I have been reading quite a few articles lately on the calming and healing powers of water. Apparently, during lockdown, many people took up wild swimming and found it very good for their mental health. There is a lot of discussion on the effect of cold water on the body – how the shock of the cold water releases endorphins and takes us out of a negative mindset.
Blue Mind is water-associated peace. We are calmed by the soothing aspects of water. From a relaxing bath to float therapy to sitting on a beach watching the waves. It is said that proximity to water is beneficial to breathing and heart rate.
Personally, I have always loved being near water. I grew up in a coastal town, learned to swim very very early, and spent every weekend and holiday at the beach. When life overwhelmed me, the enormity of the ocean and the sound of the waves calmed me and realised how small my problems were in the larger scheme of things.
Stockholm is built on 14 islands so all four of the places I have lived here have been near water, two of them right on the waterfront
I wonder why many people are drawn to and calmed by water? Is it because we spent 9 months in water in the womb? Because so much of our body is water?
Another theory that has always appealed to me, is explored in Elaine Morgan’s “The Descent of Woman”