Miracle Swimming. I got curious about this mindfulness-approach to learning to swim, and this desire I had to be re-connected to the water.
For eight years now, I've been leading adults with aquatic fears on transformative journeys. And in the process, I've discovered the art of slowing down and feeling. It's a gift to detach from the constant chatter of the mind and embrace the simplicity of our elemental being. It's a retreat into our core, a reminder of the ethereal weightlessness we're capable of experiencing without leaving the solid ground beneath us. It’s also reminder that amidst life's constant movement, we often neglect our body's most basic needs.
Teaching adults to navigate the waters of their fears and anxieties is an art, a process of leading them home to themselves. In the water, they find solace and empowerment. It's a journey back home. And as they learn to swim, they also learn to trust their own emotions and instincts - empowering new ways of being on land, too.
*My other superpower is parallel parking!