Going for a lakeside swim or lounging on a beach often feels refreshing and restorative. For many of us, access to seas or lakes forms a major part of picking a travel destination, especially if you usually don’t have access to these environments. Whether wild swimming or taking in a coastal sunset, there’s a joy and calm to spending time by or in a body of water, but have you ever wondered why being near water feels so good? You can lose hours looking out at the ocean, forgetting about life’s worries for a while. Emails? Non-existent. Phone? Forgotten about. You may think there’s an element of being on holiday or simply being outside and in nature, but being near bodies of water also has specific positive impacts on us, in what has been termed ‘blue health’.
Blue health is a growing field of study that focuses on how aquatic environments influence mental and physical well-being – highlighting how water can restore, relax and recharge us. Over the last decade or so, several studies have found links between living in or having regular access to water and improved physical and mental health.
While it might seem simple, the effects can be powerful. These studies have found cognitive benefits, reduced stress, improved mood and mental well-being, and positive effects on physical well-being.
“From a psychological perspective, water has a unique ability to help us slow down. Many of us spend our lives in a constant state of stimulation, juggling work pressures, technology, notifications and endless mental to-do lists. Being near water gently shifts our attention away from those demands and into the present moment,” explains Helen Wells, psychotherapist and clinical director at The Dawn Rehab Thailand.
She adds that the sound of waves, the movement of flowing water and the sense of openness often create a feeling of calm that can help regulate the body’s stress response. Blue spaces lower stress and anxiety, mostly because they give your “nervous system a chance to settle in a way that constant, focused attention perhaps doesn’t allow. Being near water can feel like an escape from the noise of everyday life,” says Rebecca McBride, a therapist and social worker.
And in a world where it feels like we’re constantly fizzing and on the go, blue health tends to encourage a quieter, more reflective state of mind. “Since blue spaces ask very little of us (you don’t need to do anything), they can be incredibly restorative for people who are constantly ‘on’ and rarely allow themselves to switch off,” says Wells.
