It’s dusk. I’d normally be at home, drawing the curtains against oncoming darkness. But tonight, I am floating in the English Channel, gazing up at the moon, her edges as sharp as a paper cutout. The water is silky against my skin; neither warm nor cold.
All day I had felt adrift; but the business of bare feet on pebbles – the sharp shock of getting in – pulled me into the moment. When I stepped into weightlessness, I left my worries on the shore, alongside my clothes.
“Isn’t this incredible?” I call to my friend Vix. She knows; she gets in the sea most days. I’m beginning to understand why. As I tread water, I’m aware of my smallness in this vaster body. Unexpectedly, I feel not cowed, but freed.
By the time we get out, shivering and giggling, it is almost too dark to see. Yet in my mind, everything has shifted back into focus.
There is something about water that affects our psyches deeply. Spending time in ‘blue spaces’ (an umbrella term for outdoor aquatic environments, including lakes and rivers as well as oceans and beaches) is associated with many aspects of mental health and wellbeing, including lower levels of stress and anxiety, a more positive mood and greater life satisfaction, according to a review of the findings of 35 scientific studies.
Blue spaces have also been found to be particularly important for promoting social connection.
Marine biologist and ocean advocate Dr Wallace J Nichols calls the state of mind we experience when we are in, on, near or under water ‘blue mind’ (a new edition of his book of the same name will be published in December 2024 to mark its tenth anniversary). “Water has a profound effect on our bodies and minds, triggering a cascade of positive physiological, neurological and psychological responses that put us in a mildly meditative state,” he says.
While this wellness boost could be claimed for any natural environment – forests, mountains, wildflower meadows – a growing body of research is revealing that the presence of water adds, rather than dilutes. The Blue Health research study, spanning 18 countries, concluded that blue environments are more psychologically restorative than any other.
Dr Mat White is a health and environmental psychologist at the University of Vienna – and one of the key researchers in the field. Fourteen years ago, he and colleagues discovered that in many of the studies investigating the appeal of green spaces, the most highly rated scenes also contained blue features – such as lakes, rivers and coastlines. “We think it was no coincidence that the greater the proportion of water in the image, the more favourably it was rated,” he says.
Perhaps it’s only natural that we should feel good when we are close to water. “We have a physical memory of what it means to be at home in water, both in a literal sense – the nine months we spend suspended in amniotic fluid in the womb – and in terms of how we evolved as a species,” says Dr Easkey Britton, a marine social scientist, surfer and author of Ebb & Flow.
But it isn’t just our biology. “Throughout history and across cultures, we have imbued water with meaning and value,” says Nichols. It holds true today – think about the premium placed on the price of a hotel room – or home – with a sea view. “People seem to be drawn to coastal and other water margins as a social space,” White says. “It may be related to some evolutionary advantage, with water bodies and margins being central to human habitation, migration and cooperative practices for millennia. But positive memories of childhood beach holidays and water play are likely just as important.”
This ties in with the third thread shaping what water means to us and how we respond to it. Personal experiences and the feelings they evoke. “Water memories are some of our most powerful, because of water’s multisensory qualities,” believes Britton. “It leaves a powerful imprint on body and mind.” Studies on the emotion awe show that 75-85 per cent of the awe-inspiring experiences people report take place in nature: the vast majority incorporate water.
You might assume that to experience the healing power of water, you need to get wet. Not so, says White. “Many of the benefits associated with blue spaces – greater physical activity, social connection and mental restoration – don’t require getting in the water,” he says. “You could be walking along the coast with a friend, jogging on a river bank or just sitting beside a tranquil loch.” Britton agrees. “Surfing, swimming and other fully immersive activities aren’t accessible or desirable for everyone – but it is possible to connect to water, in some form, wherever you are. Doing so can feel like a kind of homecoming.”
Find Your Blue Space
Create a sit spot
A sit spot is a place in nature where you can be by yourself for 5-10 minutes. It could the pond in your local park or a coastal cliff. “It works best if you choose somewhere that you can visit regularly,” says Britton. Over time, you will begin to notice the changing mood of this particular body of water at different times of the day and year and through this, build a relationship with it.
Try: Connect with ‘your’ water through all your senses. What does it sound like, what sensations can you feel on your skin? How wet or dry is the air? Does it smell salty or earthy? Listen to the sounds it makes. “This sensory engagement helps shift our awareness from head to body, allowing the mental chatter to quieten,” says Britton.
Float
Water has a greater density than the human body, which is what enables us to float and experience the sensation of weightlessness. “The health benefits of floating are multifaceted,” says Britton. “On a psychological level, it requires us to trust the water and its ability to hold us. It also aids muscle relaxation, helps to reduce chronic back pain and inflammation in the joints, lowers blood pressure and even improves sleep.”
Try: “Lower your body into the water and lie back. Spread out your arms and legs, like a starfish. Bring your awareness to your breathing, noticing how you float more easily when you inhale and how your body begins to sink a little as you exhale.”
Keep watch
Waterscapes are never static. Think of the ebb and flow of the tide, the curl and crash of waves, the inexorable flow of a river towards the sea, patterns of light and shade. “Water is highly absorbing, and can draw our attention in a non-threatening way,” says White. Ongoing research in his group is investigating patterns of neural activation in the brain while people are observing different blue spaces. Early results support the idea that blue spaces elicit ‘soft fascination’, a kind of relaxed attention that restores, rather than drains, cognitive resources.
Try: Next time you are close to water, spend a few minutes observing it closely. One study found that watching light reflected on the surface of water for just 60 seconds induced awe, leaving people feeling more compassionate, less preoccupied with self and more connected to others.
Submerge
Water offers us the unique possibility of total immersion. “Being submerged is an entirely different bodily experience,” says Britton. “It unhooks us from our everyday thoughts and feelings and brings us into a state of presence.” As soon as you submerge your face in water, something known as the ‘mammalian dive reflex’ occurs. “Nerve receptors in the face respond to the touch of water, causing heart rate to slow, along with other physiological responses that prepare you to hold your breath and dive under the surface.”
Try: Experiment with a level of submersion that is comfortable for you. “To get used to putting your face into the water, take a breath in and as you breathe out, lower your face to the surface of the water, blowing bubbles with your exhalation,” advises Britton.
Walk by water
There’s something about being beside water than encourages movement. Living on or close to water margins is associated with significantly higher levels of physical activity and research suggests that people tend to exercise for longer in blue spaces. “This is really important given the known cognitive and mental health benefits of exercise, as well as physical ones,” says White. “One reason seems to be that people lose track of time more in attractive blue spaces.”
Try: Take your next walk, run or cycle ride alongside water – be it a canal towpath, a lake perimeter or the beach. “Go barefoot or paddle in the shallows,” suggests Britton.
Swim wild
In 2022, the Outdoor Swimming Society asked its 175,000 members what motivated them to swim outdoors. The overwhelming answer – given by 94 percent of respondents – was joy. Scientific studies support the claim that sea swimming increases wellbeing and can alleviate stress and depression, as well as enhancing feelings of connection to nature. “Outdoor swimming is so effective because it is a package of health measures,” believes Dr Mark Harper, author of Chill: The Cold Water Swimming Cure. “Being outside, community, exercise and, of course, the cold.’
Try: Consider dipping your toe into cold-water swimming. “Cold water is, for the purposes of the health benefits, anything under 20 degrees C,” says Harper. Research last year found that five minutes’ cold-water immersion left people feeling happier and more alert.
And breathe
- The air in natural environments has a greater abundance of negative ions than in built-up areas – particularly where water molecules collide – a thundering waterfall or a crashing wave. Some research suggests that these negative air ions (NAIs) have a positive impact on physiological and psychological wellbeing. In one recent study, people visited a waterfall so that they could inhale the NAIs held within the moist air. Improvements in lung function, immune response and stress levels were recorded. Ongoing research is investigating the effect of waterfall spray on the health of those with cardiopulmonary limitations, such as asthma.
Since this piece was published in July 2024, Dr Wallace J Nichols died. A great loss, and my best wishes go to his family and friends.
BBC Countryfile Magazine, July 2024