And I’ve grown to realise that I’m missing it a lot here in the UK.

Because I grew up surrounded by water so it’s part of my genetic makeup!

My hometown Savonlinna, in the East Finland, is a small medieval town, situated in the Saimaa Lake district (acc. to Wikipedia, as the 4th largest natural freshwater lake in Europe, it’s approx. 4,400 sqkm/1,700 sqmi). The town is built on several islands, connected by bridges so the lakes and water are never far away.

I grew up seeing blue water (or white frozen lakes) every single day.

We swam in the lakes in the summer, drove (yes!!), skied, skated or walked on them in the winter, travelled along them, holidayed by them.

We ate fish caught from them, used the water from them to wash ourselves in the sauna, and washed our rugs in them (this is not allowed any more so the city provides outdoor rug washing stations for anyone to use freely during the summer months).

The lakes and water were an integral part of my childhood and upbringing.

Fast forward to today, after 25 years in the UK, and what do I miss most?

Seeing and hearing water around me, swimming in a lake, running to the cool lake from a hot sauna!

Water and Health

Studies show that living near or having exposure to outdoor blue spaces is very beneficial for health.⁣
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The air near moving water contains high concentrations of negative air ions which reduce depression. Blue environments are filled with bacteria that may boost immunity⁣
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People who live amongst outdoor blue spaces are more likely to exercise, be more connected socially and have improved mental and physical health.⁣

Holiday, Lakes, Sauna….

So when I returned to my home country and hometown after two years of not being able to, I couldn’t have been happier! I just couldn’t get enough of the lakes! I could have lived in them (although I would have probably turned to a prune!)!

Swimming was our daily activity in Savonlinna, we did a morning and evening swim every single day (it was pretty difficult not to when our flat is situated only a few meters from a lovely beach!).

To me, nothing beats starting and ending the day with a plunge in the cool waters of a beautiful blue lake. I also managed to convince my cousin and hubs to come along with me to a morning swim in the sea in Helsinki, with the water temp only at around 13C. It was exhilarating (although the boys were less enthusiastic!).

And of course I have to mention the S word – sauna! A plunge into the below-20C lake feels even better when you’ve just been in a 70C degree heat! The feeling on the skin when you return to the sauna is just amazing. Have you tried?

What Can You Do?

So to look after your mental and physical health, think outside diet and exercise.

Get out into the fresh air and nature every day, even if it’s just sitting in your garden with your morning cuppa. Take off your shoes and socks and feel the ground beneath your bare feet.

Start to seek out blue spaces and moving water near where you live and soak up the sights, sounds and the air around them. You may think that you need to live by the sea or big lakes to benefit, but it can just be a stream or a pond in your local park, or you could create a small water feature in your garden with some moving water.

Even just watching a video of moving water and listening to the sounds of water can be very relaxing and soothing to the nervous system, so feast your senses by watching some beautiful videos of moving water. You can start with watching the short video above of me swimming one beautiful morning during our holiday. Or check out the beautiful videos by Sara, my friend and wild swimmer from the Lake District, on her Instagram page.

If you are brave enough, find a place to go wild swimming. Always make sure you stay safe! Never swim alone, always have a swim buddy or someone with you, do your research for the water course you are wanting to swim in, preferably use managed lakes at the beginning or join an outdoor swimming group. If you are in the UK, check out the Outdoor Swimming Society, Bluetits Chill Swimmers or The Dip Advisor for instance.

Back home in the UK, I’m regularly swimming in Bray Lake, managed by Bray Lake Watersports, most often with my swim buddy but also sometimes on my own. It’s a managed lake and I’m never alone in the lake, there are many others using it. I’m also looking forward to an upcoming swim in the River Thames with a group of ladies later this month. We will have a swimming instructor with us so we can keep safe.

And…. My plan is to keep swimming during the winter months too but I’m feeling the chill already when thinking about it so not sure I can guarantee I will be brave enough. I really hope I can. The benefits of cold exposure are amazing: improved circulation, stronger immunity, stimulation of brown fat (hence better weight management), better vagal tone (a marker of health and helps manage stress)… And it’s also being used for treatment of depressioin. I will keep having my cold showers throughout the winter anyway so hopefully I’m reaping some of the benefits even if I chicken out from winter swimming.

Mental Health Advice in Bracknell

If you live or work in Bracknell and need further help and advice on mental wellbeing, check out the free courses provided by the newly set up Stepping Stones Recovery College Bracknell. To learn how food affects your mood and mental wellbeing, join my upcoming course at the Stepping Stones in September.