7 Reasons Why Swimming Is Good For Your Mental Health

Exercise is advised and sometimes even prescribed as an antidote to low self-esteem and mild depression. We look into what the act of swimming as well as the effect of water can have on our mood, and share the benefits of why it can be so positive on personal and mental health.

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[gtn]

What do you enjoy most about swimming?

[andrewlemmond]

I’m a Paramedic with PTSD and swimming (and biking and running) has been great for my mental health!! The constant thinking on breathing and swim technique is a great way to turn the mind off everything else!

[charleneedwards]

Thank you for the honest video 🙏 we need to see more like this in sport highlighting mental health, cycling, swimming and running has got me through some pretty rough points in my life, I still suffer depression, there's no going away but with the right medication and sports or whatever activities it can be kept under control 😢 🙂

[mike_ro]

Long distance swimming is so good for mental health 👍💪

[desssssssssi]

Just sitting and thinking about getting back into the pool after a long break got me to your video. You really summed it up so well. Water is the calmest place for a mind to turn off everything else and concentrate only on the sound of water and bubbles.
Great video, people! ❤

[quangdinh]

Thanks for your sharing. One thing i actually found recently that quite helpful and relxing was wacthing GTN videos. These content like this aid me a lot in my trainning but also mental health. Send you with true love ❤️

[Cookefan]

Water therapy is a very valuable component of a rehab program. The water buoyancy takes a great deal of weight off of a persons joints ligaments and tendons and allows previously painful knees ankles and hips to move more freely so a person can burn up some calories and get the cardiovascular system some exercise. I usually schedule my swim workouts the day after a brick or long distance running workout because I find pool water soothing after all the jarring impact of a run. I also like to schedule swims before a bike ride once a week as it does the same thing for my legs that riding does for a brick run. I wear Shokz bone conduction headphones and love listening to music while I swim but not all the time. It took me a year to learn to swim “relaxed” just like running relaxed. I’ve learned to go through a checklist of techniques in my head periodically during a swim but my favorite time is when I just relax and let that smooth silky wet substance course over my body and soothe my entire being.
Thank for the video.

[mauro]

Totally agree, seimmimg is my passion

[alansmith]

just watching this made me calm and relaxed and want to go for a swimage after work :)

[markwilson]

It would be even better if the UK waters were kept in good enough condition to swim in without getting sick... rivers, lakes and the sea have been polluted and it needs to stop.

[pengyu]

I learned pro swimming by your channel. Much appreciated for your detailed content with good spirit.

[planner.craz]

I never knew that swimming help with mental health; I notice for me swimming has help me destress and feels great to be in ocean water. I swim daily and enjoy every moment I do. I thought myself to swim (cause I swim in ocean with currents for workouts or catch waves) so I can at least save myself and swim out of a current or from the deep. I think any exercise is a good thing to do for distress of mental health. Being outdoors is a PLUS for me if I can be out in fresh air and in the ocean water. I do enjoy swimming more; besides walking or riding my bike.

[arrjay]

Any chance you can post a clip on great places to swim in the UK? Thanks guys, you’re the best 😀

[garygreen]

The endurance swimming session at low tempo with pullbuoy and paddles , i find that i loose count of my distance , so the first 4 banes are ok but the next 4 to make the 200 m i cant count , i am so relaxed
. The exact oposite comes into Play when there is speed put into the training .My mind becomes much sharper , and only at all out i could loose my mathamatics ❤️

[ianstewart]

So true! Biking too. Any exercise really

[SBoots]

I am fortunate enough to have lake front property. Yes being near or even in the water is calming. I do however still become a little panicked when I am do swim workouts. It is not second nature yet and that is what is keeping me form going on longer distance races. Olympic distance is a struggle, but I do manage. I just wish that part of the race could be more fun. Mind over matter and constantly training I hope to overcome the fear. By the way, winter is a no go for open water because we get 4 feet of ice here. Cheers

[ladysoapmaker]

I'm trying to get back to swimming regularly. I switched jobs then quarantine hit and now I'm trying to find a good time to swim again. I miss it

[savagepro]

Zwift has just introduced a new swim-ulation that makes you even feel good: Indoor-Fins!

[ileostomytriathlete]

I love swimming. I had surgery Dec 29th 2021 to remove a cancerous tumour from my bowel, unfortunately I needed two further emergency surgeries due to a leak in the bowel wall which resulted in two battles with sepsis. The surgeons gave me a loop ileostomy to allow my large bowel to heal properly. I was in hospital for three and a half weeks but ended up being given morphine, diamorphine, fentanyl (a synthetic form of morphine), tramadol, oramorph (oral morphine) shortec, ketamine, paracetamol, aspirin, zopiclone and diazepam. I had internal bleeding after my first operation which put strain on my heart and caused my ECG to go abnormal and my haemoglobin to drop from 150 into the 70s. I came out of hospital over 10kilos lighter than I went in and I was only around 77kg going in which wasn't far off my lean race weight. I could hardly walk, was suffering from PTSD and was addicted to zopiclone and diazepam. The addiction resulted in physical pain and mental trauma especially when withdrawing from zopiclone. I would lie on the floor in our living room in a terrible state. My wife would drag me to the swimming pool and get me to do 1K. It was agony getting down to the pool and the pool staff were very concerned about me but once I got in the movement of the water and meditative breathing helped me and would transform my day. I feel more or less back too normal now and have managed several 2mile swims both open water and in the pool. I managed just outside 15min for 1K in the pool yesterday which is very similar to my times before surgery. Sorry for the long message but it just shows how helpful swimming can be. Best wishes everyone