1 . The Healing Power of Water

It has been a rough few years. Many of us are finding ourselves exhausted, burned out, struggling to build balance back into our lives.     1     Neuro scientists 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 refreshing 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.     2     When we become skilled at an activity, our brain changes, making it even easier to enter a state of flow in the future.

Bodies of water also can produce a glorious sense of awe—the emotional response to something vast that expands and challenges how we see the world.     3    

Water has special properties that may boost nature’s positive impact.     4     Its smell can provoke positive memories and associations. When we are near water, there is often less visual and auditory information to process. Our mind can rest. When we’re floating in water, our bodies can rest too, in a way we never can on land.

    5     It moves rhythmically, producing a play of light, color and sound that is spellbinding. It holds our attention, but not in an overly demanding way. Researchers call this soft fascination. It gives our brains a break from the intense, focused attention that much of daily life requires.