Cold Water Swimming and Me...
This is the first of many pieces in our new lockdown series. Designed to get you reminiscing as you long to be reunited with the ocean, we hope this keeps you ticking over…
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Cold Water Swimming and Me…
A discovery of ‘cold water panacea’ by Christina Watts
We’ve all been there. Living in the city like a fish out of water. The only way to return to ourselves is to return to the coast - a particularly relatable feeling at this moment in time as lockdown restrictions confine us to land.
Part-time photographer Christina Watts discovered this the hard way while travelling abroad. Finally reunited with her beloved Gower coastline, she embarked on a different journey into what she calls “an extreme form of mindfulness”…
“We need to get you in the water”, my father said after a long phone conversation which resulted in me making the final decision to come home early from my year abroad. I’d spent the last three months in a fast-paced and claustrophobic city which inevitably made my anxiety worse. I wasn’t leaving my flat very much or exploring what the city had to offer. I just felt terrible.
This probably wouldn’t make sense to some, but for me it was perfectly logical. A swim down Caswell or Langland Bay on the Gower has always grounded me and made me feel “normal” again. Whatever normal means.
When I swim - usually in the middle of winter - I’m totally present. All I can focus on is my surroundings. And for someone who often struggles to get out of her own head, is a much-needed tonic. After a swim, I’m usually bundled up in my robie, sitting in the car with a hot drink. To me this is the ultimate form of self-care.
There are so many examples of people improving their mental wellbeing with cold dips - it doesn’t seem to be a coincidence.
For example, in 2018 the British Medical Journal published a case study of a woman with major depressive disorder, who took up weekly cold-water swimming sessions. After each session her symptoms subsided, which resulted in her stopping her medication. This is nature’s cure. It’s no wonder it’s now being prescribed by GPs around the world.
“When I swim - usually in the middle of winter - I’m totally present. All I can focus on is my surroundings. And for someone who often struggles to get out of her own head, is a much-needed tonic. ”
I’m not saying that cold water swimming is the absolute cure for poor mental health (I wish it were!), but if it helps us even slightly, then it’s definitely worth taking the plunge.
The first time I properly tried out cold water swimming, I braved it in just my swimming costume, eager to see if the cold-water panacea would work for me too. I wasn’t really new to getting in the water in winter, but I’d always been equipped with a surfboard, and suited and booted in the thickest wetsuit, boots, hat and gloves. It wasn’t the same.
I set off with a friend down to Langland Bay. It was a brisk but sunny January morning. I later learnt it was ‘Blue Monday’; supposedly the most “depressing” day of the year.
We sat soaking up the sun, working up the courage to go in. We made the collective decision to keep our bobble hats on. We didn’t care about people thinking we looked silly.
As soon as I dipped my toes in, the immediate shock of cold nearly winding me. Slowly I swam out further and further to the bemusement of onlookers.
All I could think about was how cold it was, but it was so good to be immersed in nature with my friend. We joked about what we called “an extreme form of mindfulness” - after all, how can you not feel present when you’re dunked in the wintery Bristol channel?!
We stayed in as long as we could before rushing out to change quickly into our clothes, giggling and in shock. We couldn’t believe what we’d done.
I’m not saying it fixed me, but for those moments I felt better than I had in a long time. Beaming and smiling from ear to ear, we decided to make it a weekly event.
Suddenly, Blue Monday wasn’t so blue anymore! I’m so glad I chose to fight it.
Luckily, we don’t have to brave our cold waters alone. I most definitely wouldn’t have if it hadn’t been for my friend. Now there are heaps of cold water swimming groups popping up all around the country. When lockdown is over, I urge you to give it a go.
For those of you on the Gower: Check out “The Gower Bluetits, Open Water Chill Swimmers” on Facebook and Instagram who organise regular cold-water dips.
The Little Green Shoot Project also run regular mental health swimming sessions, which have now been expanded from Swansea to Cardiff, Neath, Abergavenny and Llanelli! For now, they’re hosting their wild swims via zoom every Sunday at 12pm (you can find that info in their Instagram bio). Get involved with cold showers, baths and filled up bins in the garden!
One of the first things I’ll be doing post-lockdown is going for a swim. I urge you to do the same. Your brain will thank you.
Christina Watts
Photographer: Christina Watts