Nothing on earth can survive without water, it holds energies and so much magic & power than perhaps we are aware of. The sight of it, the touch, the feel of it, all of it can be immensely healing. Water can help heal the mind - for me this holds so personally true, when I’m low, when I’m desperate, when I am heartbroken and the tears don’t stop flowing… the calming and soothing nature of a big body of water is something I cannot possibly begin to understand but either way I am drawn to it.
To be brutally honest with myself, I have suffered trauma, I have lost too many loved ones, I’ve been excessively bullied and abused by family and classmates, I’ve been betrayed, I’ve been sexually assaulted, I have struggled with mental health since I was a child. I’ve been in and out of therapy all my life and been on all the medications. I have cut my self off from the people I love most because I cannot bare to admit how broken I feel. I have gotten to points so low I have tried to take my life and I have hurt myself and gotten to the point of nearly diving so low I was scared I wouldn’t come out of it. Psychotherapy briefly helped, counselling briefly helped, crisis teams have talked me off of ledges I wasn’t sure I could come down from and medications are not stabilising me as well as they should. These are incredible resources and beneficial helpful routes to take but long term that’s not something I can dive into and sustain.
But you know what I do dive into and if I chose it I can sustain. Water. The sea, a lake, a reservoir, a bath even. The sea is my preference, listening to the waves, see the crashing off them on the shore line, getting in the sea and feeling held, supported and being one with nature. Floating, swimming, being silly trying to jump over the waves, dipping my toes in, walking along the shoreline, sitting and just absorbing it.
I have been immensely fortunate to fall into a found family, one that loves the beach that loves to surf and go SUPing and through these people I too have learnt to paddle board and well I’m still attempting the surfing thing…that’s difficult. I don’t live near the sea, but I live close to lakes where I can go and take my paddle board and stand up, kneel or sit down and paddle about or just lie on my board and breathe. It’s these wonderful souls who have come into my life who have made me truly believe in the power of water.
It might not be for everyone, but considering and taking the opportunity to explore water as a kind of self help and personal therapy is something I couldn’t recommend enough. It works for me. It might work for you.
Gema BIRD
