I've not had a near-drowning experience, exactly. I was trapped by the tide when I tried to run away. I didn't even swallow any seawater or anything. I was in hospital for a week after, but that was because I had mild hypothermia and then muscle damage because of that so there was too much of this enzyme...anyway, it wasn't like I nearly died. But it felt like I might in the moment.
I was trapped at the base of some cliffs, so the cliffs blocked the exit. The only safe part was some rocks jutting out from the cliff.
I didn't expect the tide to come in as much as it did. I'd walked along the coast thinking that if I were caught, I could drown myself, but I was terrified at the time. I've always strongly felt that I'd rather die than be sectioned; at this moment when I thought that I might drown, I thought that I'd rather be sectioned.
There was no-one around when I thought that I might drown. I saw this light that I thought might be from a boat and I kept waving my hands hoping that they'd rescue me, and when I realised that it was from a lighthouse or other building, I felt despair.
Maybe the experience would have been less frightening if the sea was calmer. The marks left by the waves on the cliffside seemed at least twice my height in some places.
I was really wet and cold and I was just waiting there on this rock; I was initially going to sleep there, and as the rock started to become submerged and the waves were starting to make me lose balance, I felt absolute panic, because I knew that I had to move from that spot or I'd drown. The nearest rocks that were safe seemed too far away. I was really cold and tired but I managed to get there.
I ended up having to change places a few times, and at one point I was trying to pull myself up on the rocks but I had so little energy; I thought that if I tried for much longer, I'd end up sinking.
I had been trapped by the tide for at least eight hours. I was standing on this rock all throughout the night without sleeping, because I didn't want the waves to catch me off guard.
The thing that scares me most about drowning isn't the sinking or the cold, but the suffocation and the panic.
To be fair, I am a very anxious person in general so it would probably be more bearable for other people. Also, it would be a lot more bearable if the sea was calm.
If you're going to use that method, I recommend taking sleeping pills or something; that way you might not be able to feel that anxious.Unless you plan on drowning yourself in the bath, it'd probably be best to weigh yourself down with something to make you sink faster.
Most of the panic comes from anticipating drowning, and lack of oxygen. You could try to solve that by trying to do it as quickly as possible so as not to build up your anxiety, and breathe in water as fast as possible - apparently once you breathe in water then it's meant to be peaceful.
Needless to say, I was very unprepared for drowning.