This summer did you find yourself diving into anything? Did you dive into fun and laughter at a pool party? Or maybe your big dive was the sheer power it took to get to a pool to wiggle your toes in the cool water. Chronic illness might change how we experience it but it doesn’t have to keep us from the enjoyment and calming effects of water.
Diving into a pool can be sheer terrifying when we are chronically ill. Our bodies are not cooperating. Many who are ill need others to even keep afloat. The thought of diving into a pool is just way too far out of reach.
I get it. So what about the experience anyway??
No, I don’t mean put yourself at any risk. I mean, show up. Go to a pool when there is an opportunity for assistance. Find a comfy seat next to the splash of the diving board and just soak it in.
Soak in the experience of water even though you are not the one doing the diving.
Breath in the fresh air of simply being outside.
Feel the sunshine or shade on your skin. Remember what it feels like to be sitting in the sunshine with your eyes closed, then someone or something comes along and blocks the direct rays. You can feel and see the shade even with your eyes closed.
Hear the splashes of the divers, the kids playing, the adults enjoying. Hear the water as it moves with the people and the activity.
Get your comfy seat as close to the water as you can. Feel the splashes of others but the safety of the safety of the sidelines.
Enjoy the soothing drops as they hit you.
Watch the divers as their limber bodies prepare for a dive. Imagine that your body was making the very same movements. Imagine that your body was judging the distance and the arch it will take. Imagine that it is you taking the plunge into the cool pool water. Imagine it is you touching the bottom of the pool floor, maybe aiming for the drain. Then what it feels like to kick off the floor and find your way back to the surface for air and then float in the success of the moment.
Our brains can do incredible things with thoughts. They can calm the stress of illness, loosen the stiff muscles and help us take deeper breaths. Water is one of the best ways to connect with stress relief, so go dive in from the side-line!!!
Blue Mind Movement
Join Dr. Jay Wallace at Blue Mind to understand and enjoy the emotional and physical benefits of water in our lives.
- Book – Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do
- Video – Blue Mind in the Desert | Dr. Wallace J. Nichols | TEDx
- About – Dr. J. Nichols about
- Series – Blue Mind Health
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