LAST week, I mentioned my worry about the recent conversations I have had with parents and experts on the rising anxiety experienced by different members of the family due to the Covid-19 situation. But even without this pandemic, did you know that as early as 2011, WHO had predicted that depression will be the leading cause of disease burden globally by 2030?
This is the reason why I have always shared my views on raising happy and fulfilled kids, with happiness as a primary objective. For the past few weeks, I have been researching on my “one” solutions—that by doing them, I would be able to manage my family’s anxiety and emotional health simply and effectively. (“One” is a concept I picked up from the book The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, by Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasan). Let me share the three “ones” I have discovered over the next few weeks.
My first discovery is: water.
Since Holy Week is coming up, I remembered our vacation in 2019. We spent our Holy Week in Bicol. It was a great family vacation with my own family and my in-laws. We visited the beaches of Donsol and Caramoan. I am not as much of a beach person as my husband is, but I truly fell in love with the serenity of the waters in Caramoan. This made me remember the many times water has calmed me, whether from a bath or just soaking in water.
So I dug deeper and discovered so much more benefits of a good soak, bath or swim from Lifehack.org and Swimming.org:
Bathing can improve heart health: A warm bath, for people without prior heart disease, can lower blood pressure and improve cardiac function.
Taking a bath may help you to breathe easier: When the water is warmer and your heart is beating faster, your oxygen intake can be improved and the steam created by a warm bath can clear your sinuses and chest. Immersion in colder water such as taking a swim in a natural body of water or an unheated pool can help to reduce the risk of infection in people who suffer from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
Your brain and nervous system can benefit from bathing: Submergence in water can reduce pain and inflammation, and also calm the nervous system, reducing the levels of stress and anxiety in the body and improving your mood.
Bathing can benefit your muscles, joints and bones: Stretching and moving in water has been shown to be low impact on the joints, muscles and bones, but very effective in providing an adequate workout through resistance.
Swimming can improve mental health: Being active has a positive impact on mental health, including: improved mood, increased self-esteem, lowered risk of depression, slowed dementia and cognitive decline, improved sleep and reduced stress. Swimming has significantly reduced the symptoms of anxiety or depression for 1.4 million adults in Britain.
Aside from these, it is good to also note that taking time to drink a large glass of water can actually be good for mental health. According to Healthline.com, dehydration can actually cause heart palpitations, which can lead to feelings of panic and may trigger anxiety attack.
So, for these coming months, especially this long holiday coming up, below are my recommended activities:
For this Holy Week and long weekends, my family have planned out to recreate our own beach haven. We have just ordered a Bestway Above-The-Ground Pool from LazMall and found a good place under a tree in our garden. We even got a small one for Brad, our pet dog, so he can enjoy the home-cation with us.
After a work day or long week, try to end it with a quick soak in your bathtub, or an inflatable pool. Epsom salts is good for relaxing both your mind and muscles. You can also ready lavender-scented candles or oils; and even your favorite music or ballads. For a quick fix, I learned from my grandmother to soak even just my feet every night in a small basin. Try to keep your phone in another room.
Find time in a week to swim with your younger kids. For families with infants, baby swimming brings many benefits in the emotional parent-child bonding, plus physical aspects. Where else can you be face-to-face and skin-to-skin with your baby for an extended period of time? Swimming gives babies a boost of confidence and physical strength as it allows babies to exercise muscles that are not regularly used. It can also result to better sleep patterns. For toddlers, it is good to let them get used to the water, since water adjustment is a key part of learning how to swim.
People use water for relaxation, play, recreation, exercise, nourishment and invigoration. As Rob and Kathy McKay puts it in their book Learn to Swim: “In water we are weightless, free, caressed and cleansed.” Amid this pandemic, let’s all listen and love ourselves a little better with water.
Read full article on BusinessMirror
