We all have something we are afraid of – even if it is just the sound of our full name on our mother’s lips.
Some of these fears are generally understandable.
There are a few, however, that tend to raise eyebrows or incite laughter instead of sympathy.
But for those whose fears are actually phobias, it can have a life-altering effect.
For Margaret Walker, a childhood experience in the old Bon Accord Baths in Aberdeen and subsequent phobia ended up affecting her holidays, outings and even showering routine.
‘It’s not something you can so easily dismiss, you’ve got a genuine fear’
When she was eight years old, her neighbour who was a lifeguard at the baths took a group of them to teach them how to swim.
“But when we got in the water he was called away,” she recalled. “He said ‘Stay right where you are’ except I didn’t, I was always on the move.
“I went backwards and I fell under and everybody was looking away and didn’t see me.
“I couldn’t get myself to come up. Eventually, they pulled me out, but ever since then, there’s just no way I could have gone in the water.”
During primary school, Margaret would throw away any parental consent forms for swimming lessons to try and keep it from her mum.
This worked for a month until a friend’s towel gave the game away.
“The thought of getting in that water was just petrifying,” the mum-of-two said. “Over the years I’ve gotten opportunities to learn but it’s not been the right time for me.
“Over the years, people have kind of said ‘Oh you’re being stupid, pull yourself together’. But it’s not something you can so easily dismiss, you’ve got a genuine fear.”
As a kid, Margaret could not even put her face under the water in the shower, and on holidays away with her two sons, she would never be able to go in the pool with them.
Emotional first aquaphobia class
Just over a year ago, she spotted a P&J article by James Wyllie with Jenny Gillon, who was taking part in aquaphobia classes.
After contacting Jenny and being encouraged to take the plunge, Margaret started travelling from Kennethmont to attend classes at Get Active @ Northfield every Tuesday.
Her first class in May last year was not an easy one.
Margaret described herself as a “bag of nerves” as the instructor Isla helped her over to the steps and into the water before Margaret had to get out.
“I burst into tears, I felt so stupid,” she said.
“But she spoke to me, she just kept on saying: ‘What are you having for supper tonight?’ and ‘What are you up to this week?’… so I wasn’t concentrating on getting in the water.
“And before I knew, I was actually in.”
‘Don’t let fear hold you back from doing something’
From there they took it slowly. It was a while before Margaret could even leave the side of the pool.
Around eight months later, the 64-year-old said she could put her face in the water and even go without armbands.
On a holiday in Lanzarote this year, she shocked her husband John by swimming around in the pool.
She added: “I was just so chuffed myself that I got in and I was just even able to move away from the side and splash about and I was quite happy. I love floating on my back.
“And I’d have never been able to do that before.”
Margaret has had such success that she completed her last lesson at Get Active @ Northfield this summer and is eyeing up adult swimming lessons nearer home.
While she might have wished to face her fear earlier, Margaret said: “But I don’t think inside me I was quite ready for it. Whereas now I am.
“I would say to anybody that wants to do it, just bite the bullet and try even the first step. Once you get past that first step, I think it gets easier anyway.
“You do have to be ready to want to do it, but don’t let that fear hold you back from doing something.
“I think sometimes the fear in your head is worse than what the actual thing is, but I know trying to overcome that fear bit is a big thing.”
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