Handling anxious feelings ... What worked best for you?

[InkyUndine]

Thank you, LowDrag! I've got a mental image of you "oosawing" and cracking up about it UW! Tension busters are definitely called for from time to time. You should've seen me trying to get back up on the side of the pool after our work was completed last night. The instructor was teaching us how to life ourselves up onto a low platform (such as on a certain kind of boat), and I was the only one who had trouble. I flailed around and kicked like an insane frog in the water, but still couldn't lift myself up enough. The instructor said he wished he'd had a video camera - I must have looked ridiculous, and everyone was laughing at me - but it was good-natured laughing, and once it started, of course it was even harder to focus on the task because I couldn't stop laughing myself!

I have encouraged my husband to come to this forum and read - just sent him a text, in fact, telling him that this forum has its fair share of folks who have succumbed to panic and frustration and had to take things a bit slower than originally planned. I'm going to talk to my instructor about the OW dives this weekend, as the buddy I suspect he may put me with is a woman who is much more of a "go getter" than I, and I would feel more comfortable being allowed to go at a slower pace, I think. That's one thing that really strikes me as awesome about learning this sport - there's a general attitude of going at a relaxed, measured, comfortable pace - and of having pretty much all the time in the world to achieve one's own comfort level. (I'm still praying for decent viz this weekend. The last I heard, it was at about 15 feet.)

 

[RichWilx]

Completely random bits of advice that may (or may not) help you:

As a new diver, dont be afraid to ask for help and advice. I have found that most experienced divers will look at new divers as potential future buddies and so will happily share advice. You learn a lot very quickly and they get a better buddy.

Dont be afraid to tell other divers what you are feeling. This is particularly true when you are about to get into the water. If you are in a group and you tell the DM that you are feeling nervous about a certain aspect of the dive, then I can pretty much guarantee that they will listen to you and take steps to help you out. He may assign you a more experienced buddy or he may simply just keep checking on you and offering you reassurance during the dive.

Likewise, if you have problems with equalizing/bouyancy/anxiety/cramps/fatigue/etc then dont be afraid to signal your buddy that you need to stop for a second and get it together. I personally like to stop after descending to make sure I've got my act together before moving off.

Never be afraid to say no. Example: I was on a simple and shallow dive and my group came across a very easy swimthrough. Problem was, I felt very tired and didnt really have my wits about me. When the DM waved me to the swimthrough, I signed "no" and swam around. Nobody minded.

I think that - like anything - it only gets easier and more enjoyable with time and practice...

(If you want to read my "Panic" story: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ne...-panic-attack-following-v-minor-incident.html")

 

[DukeAMO]

Yeah, I suspect that my right ear canal is significantly narrower than my left. I actually felt water trapped in my ear after doing my tread/float early on in yesterday's class, and it just never cleared. This morning I feel like I can hear out of half my head, and the other half is muffled. The last time this happened, it was a couple of days before I felt normal again.

This sounds like classic minor barotrauma to your ears -- a stuffy feeling that takes a couple of days to clear. Go ahead and look in the forum archives and read up on it; the topic comes up about once a month. It's very common, and you can learn to get better at equalizing your ears so it doesn't happen as often.

TjRjn, your ears should not hurt. You probably just need to get better at equalizing your ears (so read the same threads), and TAKE YOUR TIME when ascending and descending, especially in the top 20 feet or so of water (which is where most of your training is done anyway). Don't be afraid to kick back up a few feet; I do it a few times on almost every dive, when I start to feel pressure in my ears. Better to do that than to deal with a stuffy feeling in your ear, or ear pain, for days!

 

[TSandM]

InkyUndine, be careful with the ears. Muffled hearing that persists more than a couple of hours is unlikely to be water trapped in the external auditory canal, and much more likely to be a degree of barotrauma to the middle ear. People taking their certification classes often are slow to equalize, or don't do it completely (and the pool, with its shallow depths and seesaw profiles, is the WORST). This mild barotrauma is not a huge issue, and will resolve, but it's not a good idea to dive again until the symptoms are gone.

This is a good time to recommend Dr. Kay's great ear video. It's long, but it's extremely informative.

 

[TjRjn]

InkyUndine, be careful with the ears. Muffled hearing that persists more than a couple of hours is unlikely to be water trapped in the external auditory canal, and much more likely to be a degree of barotrauma to the middle ear. People taking their certification classes often are slow to equalize, or don't do it completely (and the pool, with its shallow depths and seesaw profiles, is the WORST). This mild barotrauma is not a huge issue, and will resolve, but it's not a good idea to dive again until the symptoms are gone.

This is a good time to recommend Dr. Kay's great ear video. It's long, but it's extremely informative.

I have watched the video and on my last two dives I would say if anything I tried to clear my ears too many times but to no avail.
My left ear is always the first to block when I get a cold and nothing I've tried (and I've tried soooo many ways) seems to work. I will persevere I also remember when I first started diving that the trouble seemed to diminish the more I dived. I even sit at home watching tv now practicing. It is still muffled weeks after my first return dive but according to the specialist it's fine - go figure!

 

[TSandM]

I think it's pretty common to have the two ears be different. My left ear is the one that's finicky; if I'm going to have trouble, it will be on that side.

If your hearing is still muffled "weeks" after diving, your ear needs to be rechecked. Simple, fluid-based hearing decrease after mild barotrauma is rarely that persistent.

 

[InkyUndine]

Thanks SO much for the link to the video. I'm almost done watching it and am also reading the associated article. Although I truly thought that my muffled ear was due to water in my ear (because I actually first noticed that sensation after swimming on my back for awhile during the swim test), this quote of Dr. Kay's makes me suspicious: "The first dive in a swimming pool is often the cause of significant barotrauma due to a combination of poor technique, student distraction and other factors such as buoyancy control. Pressurization techniques should ALWAYS be used first, until a student is comfortable with a preferred technique that reliably prevents middle ear squeeze." As I was headed down in the deep end, I did make a few attempts to equalize my ears, but was most definitely concentrating more on buoyancy control and just breathing and it all felt a bit disjointed. I'm going to practice the Frenzel Maneuver until I've got it down perfectly. I am almost 100% certain that the "technique" I was attempting last night was completely incorrect.

 

[canadianmikey]

I've lost my fin during my open waters, and again last night after trying to do too much. I found that remembering that as long as I can breath, life is good.

 

[tracydr]

For me, feeling as though I'm in control of a situation defuses anxiety a lot. To increase your sense of control in your class, you can actually anticipate some of the common sticky points for students. Buy a mask and snorkel, and play with them in a pool, or even in your bathtub or kitchen sink. Get used to having a mask full of water on your face, and make sure you have learned to differentiate breathing through your nose and through your mouth. (If you have trouble with this, look through the New Divers subforum -- there are TONS of threads on how to solve the problem.)

Go to the local pool and practice the swim test until you know it won't be an issue. Ten minutes of treading water, and 200 yards of swimming without mask and snorkel, or 300 yards with.

Get your written materials and go through them. Read the book, and do the knowledge reviews ahead of time. That way, everything you hear in class will be a, "Yeah, I remember that," experience, instead of something new and possibly not entirely grasped. Watch the videos -- yeah, they're hokey, but if you watch them, you won't be encountering ANYTHING in class for the very first time.

And when you've done all that, give yourself some space to be a little nervous. You are taking a class in something entirely new, and it's a pass/fail class; especially if you're long out of school, you haven't done that kind of thing in a while. Nerves are normal, and performance anxiety is a real phenomenon. It's okay, and almost everybody has been through it and coped.

After your class, you will likely be nervous before you get in the water for a while. That's normal, too. I've been diving for seven years, and I still have dives where I'm a bit on edge -- any dive in new conditions, or any dive near my experience limits will do that. I think some of it is just respect for the water, and I don't ever want it to go completely away.

And, between now and your class, read the journal of MY open water class that's linked in my sig line. I was every instructor's nightmare student, and I'm now Full Cave and tech certified. If I can do it, you can!

Read TSandM's blog. It's fantastic! You will know you can do it after reading her journey!

 

[jm]

I've posted in this forum about overcoming a fish phobia and received extremely helpful feedback. I'm still working on that issue, and have made some very good strides. This post is not about my reaction to aquatic life. I'd just like to know how others master anxious/nervous/fearfulness when first starting out. Is there anything in particular that keeps you feeling competent and in control? Not letting the mind wander but staying focused and IN the moment must surely help. But what else? What worked for YOU? I suppose as a newbie I may be setting myself up by reading about incidents and "near misses" here on Scubaboard; on the other hand, I do believe that forewarned is forearmed, and knowing what NOT to do is surely every bit as important as knowing WHAT to do (although much of what is discussed in those forums does, of course, exceed my current knowledge and skill level). As I undergo my certification class this week, it's with a strange mixture of excitement, courage, inspiration, confidence AND a bit of uncertainty, fear, anxiety, dread. I HOPE this is perfectly normal ... Your thoughts?

I don't know if this will help in time for your open water but I found that reading helped dispel my concerns. Don't be shy about rereading your manual. Sometimes you learn things that you might have missed or skimmed over the first time out.

Later, when you get a chance, pick up a few books on diving related topics. By acquiring extra knowledge about equipment, physiology, decompression science, marine life, etc. you will find that because you understand more about what is going on you are less likely to be surprised, hence scared or concerned. Besides, they can make for an interesting read.

I wish both you and your husband success on your certification!