ColdWater Therapy

ColdWater Therapy

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.

Further information:

http://www.wildswimming.co.uk

https://wildswim.com/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-47159652 Coldwater and the menopause

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.”

Journaling

Journaling

What is Journaling

There is nothing new about journaling, there records of the stoic philosophers keeping journals from Epictetus to Marcus Aurelius. Through history people such as 1. Leonardo da Vinci · 2. Frida Kahlo · 3. Marie Curie · 4. Anne Frank · 5. Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) · 6. Charles Darwin 7. Albert Einstein have all kept a journal.

Who is journaling for

So who is journaling for? it’s for anyone who can write! It is a form of self-expression that can lift and empower people to understand they’re complex feelings and find humor with it. In the past I have created journals for different things as many of you know or may not I published a gratitude journal and I still keep one, combining the two things together is a great way to start a journal, take five minutes in the evening and write down three things that you give gratitude for that day, it can be as simple or complex as you like, from the simple things such as having clean water, a roof over your head to anything that you are grateful for that day.

Each morning I journal as well, I write down how I want to feel that day, one thing I can do to make that happen, one person who I need to show up for that day, that can be your children, spouse, a friend or work colleague to your boss. I note down that I have done my meditation, drank my water.

The Benefits

How Can We Use Writing to Increase Mental Health?

Whether you’re keeping a journal or writing as a meditation, it’s the same thing. What’s important is you’re having a relationship with your mind.

Natalie Goldberg

You might be wondering how writing in a journal can have a significant impact on your mental health. After all, it’s just putting some words on a page—how much can that really do for you?

It turns out that this simple practice can do a lot, especially for those struggling with mental illness or striving towards more positive mental health.

Journaling requires the application of the analytical, rational left side of the brain; while your left hemisphere is occupied, your right hemisphere (the creative, touchy-feely side) is given the freedom to wander and play (Grothaus, 2015)! Allowing your creativity to flourish and expand can be cathartic and make a big difference in your daily well-being.

Overall, journaling/expressive writing has been found to:

• Boost your mood/affect;
• Enhance your sense of well-being;
• Reduce symptoms of depression before an important event (like an exam);
• Reduce intrusion and avoidance symptoms post-trauma;
• Improve your working memory (Baikie & Wilhelm, 2005).

In particular, journaling can be especially helpful for those with PTSD or a history of trauma.

Guides on Journaling

A good set of guidelines on effective journaling can be found on the Center for Journal Therapy website. When you journal, remember the simple acronym: WRITE!

• W – What do you want to write about? Think about what is going on in your life, your current thoughts and feelings, what you’re striving towards or trying to avoid right now. Give it a name and put it all on paper.
  
• R – Review or reflect on it. Take a few moments to be still, calm your breath, and focus. A little mindfulness or meditation could help in this step. Try to start sentences with “I” statements like “I feel…”, “I want…”, and, “I think…” Also, try to keep them in the present tense, with sentence stems like “Today…”, “Right now…”, or “In this moment…”.
  
• I – Investigate your thoughts and feelings through your writing. Just keep going! If you feel you have run out of things to write or your mind starts to wander, take a moment to re-focus (another opportunity for mindfulness meditation!), read over what you have just written, and continue on.
  
• T – Time yourself to ensure that you write for at least 5 minutes (or whatever your current goal is). Write down your start time and the projected end time based on your goal at the top of your page. Set a timer or alarm to go off when the time period you have set is up.
  
• E – Exit strategically and with introspection. Read what you have written and take a moment to reflect on it. Sum up your takeaway in one or two sentences, starting with statements like “As I read this, I notice…”, “I’m aware of…”, or “I feel…” If you have any action items or steps you would like to take next, write them down now (Adams, n.d.).

For me, writing is a way of thinking. I write in a journal a lot. I’m a very impatient person, so writing and meditation allow me to slow down and watch my mind; they are containers that keep me in place, hold me still.

Ruth Ozeki

Why is it so beneficial for anxiety?

There’s simply no better way to learn about your thought processes than to write them down.

Barbara Markway,

She notes that to address our problematic thought patterns, we first have to actually know what they are! Journaling is instrumental in helping us identify our negative automatic self-talk and get to the root of our anxiety.

Writing in a journal can positively impact your anxiety through:

1. Calming and clearing your mind;
2. Releasing pent-up feelings and everyday stress;
3. Letting go of negative thoughts;
4. Exploring your experiences with anxiety;
5. Writing about your struggles and your successes;
6. Enhancing your self-awareness and teaching you about your triggers;
7. Tracking your progress as you undergo treatment (Star, 2018).

Through mechanisms like those listed above, journaling has been shown to:

8. Reduce anxiety in patients with multiple sclerosis (Hasanzadeh, Khoshknab, & Norozi, 2012);
9. Reduce physical symptoms, health problems, and anxiety in women (LaClaire, 2008);
10. Help students manage their stress and anxiety and improve their engagement and enhance meaning found in the classroom (Flinchbaugh, Moore, Chang, & May, 2012).

It is yours

Your journal is for you and you alone, and keeping this in mind can make you feel impossibly free to pour your authentic self onto the page. Give a try! All you have to lose is a few minutes of your time, and you already know all you could gain.