Just Keep Swimming
That moment of release, giving yourself over to the icy water the momentary relief from the bitter air. Breath catching in the back of my throat as my body screams out at the cold, struggling to take in enough air as my whole body contracts in shock. Just breathe, just breathe…
My breath steadies as I focus on taking in air and allowing myself to surrender to the water. My whole focus is on survival, the rumination about the past and worries over the future all paused. My life, my girls all suspended. All I have is this moment, and the next and the next.
The waves remind me of this over and over. They ebb and flow to a beautiful force unseen by us. But they are relentless, constantly moving and changing. The water flows, it comes and goes in a powerful rhythm. The sea cyclical as it releases and renews in a beautiful continuous motion.
These feelings and bodily reactions to the cold water at first put me right back to the days after Ben died. That fear and panic not knowing where the next breath was coming from could I even take it. The gut wrenching realisation that he is dead, that sucks all air from my body and sets my stomach to stone. My poor body on overdrive just waiting for the next wave of thoughts to hit and engulf us in icy cold fear. These feelings and bodily sensations so familiar yet so far apart.
Our brain doesn’t distinguish between whether you’re facing a stressful situation right now or imagining it happening. Your brain produces stress hormones (like adrenalin and cortisol) when you feel stressed in a stressful situation, but it also produces them when you imagine a stressful situation. When you train your body to handle shock, pain and discomfort through the repeated immersion in cold water it can deal with all the other stresses and traumas life throws at you much more easily.
Sound familiar? These feelings and bodily reactions can happen on a daily basis when we are stuck in fear and anxiety. Our poor bodies are on overdrive just waiting for the next wave to hit and engulf us in icy cold fear inducing water. By reducing the cortisol levels in our bodies through wild swimming we give ourself a greater chance of healing from whatever trauma, stress or anxiety we are facing and growing through.
I took my first dip in the sea at the beginning of January and have been in at least once a week ever since. The sea is where I come back to my whole self and where I feel at peace. I am drawn to the sea, as if by some invisible force pulling me closer, whispering you’re home, you’re safe softly in my ear. The ever powerful presence under pinned by predictability and rhythmic calm.
My soul yearns for this and loves the tranquility and flow being with the sea brings me.
We could all learn so much from water, she is fluid passing through cracks without stress, moving around obstacles and patiently wearing away rough edges until they are smooth and gleaming. How would it feel to flow through your day like water, to allow the properties of water to soothe and calm your body and mind.
I find so much peace in those moments when my mind and body are working harmoniously together in the water, they are not fighting each other giving out messages that confuse and contradict. They are resetting and present in the moment and redirecting my focus onto what I can control and where my super powers actually lie.
The benefits of wild swimming are massive and everyone you meet will have their own beautiful, unique and empowering story about their journey.
Along with all the positive research that is being published all the time which shows regular wild swimming can boost your mood, calm inflammation which is present in many ailments, reduces stress and is meditative is it any wonder I love my swims!
Where do you find moments of joy in your daily life? Remember “We never remember days, only moments.” – Cesare Pavese