One of the first things I did after landing in Sicily, where it was just as hot as England in a heatwave, was go for a swim.
Regular readers will know how much I love swimming. I even swam for Sicily’s first synchronised swimming team as a teenager! It’s one of the things I miss most about Italy. I enjoy doing lengths in the gym pool here in England, but it’s just not the same as wading into the waves, breathing in the salty sea air, with the sun warming your shoulders as you gaze to the far-off horizon.
The late American marine biologist Dr Wallace J. Nichols came up with the term ‘blue mind’ to describe the calm, mildly meditative state we can enter when we are near, in, on or under water. These blue spaces – which can be natural features like rivers and lakes or manmade structures such as fountains – have healing powers.
As an island, Sicily is blessed with blue spaces. In my home city, Syracuse, the coast is rocky so there are lots of ‘solariums’ – platforms built over the sea – where you can sunbathe or access the ocean.
Travelling along the coast, you’ll find many sandy coves, while an hour’s drive inland, there’s Cavagrande del Cassibile Nature Reserve – a spectacular river canyon with natural freshwater pools and waterfalls.
There’s a lot of research to back up the Blue Mind theory. Multiple studies show that spending time near water can reduce stress, improve mood, and help us feel more connected to nature, to others, and to ourselves. Watching waves lap on the shore or swans glide along a river helps us tune into the present moment and gives us respite from our worries.
As a busy business owner, I’ve come to realise that rest is not a luxury, but an essential source of energy, creativity and focus – and so I’ll be seeking out Blue Spaces wherever I can this summer.
Where do you go to restore your energy and clear your mind? If you have a favourite blue space, I’d love to hear about it!