Are you one of those people that escape to the ocean or lake for vacations? Do you find yourself longing to walk the paths at Sidecut Park so you can just gaze at the light reflecting off the river? In the facinating book, Blue Mind, Biologist Dr. Wallace Nichols, combines cutting-edge neuroscience with compelling personal stories from top athletes, leading scientists, military veterans, and gifted artists, showing how proximity to water can improve performance, increase calm, diminish anxiety, and increase professional success. Maybe you can't pack up and buy a nice million dollar home on the water or sail away on the sea but here in Toledo, OH we have access to so many opportunies to enjoy the benefits of living by the water.
"Today's world has us constantly connected to our phones, working longer hours and taking less vcation time, making us more anxious and stressed- something I call Red Mind," Nichols, who partnered with Discover Boating to make getting out on the water more accessible by directing people to affordable options, told People. "By contrast, Blue Mind, is a meditative state associated with being on or near the water that can bring on feelings of calm, peacefulness and general happiness."
If you have ever taken your kids or grandbabies to the zoo you know where they always end up if they can get away with it... in the water. It is like they are captivated to run to that first fountain at the entrance of the Toledo Zoo and before you can dig into your purse to get some coins for them to throw in... you look up and hands and sometimes feet are already in the water!!!! Kids get it... water is healing!! Speaking of the zoo what better day then when we find the hippos, bears or any other animal playing in the water? We laugh and our hearts just feel warm watching them play. There is something about the water.
With our world ever changing and having to deal with the reality of Covid... it is more important than ever to find ways to get by the water and take a minute to regroup and enjoy the free gift God has given us in Toledo to enjoy various waterways. There are so many places in the Toledo area to live near a river, fountain, stream or even a koi pond in your back yard. We are blessed! Nicholos states in his book that water is the antidote to Red Mind caused by near-constant reliance on technology. A 2017 American Psychological Association report on stress and technology noted that just under half of all adults and 90% of young adults have become "constant checkers," engaging with screens and social media all the time. This, the APA says, has vasting increased levels of stress-both when technology works and when it doesn't. Nichols further states that spending time in and by water sources and even showers can counter that. Contact with water also helps counter what Nicholos calls Gray Mind caused by spending too much time inside, glued to screens, consuming news and entertainment which can lead to lethargy, lack of motivation and dissatisfaction in general. Getting around water or even looking at images of water makes people feel calmer, scientists find. So much to read and be encouraged about in this book!
I think everyone needs to read this book and discover how we can reduce our stress by enjoying the waterways we have available in our area. Let's all get a BLUE MIND! I am having a drawing to with this book on Tuesday August, 11 via Facebook live. TO ENTER this drawing just leave a comment on my Facebook business page at https://www.facebook.com/janeweaseldanberryrealtor/ about this blog or a comment about how you feel about spending time near or on the water and you are entered to win! Let's go get by the water!!