Swimming is a very complete exercise that helps to exercise the arms, the back and the legs; in short, the whole body. However, there are some psychological benefits of swimming that you probably don’t know about.
The practice of any type of exercise not only has benefits on a physical level, but also mentally with lifeguard certification. However, each sport has its own specific advantages.
Let’s see how swimming helps us psychologically.
1. Reduces stress and anxiety
One of the psychological benefits of swimming is that it reduces stress and anxiety . Today, we carry large amounts behind us and it is very important to know how to release them so that this does not affect our health.
Swimming achieves this thanks to the relaxing effect produced by being in contact with water and its very pleasant temperature. In the pools, the water is not too cold, which is ideal for practicing this sport comfortably.
You can encourage yourself to do it in the morning, to start the day in a much more active way, or in the evening after work to relax and enjoy a more restful sleep.
2. Increase confidence
The second of the psychological benefits of swimming is that it helps us to increase our self-confidence, something fundamental that will help us in all areas of life.
When you start in this practice, you will start practicing the front crawl style . At first, you will do it where there is foot. However, little by little, you will begin to gain confidence to swim towards the area of the pool where your feet do not touch the bottom .
The same will happen with other swimming styles that can be learned and this will only allow us to work on self-confidence and increase it. If we have problems with it, swimming will be a great ally.
Confidence in ourselves is what allows us to face the different fears that we may have . If we don’t have good confidence, we may let those fears invade us and urge us to take refuge in our comfort zone.
3. Decreases shyness
When he starts to practice swimming, he meets other swimmers. In all classes there will be people like you, which will help you overcome your fear and shyness. This is very important, we are people who find it difficult to make friends.
At first we may think that it will be difficult for us to make friends or meet new people , but in reality, it is easier than we think. You have to think that you already have something in common with these people. Therefore, swimming can be a recurring topic to start conversations.
The fact of being shy does not mean that we have to hide from others . We can deal with shyness, as long as we take action.
4. It helps in decision-making, another of the great psychological benefits of swimming
The fourth of the psychological benefits of swimming is that it helps improve decision making. As swimming promotes stress reduction, it allows you to balance your emotions to see more clearly the situations in which we have to face a choice.
In addition, as we have seen previously, swimming helps increase self-confidence, something essential to make better decisions.
5. Promotes an improvement in self-image
How do we see ourselves? Practicing swimming will allow us to reconcile with the body, since it is a very complete sport.
With this sports practice we will enjoy a better physical tone, in addition to acquiring a more athletic shape. This can improve your self-esteem .
However, everything that swimming can bring you will also improve your self-esteem. If you have a good confidence in yourself, if you feel safe and your level of shyness goes down, you will feel much better.
Sport is a great ally of physical and mental health
Physical exercise, in addition to avoiding problems such as obesity (and its consequent related diseases), also has the ability to relax those who practice it.
