Sauna and chill

I am so delighted that outdoor saunas have become such a thing in Ireland and seem

especially popular throughout Cork. Visiting the sauna and having a dip in the sea is my

single favourite thing.

If you would have told me a few years ago jumping into the Irish

sea would light me up I would laugh at you and go back to hugging the radiator! But I

feel now it's an important piece of my mental health tool kit. I have pushed myself out

to the beach on low mood days and days of higher stress or being stuck in an anxiety

loop and it has always put me in a better place.

Numerous studies on both sauna use and sea swimming have found mood elevating

benefits as well as many other benefits such as improved sleep. When I combine both I

feel like the reset button has been pushed and the kind of nervous system regulation it

provides for me is significant. I have built up my tolerance for the cold water over time

and I feel a sense of achieving something with each visit and also of building resilience

in myself for pushing myself to do it when I often feel a lot of resistance.

If you haven’t already I encourage you to give it a go!