Question Overcoming acquired fear of diving

[boulderjohn]

On the lighter side...

Heading out on a boat for a dive, I was sitting next to two older gentlemen, both highly experienced divers, and I could not help but overhear them. One was speaking of the same thing as the topic of this thread--he said that despite all his experience, whenever he starts suiting up for a dive, he starts getting worried. His friend said, "Whenever I see you suiting up for a dive, I start getting worried, too."

 

[KenE]

You have started your recovery very well, you acknowledged the issue and chose to overcome it. I get butterflies or anxiety before each first dive, I tend to overthink the situation. I have called dives because I could not catch my breath or stop breathing heavily. So, as you have, I decided to find solutions. I now arrive at every dive location an hour earlier, this give me time to assemble gear and don wetsuit at my pace and no anxiety for being "too slow". After the surface swim or at the top of the descent line I take a minute or two to "slow down" and let breathing slow down and relax. Then after descent, I take another minute (I doubt it is truly a minute) to relax, adjust equipment, and then start my dive. My buddies know about my routine and don't rush anything. This extra time seems to make all the difference. Can I skip one or two of the delays, maybe, but none of it hurts anything and ensures I get a full dive and enjoy the dive. So, my recommendation is find what will work for you. Anxiety is not a weakness, just a human trait that needs managed. The feeling of not able to breath is the symptom, the problem is anxiety, now just find how to resolve it so you can enjoy your dives.

 

[happy-diver]

Yeah if you string together all the 10yard runs I've done through the years

can you run a 5k without dying?