There is something very therapeutic about being in or near water. Keeping active is very important for your health and even more so, being mentally fit is important. So how exactly can swimming help with this?
Swimming is known to be a relaxing and peaceful form of exercise for people of all ages. The regular rhythm of the stroke, the immersion into the water, and the concentration of the technique feel like a relaxing meditation in the water. Although there is not exactly concrete proof behind this theory, the color blue is often thought of as calming. Since the pool is blue, it causes people to be positive or happy when they are in it. Also, the weightlessness of water can have a calming effect on the mind.
Jumping into a cold pool is an amazing way to take your mind off all your worries and deepen your breathing. When you're swimming, you have to focus on the present, so that you don’t start daydreaming and drift into the next lane. From personal experience, this is very important! You have to pay attention to your breathing, to avoid gulping down a mouthful of water whenever you take a breath; chlorine is not water and drinking a lot of it can cause illness.
Swimming releases endorphins in your brain, like all exercise, but these endorphins are different. They are natural feel-good hormones that increase positivity and bring about a sense of wellbeing and happiness. It also releases serotonin, a natural mood stabilizer, and ANP, a stress-reducing hormone. Swimming can improve your mood, increase self-esteem, and lowers the risk of depression or anxiety.
Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of regular physical activity, but swimming tops the list. Exercise activates the attention system, which is why people who swim say it is much easier for them to focus. Often swimmers have better time management and motivational skills.
Swimming also offers social benefits, giving you new confidence to make friends. While swimming in itself is a solitary form of physical exercise, it’s also a hobby and team sport that can be shared with others. In this way, swimming can be a great way to meet individuals that you share a common interest with.
One of the biggest mental benefits swimming has on a person is relieving stress. Swimming for just 30 minutes, three days a week has been shown to lower stress levels, improve sleep patterns, and lower anxiety and depression. Swimming is known to release more stress than other sports and enhance your ability to manage and cope with stress. A recent scientific study in rats has shown that swimming can help generate new brain cells in those parts of the brain where chronic stress has led to cell deterioration – a process called hippocampal neurogenesis. While the research has not progressed far enough to be able to make any firm predictions for humans, it is just possible that swimming enhances our ability to process stress more easily.
Overall, swimming has many mental benefits, from stress relief to making new friends. Since I am a swimmer myself, I have experienced all these benefits myself and let me tell you, they're true. After a long night of practice, I come home and have the best night sleep of my life. If you want this, and many, many other benefits, for yourself, you should swim!
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