Episode 4 – The Peace of It - a podcast by Karen Parry outdoor swimming

The 10th of October was World Mental Health Day.

Now my social media feed will be biased, as all I ever subscribe to are wild swimming related things, but I was nonetheless overwhelmed by how many people testified to the mental health benefits of wild swimming.

This got me thinking.

What is it for me about wild swimming that I find so therapeutic?

Well firstly, it is the community. I’ve made more genuine friends in the last 18 months through wild swimming than I’ve made in the last 5 years. And being part of a community means feeling connected. To other people. To places.

I’ve also found that most members of that community are especially accepting of diversity. I’ve never heard anyone comment on someone’s size or shape, on what they were wearing, or on what time, speed or distance they swam. I’ve felt totally accepted, and welcomed, as another valued member of the merry band of people who regularly put the need to be in the water ahead of maintaining dignity in a car park.

I love how wild swimming gets you right into nature, and gives you a unique perspective on it. You are right in it. Literally immersed. Eye level becomes something completely different.

In this week’s podcast I talk to Marie. Her conversation about swimming is almost hypnotic. You can feel her love of the movement of the sea in the way she talks about it. Her whole manner conveys the peace of swimming which she values so much. And yet the night we swam, it was blowing a gale and the waves were dumping us onto the beach like pebbles.

She talks about wild swimming forcing your mind back into your body. Pressing the reset button. Keeping you sane.

And she warns about becoming complacent. The water is powerful and will catch you out if you switch off or don’t pay it enough respect.

Community. Friendship. Nature. Mindfulness. Fun. Perspective. Attention.

These are the reasons, for me, why wild swimming is good for my mental health.

What about you?



Places we talk about

Hetton pool, Roker pier, Wastwater, Portishead lido, Clevedon Pier



Clubs we talk about

Fausto bathing club



Other stuff we talk about

Speedos, fluffy poncho robes, polarised goggles, The Handmaid’s Tale, How to Read Water by Tristan Gooley



      

Further episodes of Swim Wild Podcast

Further podcasts by Karen Parry outdoor swimming

Website of Karen Parry outdoor swimming