The blog is shared with Annie Button with MQ.
As someone who has been struggling with anxiety and mild depression as an adult, my initial concern was to be unable to cope and feel my mental health decline.
When I first heard my dad’s diagnosis, he had only a 30% chance of doing it all night, and I worked abroad. At that time, I went home immediately, and my mom was already struggling to cope with her grandmother who was increasingly unsuitable for dementia. I know that there are still many things to face when I go back to the UK.
But my two passions are to immerse myself in nature and swim in the sea. However, I never realized how important these activities are to me and my personal mental health challenges.
Face the Challenge
Those early days were tough, and I visited my dad in the hospital and then returned to my parents’ home. It was April and my mom and dad’s house was only a five-minute walk from the sea. One source of comfort for me is walking to the seashore, stealing food for photos of seagulls, and then swimming in changing tides and crashing waves.
Sometimes, with so many sudden and frustrating changes, overwhelming bad news about my dad, and the stress of not knowing what will happen from day to day, it’s hard to keep my mental health in place. My friends have been widely scattered since the end of college, and although I do have a sister nearby, I feel a real sense of calmness and a sense of peace about my overall well-being and mental health whenever I swim in the cold Sussex Sea.
Learn how swimming can help me
In recent years, the well-known outdoor swimming or “wild swimming” has become increasingly popular. It gained a huge following, not only because it was fun, sociable and a good form of sport, but for some people (myself included) swimming in cold water had a noticeable uplifting effect on my emotions.
But while some swimmers enter the sea all year round and agree that this is good for their mental health, more scientific research on the subject is needed to validate any ideas or discoveries. Have a certain degree of grounding Medical research supporting evidencebut much of the data originated from research conducted on volunteers and was regarded as “self-reported evidence”, so more scientific research is needed.
Personally, I find swimming in the sea or in an outdoor pool very therapeutic and I think what I like is the feeling in the cold water. These mental health benefits are shared by my friends who regularly swim. Swimming team members also reported positive benefits, this science-based article about the Outdoor Swimming Association (OSS) Website Recommendations. Similarly, I found some research conducted by national organizations like this England swimmingbut this is of course my discovery and personal experience.
Prescriptions for society that swim to improve mental health is a promising area, but deserves more research to fully understand the benefits gained. Group swimming or solo may be a way to meet new people and talk to friends you swim, sharing issues or concerns that may negatively affect your mental health.
Refocusing on nature and creativity in my mind
When I swim, whenever I enter the beach, I feel sad and face the weight of cruel hospital visits or the latest updates of the doctor. Despite the clichés, regular swimming helped me balance and manage my mental health. For example, the continuous rhythm of the front crawl does relieve my stress because I can focus on my breathing. If I float on my back, look up at the sky or dive underwater, I can relax, think about my father and family, and understand the trauma and emotions I feel unexpectedly.
For me, swimming and taking pictures became two forms of personal therapy for me, and it was my subconscious need to feel better escapes like I could handle it. Apart from swimming, outside on a beautiful beach, I feel rooted and close to my dad, and sometimes I speak loudly while swimming. At that time, I also began to explore Nature Photography. Now, I appreciate that capturing natural images is good for me like swimming in cold water.
Exercise outdoor activities in fresh air
As someone who loves exercise in the fresh air, it is beneficial to swim in the sea on a quiet beach starting in April. This may be what made me choose to swim when I left my dad. Physical It is well known that activeness enhances mental healthand can improve people’s long-term health and well-being. Similarly, swimming is usually meditative, and I remember standing in the sea and throwing 1p coins into the waves, hoping my dad miraculously gets better. Swimming was the most challenging time of my life and the shelter after my father lost his battle.
Again, photography is more than just a hobby – it develops into another form of emotional release. It becomes another way to focus, deal with emotions and reflection. This personal therapeutic ability photography provides me with recognition in the field of mental health. In Canada, Technology known as phototherapyuse photography to stimulate emotional expression and communication in a consulting environment. This looks like a promising field of research, and I personally know that taking photos and immersing them in nature gives people emotional clarity and healing. It will be interesting to see how research develops.
Calculate my blessings with lasting memories
Thankfully, for me, I hope other people who may have struggled with grief, swimming and photography are my treatment combination. They became what I wanted and needed to do to help me through the hardest, saddest days. I was glad I did walk to the beach for the first time and then I continued swimming at the sea and taking pictures while my father was in the hospital. Six weeks after my first flight back, he was sadly dead.
Photos also have the ability to create, evoke and retain memories for a lifetime. After I lost my father and had to face my grandma’s loss within a year, my family decided to spread the ashes in the dock. For me, the photos of the sea and sunset I took during the memorial ceremony continue. Photos of my father and grandma and my current swimming have given me a lasting connection to their memories. Sadness and anxiety, like the sea, the waves emerge, but swimming tells me that you can’t hit the waves – you have to learn to move with them.
If you are affected by any of the issues in Annie’s story, you can find support here.
