We are in a time of great stress and anxiety. This is not the first and will not be the last. Perhaps it is time to do like the Greeks and Romans.
Early Greek and Roman physicians recognized the healing powers of nature and water. Even nineteenth-century industrial workers were advised to “take the waters” by the seaside or at natural springs to recover by connecting with nature and water.
Connect with Nature
Mental health experts say getting outside and connecting with nature is more important now more than ever… especially if you have been clustering in an apartment or home where there is limited exposure to nature.
Even just looking out the window or nature scene displayed on your computer screen can help. Several studies related to physical activities showed that “Exercising in natural environments was associated with greater feelings of revitalization and positive engagement, decreases in tension, confusion, anger, and depress, and increased energy.”
Move activities near water and one’s self-esteem and mood will also be enhanced.
Measuring and Proving
Modern-day science can now measure and backup those early healing theories and practices as indeed healthy and as an answer to problems created by our fast-paced culture.
Today, there are many rehabilitation programs integrated with nature, and particularly with water- based activities. You might be familiar with “Heroes on the Water which has helped more than 3,000 veterans and warriors rehabilitate and reintegrate.
Hippocrates’s observation that “water contributes much towards health.”
Always On
Are you or your clients “always on”? A lifestyle filled with Chronic Stress can eventually result in memory problems, poor judgment, anxiety, depression, and difficulty relaxing.
It is now possible to measure the damage that chronic stress can do to cardiovascular, immune, digestive, nervous, and musculoskeletal systems. Water can help us tap into our inner selves or break the cycle of traumatic recall that occurs with PTSD. It can also help with addiction, anxiety, autism, arthritis, asthma, depression, and more.
In England, it was reported that coastal communities may be able to achieve better physical health than those communities more inland, by spending their leisure time near the water.
A New Prescription
It appears that living on the coast actually provides a cost-effective opportunity to improve our health by “taking the waters” by walking on the beach, flying kites, fishing, and more. Imagine your doctor writing a new type of prescription, something like:
Swim or soak in ocean or water twice a week.
Fish every other day for at least two hours.
Walk barefoot in moving water 30 minutes each day.
Call me when I can come and observe your progress.
Healing
The challenge might to be understand the science behind how water might make this a reality someday. Enter the book by Dr. Wallace J. Nichols “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.”
Current research in cognitive neuroscience has brought some interesting techniques for improving our health and that of others. It might also provide ideas for expanding a guide business to help people learn and take advantage of several nature-based activities.
Imagine making a living helping people learn how to [surf, wind sail, kayak, fish, …] to address their Post-Traumatic Stress Disease (PTSD) symptoms, stress, blood pressure, etc. There are several organizations outside our area which do this very thing such as the Operation Surf, National Veterans Summer Sports clinics, AmpSurf, and Ocean Therapy (part of the Wounded Warrior Battalion).
Activities could, for instance, include walking barefoot in the surf, kayaking, diving, surfboarding, kite flying, wind boarding, sand yoga, fishing, paddle boarding, clamming, rafting, beach walks, and lots more. And after all of this… a great massage and a glass of wine would definitely be in order.
Doing It Anywhere… or Almost
Looking out the window us really just a start at the process. From the various studies it appears that the greater the exposure to nature (as for instance in going for a walk versus looking at a screen image) increases the positive benefits.
Even Plato asserted that ideas in your mind are like an aviary full of birds. If they are not calm, they are not accessible. The moments of calm will rejuvenate our thoughts and ideas and help us become more creative.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
Albert Einstein
Getting Away from it All
To really rachet up the creative thinking, get “away from it all.” The National Institute of Health examined the brains of creative people and if there was a way to help an artist, for instance, access a more creative state.
For many, they found that areas with water (such as the ocean, lakes, rivers, streams… including showers, tubs, swimming pools, and even a floatation tank) can help reduce stress and anxiety, and increase creativity.
Being creative extends across our life styles and could include how to concoct ways to keep teens engage with something other than their phones or computers, and not just designing new bridges, products and services, or solving a problem.
One more step
What if rejuvenating your mind through nature/water experiences could improve problem-solving? A recent Attention Restoration Theory study described how immersing oneself in nature for four days could increase performance in tasks requiring creativity and problem-solving by a full 50 percent.
Imagine guiding a small group through a Creative Problem Solving workshop on the coast. The session would include lots of time near the ocean, getting your feet wet in the ocean, communing with nature, and rejuvenating open minds. And then the best part… getting paid for it.
What will your next adventure be?
“Water is both the lover and mother, murderer and life-giver, source and sink. It is the endless mutability, the surprise and unexpectedness of its ever-changing colors and moods that stir artists, musicians, writers, filmmakers, and thinkers alike. Water unleashes the uninhibited child in all of us, unlocking our creativity and curiosity.”
REFERENCES
–Nichols Dr., Wallace J. 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. ISBN 978-0-316-25208-9 (hard copy). Review the research at https://www.wallacejnichols.org/467/bluemind-research.html
—Connecting with nature, even just looking out the window, can reduce stress and anxiety (https://www.kgw.com/article/news/health/expert-connecting-with-nature-more-important-now-than-ever/283-fca94512-18f7-4a76-9fee-04ba4df9acdd)
—Nature at home and at work: Naturally good? Links between window views, indoor plants, outdoor activities and employee well-being over one year(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204616302717)
–Atchley, Ruth Ann, et al. Creativity in the Wild: Improving Creative Reasoning through Immersion in Natural Settings. (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0051474)
—The Healing Power of the Ocean (https://fractalenlightenment.com/31235/life/the-healing-power-of-the-ocean)
—The Healing Power of the Ocean and Why Its so Good for You (https://mysticalraven.com/health/15279/the-healing-power-of-the-ocean-and-why-its-so-good-for-you)
