Paddles
Guest
Hey Darlin'
First off, you're not a failure, so stop beating yourself up. Not good for the soul.
I, too, had a difficult time. My kids were in the pool sessions with me (I had them take a refresher while I was getting my OW) and I was stressed! Everyone was doing things faster than me without incident. I was on the verge of tears! I couldn't clear my mask (drank half the pool) and freaked out in the deep end when I had to take my mask off and swim two lengths with just a reg. On top of this, I have asthma and was scared I would induce an attack! My kids kept saying, "Come on, Mom! It's not THAT hard!" I wanted to kill them both.
Then one of the assistant instructors pulled me aside and told me something that changed everything: "This is not a race."
We let the rest of the class do their thing and she and I hung out in the shallow end until I felt comfortable with the mask clearing. When we moved to the deep end, she told me to watch her bubbles and mimic her breathing. She kind of waved her hand up and down slowly, from waist to eyes, getting my breathing slowed down and in control.
It took a while, but I did all skills...I even stayed late on day 2 and redid everything again and again with her watching.
When we got to the ocean, I had had a sleepless night, couldn't eat if I wanted to and had worked myself into a frenzy (sp?). BTW, I left the kids home for those 4 dives because I didn't need the added responsibility, stress, etc.
I was the last to gear up ("Take your time...it's not a race")..the last in the water (Again, "Take your time...do it at YOUR own pace"). After swimming out to the boat, she and I hung out until I was convinced I was calm. Everyone else went down the line; she stayed with me and reminded me to "keep it slow".
It was awesome! The ocean skills were a piece of cake even if I was the last one to finish everything. I didn't care...I was taking it at my pace...and I felt great!
I have since learned to love boat diving more than beach entries (too much friggin' walking with all that gear). I still hear her voice telling me it's not a race. I have also learned to apply that to many non-diving endeavors.
I think the hardest thing I had to learn when diving was to reprogram my thinking...for once in my hectic (sp?) life (raising teenagers, working full time, remodeling the house, carpooling to sport events, etc) I get to intentionally slow down and do things in my own time.
So take a deep breath and grab that sweet, supportive husband of yours and go play...practice, practice, practice...and don't forget: It's not race!
Have fun!
First off, you're not a failure, so stop beating yourself up. Not good for the soul.
I, too, had a difficult time. My kids were in the pool sessions with me (I had them take a refresher while I was getting my OW) and I was stressed! Everyone was doing things faster than me without incident. I was on the verge of tears! I couldn't clear my mask (drank half the pool) and freaked out in the deep end when I had to take my mask off and swim two lengths with just a reg. On top of this, I have asthma and was scared I would induce an attack! My kids kept saying, "Come on, Mom! It's not THAT hard!" I wanted to kill them both.
Then one of the assistant instructors pulled me aside and told me something that changed everything: "This is not a race."
We let the rest of the class do their thing and she and I hung out in the shallow end until I felt comfortable with the mask clearing. When we moved to the deep end, she told me to watch her bubbles and mimic her breathing. She kind of waved her hand up and down slowly, from waist to eyes, getting my breathing slowed down and in control.
It took a while, but I did all skills...I even stayed late on day 2 and redid everything again and again with her watching.
When we got to the ocean, I had had a sleepless night, couldn't eat if I wanted to and had worked myself into a frenzy (sp?). BTW, I left the kids home for those 4 dives because I didn't need the added responsibility, stress, etc.
I was the last to gear up ("Take your time...it's not a race")..the last in the water (Again, "Take your time...do it at YOUR own pace"). After swimming out to the boat, she and I hung out until I was convinced I was calm. Everyone else went down the line; she stayed with me and reminded me to "keep it slow".
It was awesome! The ocean skills were a piece of cake even if I was the last one to finish everything. I didn't care...I was taking it at my pace...and I felt great!
I have since learned to love boat diving more than beach entries (too much friggin' walking with all that gear). I still hear her voice telling me it's not a race. I have also learned to apply that to many non-diving endeavors.
I think the hardest thing I had to learn when diving was to reprogram my thinking...for once in my hectic (sp?) life (raising teenagers, working full time, remodeling the house, carpooling to sport events, etc) I get to intentionally slow down and do things in my own time.
So take a deep breath and grab that sweet, supportive husband of yours and go play...practice, practice, practice...and don't forget: It's not race!
Have fun!