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Why I took up open water swimming during lock-down Credits: Social Media
By Lynn Rusk

Why I took up open water swimming during lock-down

By Lynn Rusk

The coronavirus pandemic has had a drastic impact on the world, with the United Nations warning of a looming global mental health crisis. Isolation, job insecurity and fears of contracting the virus create the perfect conditions for triggering mental illness. While many people took to gardening, running or baking to alleviate lock-down stress, I started swimming outdoors.

I have always been the type of person who enjoys being busy. Up until recent months, my worst nightmare would have been having vast amounts of time with no plans. Back in February or even the beginning of March, I would have described myself as someone who was content and lived a full life; I had four different freelance jobs, a variety of hobbies I attended weekly, I did voluntary work, had plenty of friends and was always on the lookout for a new project to get involved with.�

Although I lived alone, I was never lonely and I never really envied my friends who had kids or were settled down as I was always plotting and planning my next adventure. I had hopes to settle down someday but for the time being I was happy.�

Open swimming

Getting used to lock-down

Then a global pandemic came to town and my entire world turned upside down; I lost all of my freelance contracts, all gyms, yoga and dance studios were closed, international travel was no longer an option and my whole world became confined to my tiny apartment. All of the elements that had made my life meaningful were taken from me and I started to wonder if I had been prioritising all of the wrong things.

Instead of chasing the next adventure, perhaps I should have been trying to build a nest so that at least I would have had a solid foundation for when the world decided to fall apart (At least Ill know for next time). From speaking to friends that have found themselves in the same situation, they told me that they have all felt the same way.

At the beginning of lock-down, I furiously threw myself into all of the standard trending hobbies. I baked sourdough bread, I ordered a cross stitch set online, I joined a number of Zoom quizzes, I made Dalgona coffee, I joined a weekly baking challenge group on Whatsapp, I tried online yoga and ballet classes and I became addicted to buying house plants. The outdoors became my saviour and I must admit I really dragged out my daily walk or cycle, back when we were only allowed outside once a day.�

As the weeks went on, I was lucky enough to find new employment, working remotely, but this meant I was doing everything in the same space; cooking, working, watching tv, reading and exercising, the boundaries of work and leisure had become blurred. I needed a new outlet.

Open swimming

The joys of outdoor swimming

I live within cycling distance of a beach, so one day I put my swimsuit on, underneath my clothes and set off on my bike. When I was younger most of my family holidays were in Ireland so I was well used to swimming in cold water in hail, rain or snow as my Dad forced us all to take a dip.

I attracted a few funny looks as I stripped off into my swimsuit at the beach as it was late April and not quite the season for sea swimming. After spending the last few weeks cooped up in my apartment, with the exception of a daily walk or cycle, the sensation of the cold salty water on my skin was invigorating and the freedom of swimming in the ocean, without a soul near me was so wonderfully liberating. No fear of breaching social distancing here.

Coming out of the water, I felt refreshed and the most energised I had felt in weeks. I could feel the stress of the recent weeks of lock-down being lifted from my body and I felt truly awake. I had found my new hobby.�

It turns out exposing your body to colder temperatures is quite a common stress reliever. My younger brother had been preaching to me about the Vim Hof method for years and I started looking into a few of his techniques.

Who is Wim Hof?

Open swimming

Wim Hof, otherwise known as the Iceman, is a Dutch extreme athlete noted for his ability to withstand freezing temperatures. He has set Guinness world records for swimming under ice and prolonged full-body contact with ice, and still holds the record for a barefoot half-marathon on ice and snow.

He attributes these victories to his Wim Hof Method, which is a combination of frequent cold exposure, breathing techniques and meditation. According to Hofs website, exposing the body to cold temperatures has been linked with improving the quality of sleep, it can reduce inflammation and is said to improve the bodys immune response.

Cold therapy is one of the three pillars of Hofs method and he recommends taking regular cold showers and ice baths. Some athletes, bodybuilders and celebrities have taken this a step further and started whole body crypo therapy, which involves standing in a sealed container for a short amount of time, while extremely cold air is circulated around the body.

To learn more about the Wim Hof Method, you can listen to his interview on Russell Brands Under the Skin podcast.

My own practice

Although I havent been taking cold showers of ice baths I have recently started practicing Wim Hofs breathing techniques and have found them to be beneficial. I dont fully practice the Wim Hof Method but I have taken on a few of his ideas.�

Since taking my first dip in April, I have tried to swim outdoors once a week and I have found it to be beneficial to my mental and physical health during this difficult period. Im not sure if it’s the rush of cold water, the sense of adventure or the joy of being outdoors or a combination of all three but this new hobby has definitely helped me over the last few months.

As the world begins to open up again and a resemblance of normal life starts to resume, I hope to continue to find joy in swimming outdoors.�