Jenny Gillon remembers family holidays where she’d have to sit by the pool and read, while her kids splashed about without her.
There was even a holiday to Australia where she had to pass up the rare chance of snorkelling around the Great Barrier Reef.
But the retired nursery worker is making great progress conquering her aquaphobia.
And she’s hopeful that the next time she jets off to sunnier climes, she’ll be able to set aside the book and swim with the others.
‘The biggest scare of my life’
The 64-year-old, who lives in Inverurie with husband Bob, thinks her fear of water first developed at an early age.
In primary and middle school she’d visit Bon Accord Baths in Aberdeen – or, as they referred to them, the Uptown Baths – for swimming lessons with her classmates.
“It was just a man with a rope and a stick. That’s how you learned,” she recalled.
“It gave me the biggest scare of my life.
“And playing around, you get pushed in, and I think that’s where it came from – the fear was just too much.”
This fear of the water has affected Jenny ever since.
She said: “Going on holiday, I’d see my children growing up and being able to swim and my husband going in the water.
“But I’d just be at the side with my book, watching everybody else.
“Going in the sea wasn’t so bad but obviously waist height, nothing else. And if I saw a wave, I was out.”
Last year she tried to conquer her fear while visiting family in Australia.
During a previous visit Down Under, Jenny had been able to get into the water for five minutes during a boat tour of the Great Barrier Reef.
“I thought I’d try it this time with my daughter and husband, but it was a big floatation with lots of people – and I just couldn’t do it.
“No matter how much encouragement I got, I didn’t feel safe.
“And all you got was two pool noodles to go into the reef with – and I thought nah, no chance.”
Jenny’s attempts to conquer her fears
Jenny has tried a few other times to get back into the water.
A few years ago she was encouraged to expand on her love of Zumba with an Aqua Zumba class at Stonehaven Open Air Pool.
“I was dying to go but I was scared, and a couple of friends encouraged me to go,” she said.
“On the way there I was thinking I wanted to turn back.
“But once I got there it was easier to get into the pool because it was open, and they have really good steps into the water.
“I felt more comfortable going in and knowing it wasn’t deep enough to feel too scared – my feet were on the floor, so it was fine.”
Jenny followed up by trying a similar session in Alford.
But she ran into difficulty entering the water – struggling to find her feet on the bottom of the pool.
“I really struggled and I took a panic attack,” she said. “It took a while for me to get back into the water again.”
Aquaphobia classes started at the perfect moment
Everything began to change for Jenny late last year when she was scrolling through her phone.
A question about aquaphobia caught her attention, which directed her to a questionnaire asking for more information.
At the end of October, Sport Aberdeen got in touch asking if she was still interested, and Jenny started their dedicated aquaphobia sessions at Get Active @ Northfield the following month.
She recalled: “Driving in from Inverurie, everything was going through my head.
“Am I going to cope? Will there be a lot of people there? What will the people helping be like?
“When I got to the pool I sat in the car for a couple minutes and took a deep breath. I was nervous, very nervous.”
Jenny’s nerves calmed quickly when she made her way inside and met some of the other participants and staff.
They were also asked to give more information about their level of phobia – are they able to have a bath, and how do they feel just looking at the water?
“Two came into the water with the three of us just to gauge how each of us were,” Jenny said.
“I didn’t feel too bad once I’d gone in with them, and it was nice to know I wasn’t the only one [feeling like that].”
Jenny’s end-of-year aquaphobia goal
After taking part in the first six-session run of aquaphobia classes in Aberdeen, Jenny signed up for the second set.
She said: “You get a lot of one-to-one support and they don’t push you, and make you feel comfortable.
“They’re there to support you so, if I’m lying on my back, there’s always someone behind you.
“We use pool noodles and I’ve gone from two down to one, and I’ve gone to the other end of the pool.
“I do have to keep myself relaxed and remember to breathe properly or I can get quite panicky.
“But it’s giving me the confidence I can do something I’ve been scared of for so long.”
The aquaphobia sessions have also been helpful for her arthritis.
After breaking her hip in an accident, she has a metal rod and plates in one side – the same side which causes her the most discomfort.
“The pool is helping me move better and I don’t feel quite so sore after it either.
“I get a bit stiff, but nothing too bad.”
Jenny’s family are still deciding where they might jet off to on holiday this year, but the sessions have helped her set a goal to work towards.
She added: “I’d like to go and feel confident and swim.
“I don’t want to sit at the side of the pool with my book – as much as I like to read.
“I want to join in and have a laugh.”
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