How does Social Media & mental health go, well for me there are times when I have to shut it down and escape from the noise. I will often have breaks from it particularly FaceBook, in the current world climate there is far too much negativity and angst on the platform, friends fighting friends over masks and vaccines, political cat calling and bitching. Then we get to my trees bigger than yours and oh look how many presents little Johnnie or Jayne has under the tree. We are living in crazy times and many people are fighting mental health we are in a global pandemic and I do not mean whichever virus strain it is this week.
I feel social media has a part to play in this mental health pandemic that is getting worse by the day, it creates a comparing culture where we watch highlight reels and false living and are told by adverts what we should do and how we should look. I often say that if it is out of my circle of control then in the fuckit bucket it goes. We can not control what ads I see, what others post, the news from whichever source people choose to cherry-pick today.
The mute button on Facebook is good for turning off some of the noise that fills your newsfeed. So I have decided to take a sabbatical from Facebook, well my personal newsfeed, I’ll post to my pages which is where I will post this but I’m avoiding the negative noise, bitching and showing off that is making it so toxic, I do not need that for my mental health right now.
How does social media affect your mental health, leave a comment below?
Self-care
Remember that all the highlight reels are just that, not many post warts and all or talk about the shit storm in their heads, media tells us we should all be getting the latest this and the latest that, we should wear this and look like that but it’s all bollocks. Just be yourself and do your best for yourself, self-care is not selfish. The greatest gift you can give is your presence, memories last forever, materialistic crap will be yesterday’s news tomorrow, under a bed, in a draw never used.
Take care of yourself and your loved ones and give gratitude for what you do have no matter how small, you woke up this morning, if you are reading this then I guess you have a roof over your head, clean water and food. You are richer than so many.
The good and the bad times, the last week has been up there in terms of good and bad times, from the darkest low points to life-affirming euphoria.
After a pretty shit end to last week and yeah it rated up there with some of the worst I have had for a long time. Thursday evening I had a massive anxiety attack which triggered my depression, I was awake most of that night and I admit that I had some very dark thoughts, the first time in a long time that they have come into my mind. I had asked to work from home on Friday but was told no, I said that I felt this was unfair as other members of staff were allowed to work from home as and when they wanted(yes I worded it differently but that was the message) after staff being sent home after testing positive for Covid this compounded my anxiety.
Friday was a wasted day where the only thing I managed was a five-minute walk, I never showered, didn’t eat and did nothing, the negativity in my head and shit thoughts took the day away.
The Sea
Saturday morning after a somewhat better sleep I made breakfast and talked to a very good friend, so Saturday afternoon in the lovely autumnal sun I went to the sea, well I was made to go in all honesty lol. Being in, on or near water is my treatment room, my therapy my good place. I spent about 40 minutes in the sea and with each minute my spirits lifted, nature truly is amazing and I do not doubt the effect it has on my mental health.
Saturday night after getting home I ordered a curry as it was too late to make one, yes I know I moan every time I order a takeaway saying mine is better, this one was not that bad. I had three small beers rather than the usual 12 and had a relatively early night. Sunday I was up fairly early, washing done, popped to shops for bits to make a stew, pottered about and got a few things done rather than sit about moping. In the afternoon after Jones had been out wombling litter picking, we went to the sea again Newton beach in Porthcawl, it was 20c when we went and the sea temp was 16+, it was a stunning late afternoon dip in the sea with the sun setting. We sat and watched the moon rising over Ogmore then made our way home, where the beef stew had been in the slow cooker all day. After a few beers, I had an early night ready for work the next day.
New Day
Monday morning up as soon as the alarm went off, a contrast shower finished with 2 minutes of cold. The cold does wake you and sets you up better than any coffee, dressed and a cup of tea before I head off to the office.
I arrive at work, gates open, park the car and swipe in with my card all as normal, go into the office, no boss but that’s normal as I am generally first in. Sit down and go to log in to PC and I am greeted with Account Deactivated, I go through to the main office and ask the other IT staff about it and both shake their heads, with this I go back to my office to collect my personal effects and take the account deactivation as notice of not required.
After ten months on a rate more aligned to a first-line engineer and not a technical consultant rate, where the conversation over a rate rise has been pushed aside and point-blank refused to be had, where I have delivered above and beyond what was requested when I started, yes I have taken days off when my mental health has been low. I have felt, underappreciated, undervalued and underpaid for quite a while now and have raised the matter on several occasions and have had no joy regarding it.
So I am back home now and feel a weight lifted off my shoulders, my workplace has got me down over the recent months and was doing my mental health no good at all. So I take it as a sign to move on and not have the anxiety and poor mental health that has been dogging me. Family and friends have told me that I have been a miserable twat, that I am unhappy, I have fallen out with my daughter who is the most important person in my life right now, she has not visited, her mother who I still class as a very good friend has told me I have been a grumpy cunt, I did not see it but looking back over the last couple of months I have been.
So it is pastures new for me and a massive weight lifted off my shoulders, I have neglected myself and treated my mental health badly, the only times I have been happy is when in the river or sea, and that is not right. No job has the right to make you mentally ill and suffer anxiety.
So I have updated the CV, posted it on the job boards and already applied for a few, this afternoon I may do a painting, it is not the weather to go out taking photos. No need to worry about what’s for tea I got plenty of stew there and ill make some celeriac mash to go with it.
It’s good to have that weight lifted and not feel the anxiety that has been part of everyday life for quite a while.
There has been a lot written recently about coldwater therapy and wild swimming. As children, we just called it swimming, from an early age we swam in the River Usk at Newbridge on Usk or as we called it Gypos tump. We would ride bikes that we often made or we would hitchhike from the coldra to the truck stop. Can you imagine most children these days riding a bike about 10 miles swim and play in the river all day then ride back, sadly only in a virtual online environment for many? I won’t go into the hitchhiking as I would not do it myself these days let alone let a child do it.
You may think that swimming in cold water is one of the last things you’d dream of doing, but there are significant health benefits attached to it.
Benefits
Believe it or not, there are some great benefits to performing cold water swimming! Here is a brief summary:
1. It boosts your immune system
The effects of cold water on the immune system have been studied widely. Coldwater helps to boost the white blood cell count because the body is forced to react to changing conditions. Over time, your body becomes better at activating its defences.
2. It gives you a natural high
Coldwater swimming activates endorphins. This chemical is what the brain produces to make us feel good during activities. Coldwater swimming is also a form of exercise, and exercise has been proven to treat depression. Coldwater swimming brings us close to the pain barrier. Endorphins are released when we’re in pain, to help us cope with it.
3. It improves your circulation
Coldwater swimming flushes your veins, arteries, and capillaries. It forces blood to the surface and helps to warm our extremities. Repeated exposure adapts us to the cold.
4. It increases your libido
Coldwater was traditionally seen to repress sexual urges. The fact is that it increases libido! A dip in some cold water boosts oestrogen and testosterone production, adding an edge to fertility and libido.
The benefits of increased libido include more confidence, higher self-esteem, and enhanced mood.
5. It burns calories
The heart has to pump faster in cold water and the body must work harder to keep everything warm while swimming. Overall, far more calories are burned during cold water swimming than swimming in warmer conditions. The idea that drinking cold water increases the number of calories you burn may be a myth, but it is a fact that cold water decreases your body temperature so much that the body must act.
6. It reduces stress
Coldwater swimming places stress on the body physically and mentally. Many studies have identified the link between cold water and stress reduction. Coldwater swimmers become calmer and more relaxed.
7. It is a great way of socialising and making new friends
There is a great sense of community and camaraderie amongst cold water swimmers. There is nothing that brings people together like facing a challenge and sharing the experience as a group.
Ongoing studies into the effects of coldwater therapy and menopause. The difficulty lies in that it is difficult to prove that it is specifically the cold water that is having the positive effect – as the aspects of socialising and doing exercise will both improve general health and wellbeing. What’s not to like?
A short video of why I do it.
Safety
You have to respect nature at any time of the year but even more so as the year progresses and we get into the winter months. Overall, the average sea temperature in the British Isles ranges from 6-10 °C in the winter to 15-20 °C in the summer depending on region and yearly variation. In the UK, inland waters can be as low as zero in winter to as high as the mid-20s in peak summer. The following link to Outdoor Swimmer has a detailed post regarding water safety.
We’re awash with anecdotal evidence that outdoor swimming helps promote good mental health.
Cold water adaptation
In September 2018, the British Medical Journal published a case report about the theories around cold water adaptation as a treatment for depression. Co-authored by Dr Mark Harper, a cold-water swimmer who was behind the BBC documentary, the report looks at the physical responses to swimming in cold water.
The theory is around our stress response and inflammation. Immersing yourself in cold water puts your body into fight or flight mode. Starting with the cold-water shock response, dipping into cold water puts your body under stress. As you repeat this experience, you diminish this stress response. And having a better rein on your stress response means being able to better cope with life’s many minor irritations that add up to chronic stress.
Stress Response
“Our bodies don’t differentiate between types of stress,” says Mark. “Every day low-level stresses make things worse, but the significant physical stress of getting into cold water attenuates our stress response as we adapt to it.”
This diminished stress response is about activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Known as the rest and digest system, the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for slowing your heart rate and increasing intestinal and gland activity.
A key part of this system is the vagus nerve, which connects your brain to organs including your heart and lungs. It’s the tone of this vagus nerve that relates to mental health; if you have a high vagal tone, your parasympathetic nervous system is working and that means that your body can relax faster after stress. One way in which you can stimulate the vagus nerve and increase vagal tone is through cold water adaption. And this has been shown to help a range of mental health and nervous conditions from depression and anxiety to chronic fatigue, tinnitus and Alzheimer’s.
We also have an inflammatory response to threats, including stress and infections. “Inflammation and depression are linked,” says Mark. “Anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen have an effect on depression. But all drugs have side effects. And we know that cold water adaptation reduces levels of inflammation.”
While some therapists suggest cold showers or immersing your face in cold water, it’s becoming clear that these techniques aren’t a patch on outdoor swimming. “Coldwater swimming is a holistic therapy,” says Mark. “Exercise, being in nature, community – the cold water is an additional effect.”
