The Underrated Therapy for Anxiety and Stress: Water

 

As an artist who is working on a series of paintings on water, I found this WSJ article very interesting.

One of my paintings in the background

On a dusty August day two years ago, Wallace J. Nichols hiked into the California valley where he had lived for more than 20 years to find his family’s home and all their possessions destroyed by a wildfire.

Stunned, Dr. Nichols searched the debris. He walked the entire property. Then he did the only helpful thing he could think to do.

He went down to the nearby creek, stripped off his clothes, and submerged himself.

Dr. Nichols, who is a marine scientist, was seeking the healing power of water.

It has been a rough few years. Many of us are finding ourselves exhausted, burned out, and struggling to build balance back into our lives. We need to recharge.

Water can help. Neuroscientists say that spending time near oceans, lakes, rivers and other blue spaces can provide a range of benefits including reducing anxiety, easing mental fatigue, and rejuvenating us.

Participating in water activities such as swimming or surfing can help us enter a “flow state” where we become fully immersed in what we’re doing. This calms our mind’s internal state, which is often absorbed by rumination and worry, says Ricardo Gil-da-Costa, a neuroscientist and chief executive of Neuroverse who has studied how water affects our brain.

 

https://wwwwsj.com/articles/harness-the-healing-power-of-water-11661207276?mod=Searchresults_pos2&page=1  

 

“Chanchal”- is the word that best expresses the nature of water. Water is malleable, it always adapts to the surrounding. Whether it’s in the form of ice, the shape of glass, or the massive ocean. Water’s transforming power influences our spirits and energies. The world is made up of water and so is our very existence. Just like nature depends on rain, our body needs fluids to function. Water has the capability to take the shape of our outlook and intentions, and channel its force in our directed chain of thoughts. 72% of our body is water. Hence, communicating with water can transform the way it functions in our bodies. It flows and surrenders, influencing our spirits and energies to follow us down the road we desire. For example, if you drink a glass of water with the desire of adopting a positive perception, the water will influence the healing effect of drinking. One should always believe in the power of water and think positive thoughts to move it in the desired direction. This will promote inner healing as well as physical, mental, and spiritual recovery. Swimming is thus beneficial not only to our fitness but also to various illnesses and disorders such as sciatica, backaches, and so on. It accentuates the tranquility of water, relieves despair and anxiety, and simultaneously boosts our adrenaline levels. Like a mirror, water reflects an image of us and our thoughts. Its presence dominates our physical composition; so, being mindful and perceptive of the thoughts we have is essential. One should consciously adopt positive thinking by controlling their thoughts. We need to understand how our thoughts affect the water in our bodies and vice versa. If we prefer virtue over evil, the water in our body will imitate us, and transform itself and us into all that is good. https://theyogainstitute.org/healing-power-of-water/

more info at:

https://www.sonima.com/fitness/healing-water/

https://abundantnaturalhealth.com.au/blogs/news/the-healing-power-of-the-ocean

https://www.olisticthelabel.com/the-healing-power-of-the-seaside-2/

 

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