Finding some "zing" in the chilly sea... and how we might self-care a little more in these unsettled times.

As I write this, my hands are still slightly tingling and some of the skin of my arms and legs feel chilly.  It is a sensation I am slowly getting used as I warm up after a quick swim in the sea (this is me in the photo today!).  This isn't something new as such, having swum in the sea most days during the summer months since I lived in my little seaside town.  The difference is, being October, the water is COLD.  I have never been in such cool water, being someone who relishes swimming in water that is ideally as warm as a bath.  But the pandemic and all its restrictions has caused me to wonder about how to have some kind of "mini adventure"while not travelling far.  Spending time in nature has been one of the most nourishing parts of my life since the pandemic started, so I need to find ways to continue this even as the weather changes. 

In braving the chillier sea, I have joined the increasing number of local "all-year round" swimmers.  For years, I have been curious about seeing the occasional hardy-looking person plunge into the sea while it is too cold to even take a coat off.  I always thought I could never be one of those swimmers, until this month.  The secret I am discovering is partly having the correct gear.  Even in the summer I would often be shivering once I got out of the sea until I invested in a "dryrobe", which turns out to be my new best friend, in the form of an enormous cape with fleecy inside and windproof outer.  I also have swimming gloves, socks and a luminous warm hat, as advised by the experienced water goers.  Cold water swimming does have a community feel and there are many small groups of swimmers along the beach, squealing with delight or shock as they ease into the cold.  It makes me smile seeing them and now I am one of them, well almost!

But is it actually pleasurable I hear you ask?  I wonder this myself each time, as I reluctantly peel off my dryrobe and shiver into the water.  The intense feeling of cold is just that, it is still pretty chilly even with the right gear on.  However, my body only feels cold in patches and other parts are just tingling or quickly become more numb.  The wow factor for me comes in brief moments as I ride the exciting swell of the waves or a small flock of knots fly right over nearly brushing my head.  I have to confess, the best moment is getting out of the water, drying off quickly and putting on warm layers.  Once I am snuggled in some thermals plus my dryrobe, with hopefully a few rays of sunshine as I sit on the beach, I feel great.  Maybe this endorphin rush as I warm up is exactly what the "real" cold water swimmers talk about.  Whatever it is, I definitely feel some kind of "zing" for hours afterwards.  Even better than my squares of dark chocolate.

As the pandemic started to rumble a little more loudly this week, I am grateful once again for having the sea on my doorstep.  It is grounding to tune into the weather, the times of high tide for a possible swim, the wind direction and size of waves before heading out.  The sea is incredibly predictable in terms of its tide times, reliably coming back in at exactly the time expected.  And the sound of the waves as I walk or swim is always, always soothing.  It is certainly what I need to balance out the "noise" of the pandemic's chaotic politics and rising case numbers. I swing from feeling exasperated (this was surely predictable if we opened up schools and universities while our R number was already around 1?) to hope that these new rules will actually work if we can even agree what they should be?  While I am in the fortunate south in Tier 1, it leaves me with a rather large nagging feeling about will our cases rise too?  

Learning how to safely swim in the cold water is a project I can thankfully continue irrespective of the pandemic's uncertainty.  What I've learned so far, is the importance of protecting the extremities from the worst of the cold so my "core" remains okay .  The protective gloves, hat and socks do make a surprising difference.  It got me wondering in terms of the pandemic, what is the equivalent of thermal gloves or a warm cape to help deal with months more of these restrictions?  Could it come in the form of self-care, those automatic or deliberate actions that help us provide some soothing to ourselves while we live in difficult times?

Finding and maintaining our "self-care" is something that we can control in these unsettled times, yet can sometimes feel like another thing to add to my list.  When I went through series of bereavements in close succession, a close friend advised "extreme self-care" which was  probably the most useful thing that anyone said to me during the whole period.  I started to learn that it didn't have to mean booking a relaxing massage or a nourishing yoga retreat (even though these would be top of my list pre-pandemic).  It could simply mean having time in nature each day, a hot bath or stopping to have a cup of herbal tea.  Sometimes the smallest of acts can make a real difference.  It is the kindness that is behind the small gestures of self-care that can spread far wider than the simple mug of lemongrass tea.  In a similar way to feeling the physical warmth in my body spread quickly as soon as I step out of the sea and put on my cosy top.

And my self-care can also include not having to do everything each day.  Sometimes my "list" can be tiring, the healthy cooking from scratch, yoga each day, long daily walks and now swimming in the sea. So my self-care for my new outdoor hobby includes not swimming every day.  I'm exploring having a day or two off to let my body recover and space for all the other things.  This feels better and kinder for my body that is still warming up three hours later after my swim!  And it reminds me of the most central term in yoga, "ahimsa" which translates as kindness to self and others in all things that we do.

"Even the smallest act of caring for ourselves or another person is like a drop of water, it makes ripples throughout the entire pond" (Bryan Matteo)

Comments

  1. CakeSliceOctober 19, 2020 at 2:28 PM

    Nice reminder of ahimsa - and interesting to read after hearing on the radio about research on the feeling of cold potentially delaying onset of dementia...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sue WalkerOctober 19, 2020 at 5:54 PM

      Thank you for reading and your comment, much appreciated. Interesting to hear that research has shown the benefits of the cold water.

      Delete

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