Manage your anxiety by taking up swimming, experts say

mental health

by david randoseru

Let’s jump into the lake.

A brisk swim in the great outdoors may help you cope with anxiety, say experts with extensive first-hand experience.

Therapist Jenny Fabel, 42, discovered the healing powers of water in 2020. At the time, she was overwhelmed by her own mental health issues, her mother’s terminal cancer diagnosis, and an increasing workload at her job.

“I did the normal thing most people do,” Fabel said. “I just kept moving forward and tried to support and take care of everyone.”

“But after about six months, I was brought to my knees. I couldn’t cope. My brain wasn’t working at all and I was paralyzed with anxiety,” she told SWNS.

Fabel, from Linlithgow, England, was at a loss when her brother, an avid swimmer, took his nature-challenged foster parents for a swim in one of Scotland’s legendary lochs.

She says natural therapy changed her life.

“I was never an outdoors person. I always wanted to go on a hot vacation abroad,” Fabel confessed.

“I wasn’t really expecting anything, but it gave me a few minutes of mental respite. It told me that I can control my brain and that it’s going to be okay, and that’s it. I did,” she said.

Back home and under a warm blanket, Fabel begins researching therapeutic swimming, or cold water therapy, learning about world-famous endurance swimmer Wim Hof ​​and dealing with the positive effects that cold water has on the body. We delved into various studies.

Fabel quickly developed a habit, gathering with friends every week to swim outside. Soon, she noticed that her mental state improved and her anxiety and chronic pain began to lessen.

“I live across the street from a beautiful small freshwater lagoon that is visited by many wild swimming enthusiasts, so I was able to arrange for an elderly woman and her friend to go swimming,” she said. Ta.

“That’s where I met some of my closest outdoor swimming friends. We call ourselves the Swim Sisters.

“At that point we had only been living in Scotland for a few years and had not yet settled there.

“I suffer from anxiety and that was quite a hindrance for me. I didn’t have enough confidence to join a big, established swimming group.

“I went once every two weeks or once a week, and I haven’t stopped since. If anything, it’s been more.

Four years later, having seen herself transformed, Fabel is now teaching others how to give themselves the same gift.

“For me, it gives me a little bit of peace and calm, especially when I’m feeling anxious or overwhelmed.

“It’s like a mental reset and puts you in a bit of a mindful state.

“It has been shown to be effective for insomnia and for people with depression. There are also reports and studies that it can relieve symptoms of menopause.

“I thought there must be a lot of people who could benefit from this, but how can I reach them?”

After training to become a cold water therapist and taking a course in mindfulness for stress reduction and emergency relief, Fabel now organizes retreats and swim sessions for anyone interested.

“There’s always a lot of nervousness in the first session. I recommend reclassifying it as excitement,” Jenny said.

“I think the majority of people are doing it for their mental health, to take care of themselves and take a break, or just to get outside.

“Over the past 12 months, no customer I’ve worked with has ever told me it was terrible or that they wouldn’t want to do it again.

“They all told me they thought it was great, and many of them still continue to swim together.

“They say the same things they said when I first started!

“I feel very privileged to be able to take people into new experiences and help them explore therapeutic benefits,” she said.