An Surprising Therapy With Healing Results To Scale back Anxiety And Stress

Two years ago on a dusty summer day, Wallace J. Nichols He moved to the California Valley where he had been living for more than 20 years and found that his family home and all of his belongings had been destroyed by one. Forest fire.

Shocked, he searched the ruins. He walked around the property and did only useful things he could think of: He went to the stream, took off his clothes and the pigeon. Dr. Nichols, a marine scientist, was harnessing the healing power of water.

Those have been tough years. Many of us find ourselves exhausted, over-expanded, struggling to rebuild the balance in our lives. We have to recharge.

Water can help. Neuroscientists say that spending time near oceans, lakes, rivers and other blue places can bring us many benefits. As a relief from anxiety, mental fatigue and rejuvenation,

Participating in water activities like swimming or surfing gives us a . may help in coming “flow state” Where we are completely immersed in our work. “It calms the inner state of our mind, which is often plagued by worries and worries,” says Ricardo Gil-da-Costa, a neuroscientist and CEO of Neuroverse, who has studied how water affects our brains. .

Even bodies of water can create a fantastic feeling of miracle —emotional response to something massive, that broadens and challenges our view of the world. Surprises can reduce stress and help put things in perspective.

“Water removes all noise and makes us meditative”, Wallace J. Nichols, whose work focuses on how blue spaces affect our well-being. “All we have to do is say present.”

Environmental psychologists say that water has special properties that can reinforce the positive effects of nature. When you’re around him, often Less visual and auditory information to process. Our mind can rest.

The sound of water, usually still and soft, calms us. Its smell can trigger positive memories and associations. When we swim, our body also relaxes in such a way that it cannot stay on land.

the most important: Water is dynamic. It moves rhythmically, producing a hypnotic play of lights, colors and sounds. It grabs our attention, but not in a demanding way. Researchers call this “soft attraction.” It gives our mind a break from the intense, focused attention that is so much needed in our daily lives and that is cognitively taxing.

“Water helps to expand the mind in a positive way”, Mark Berman, director of the Environmental Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Chicago. “That’s why it’s so relaxing.”

Here are some tips to take advantage of it Treatment power of water:

Surely he is beside a stream, even if it is not a stream flowing near the road. start there. Later Include places you can visit on weekends or holidays.

“Urban waters, such as rivers, canals or fountains, are valid. So is water in domestic contexts, such as sinks, bathtubs or even sprinklers. Pay attention to the sound, the play of the light and the motion”, says Dr. Nichols, author of blue mindWhich explores how water makes us healthier and happier.

“If you can’t reach the water, painting, photo, film or video They may create some similar benefits,” he added. If you want to evoke positive influences, choose places that evoke pleasant memories.

Virtual reality also helps. In research, computer-generated water scenes increased participants’ humor, probably because They could interact with the environment.

It makes a little difference.

A 2019 study found that To improve our well-being, we need to spend at least two hours a week in nature, which can be divided into short periods. A more recent and upcoming study concludes that spending the same amount of time near water has similar benefits, says Matthew White, an environmental psychologist at the University of Vienna who studies the health benefits of aquatic environments and who is the principal investigator of both investigations. Were. , Scientists have also found that Aquarium watchers achieve a lower heart rate and better mood in as little as 15 minutes.

“And then practice until you get it right. It will help you experience a state of flow where Time and worries disappear because one is more immersed in what one does”. It’s called Gil-da-Costa. When you become proficient in an activity, your brain changes; It develops new neural pathways that are faster and stronger. This makes it easier and easier to reach the state of flow by doing the same activity.

It’s no coincidence that the app contains nine of the ten most popular sounds quiet In the month of July they had to do with watering (the most commonly heard “rain on the leaves”).

“One of the most calming qualities of water is its sound,” says Dr. White. In a study published in May, he and his colleagues concluded that The sounds of water that people find most reviving are the rain in the woods, the murmur of a beach and the murmur of a stream. When researchers added biological sounds from living things to water noise, people liked them even more.

Record your favorite water. It will bring you good memories.

“You can spend time in the water anywhere and in your mind at any time. And when the water you imagine is the one you’ve enjoyed in real life, the positive effect will be even greater,” says Dr. Nichols.

At times when I feel overwhelmed, I close my eyes and imagine myself sailing with my father and sisters off the coast of Michigan many years ago. I imagine the reflections of the sun on the water, the sound of the waves splashing against the boat, the voices of my family. Almost immediately, I feel calm.

When Dr. Nichols came for air after diving into Mill Creek behind the smoldering ruins of his home, he began to cry. Then he floated on his back until he calmed down.

since, He goes to the drain every day after working on rebuilding his property. “It’s like a daily reset,” he says. “I don’t know how I would have dealt with all my feelings without it.”

by Elizabeth Bernstein