Heart warming tips for winter ocean dipping
Ocean dipping has so many benefits to our mental, em-ocean-al and physical health.
Ocean dipping has many benefits to our mental, emotional and physical health - whether it’s adding a spark to our day, a full body reset, better sleep, improved mental clarity, or bringing feelings of being grounded and the sense of being alive.
But let’s face it, it can be challenging to keep it up in the cooler winter months. To help remove some of the barriers and make it a little more bearable, here are some tips to feel the benefits of dipping all year round!
The pre-swim
It can be all too easy to talk ourselves out of it, especially when its darker in the mornings and the ambient temperature is colder outside! Try these tips if you are prone to talking yourself out of it:
set an intention to swim the night before. This helps you to wake up more inclined to go the next morning.
keep yourself accountable with encouraging self talk (as if you were talking to a friend) just before your swim
pre-warm up your house so you know you have somewhere warm to come back to afterwards
pack a thermos with warm water to drink afterwards and all you’re warm snuggles to rug up straight afterwards.
The swim
If you find it challenging to dip in winter, try calm deep breathing to relax your body as you walk in the water.
Some people prefer to run into the water and dive in head first. This is not all of us! Some find it really challenging to willingly immerse into cold water. If this is you, you’re not alone! Try these strategies that others have found helpful to help make that first dip more bearable:
do the tea bag dunk! A couple of times in and out
putting our head under seems to be the hardest part for many people - why start off by just going up to your chest the first time and work up to going all the way in
splash your abdomen, pits and your face as you’re walking to give gentle signals to your brain that a water immersion is coming and to prepare for it.
Throughout your swim keep these in mind to keep you safe and getting the most from your swims.
Dip (not the long swim) challenge: we encourage quick dips in the water (like you’re a tea bag!), not prolonged times in cold water to avoid getting too cold and the risk of hypothermia (see below for more info on how to avoid this).
Remember to breath! When your body first enters cold water, it can be a shock to your system. Your body blood vessels will constrict as it transfers most of your blood to your internal organs rather than close to your skin, where most of the heat is lost. If you’re used to summer water temperatures, the initial dip can leave you feeling panicked or anxious. Try to stay relaxed and breathe calmly through your belly which will help to bring ease to your body.
Staying safe: know your limits of your body and the sea. If you don’t know your local blue space very well, always dip with caution. While the challenge is about getting wet, it should not be at the risk of your safety. Avoid large swell and waves especially if you are not a confident swimmer. Stay in the shallows, look out for rips and if in doubt bring a friend with you. Dipping for short periods is important to avoid getting too cold and hypothermia. Read more on the symptoms of hypothermia here and potential benefits to cold water immersion here
The post swim: tips for warming up
If your body is cold, its important to warm up slowly from the inside out rather than jumping in a hot shower straight away. If you get cold easy (like me!) some tips to get you warming up fast are to:
take your bathers off straight after your swim, use a dry towel and rug up in warm clothes straight away
drink a hot tea
use the heater in the car
enjoy your post dip warm shower which is so much more satisfying!
*Only when you have warmed up and are not experiencing any symptoms of hypothermia should you jump in the shower.
