Exploring The ‘Blue Health’ Phenomenon And The Well-Being Benefits Of Bodies Of Water.

THE NATURAL WORLD HAS A PROFOUND IMPACT ON OUR WELLBEING; MENTAL AND PHYSICAL.

Why Water is so calming.

Interacting with water — living near bodies of it, listening to it move, or even just looking at pictures of it — is a potent antidote to anxiety and other stress-associated mental and physical health conditions.

The “Blue Health” phenomenon.

Blue health is becoming a popular topic all over the world, with more discussion and research taking place to uncover exactly how so-called blue spaces – such as the sea or lakes – benefit our health and wellbeing.

Public-health and urban-planning experts have long recognized the well-being benefits of parks, trees, and other “green spaces.”  A 2016 research review conducted by the World Health Organization concluded that green spaces can reduce morbidity and mortality among city dwellers in part by reducing stress and boosting “psychological relaxation.”

While water often features in these green spaces — either intentionally, as is the case with an installed fountain or pool, or coincidentally in parks or walking paths situated near rivers and other bodies of water — I find it hard to believe that the “blue” elements of these urban greenscapes have tended to be glossed over in the health research.  Water shapes our lives without us really even consciously thinking about it.  Coastal and aquatic environments are the top recreational holiday destinations, every year.

Blue Health is a concept that links bodies of water – whether that be the ocean, lakes or other urban blue spaces, to its impacts on our physical and mental health. This concept was termed in 2016 and was designed to help study and promote health and wellbeing through better access to blue spaces,  greater exposure to blue spaces correlates with improved mental health, wellbeing and more physical activity- it is clear that there is something drawing us to the water.