<strong>At swim:</strong> Writer Joe Minihane had suffered from acute anxiety for years before realizing that salvation could be found by swimming in nature.
At swim: Writer Joe Minihane had suffered from acute anxiety for years before realizing that salvation could be found by swimming in nature.
Courtesy Ben Cox
<strong>Anxious all the time: </strong>"I thought it was normal to be worried all of the time about the end of the world, about the unknowable future," Minihane says.
Anxious all the time: "I thought it was normal to be worried all of the time about the end of the world, about the unknowable future," Minihane says.
Courtesy Ben Cox
<strong>Jumping in:</strong> After experiencing wild swimming, Minihane felt a sense of contentment and calm that he found addictive.
Jumping in: After experiencing wild swimming, Minihane felt a sense of contentment and calm that he found addictive.
Courtesy Ben Cox
<strong>Dark days:</strong> Minihane eventually realized his anxiety was pushing him toward depression.
Dark days: Minihane eventually realized his anxiety was pushing him toward depression.
Courtesy Ben Cox
<strong>Sense of self:</strong> But entering the water helped pull him back. "It gave me an identity beyond my work, which I had grown to hate."
Sense of self: But entering the water helped pull him back. "It gave me an identity beyond my work, which I had grown to hate."
Courtesy Ben Cox
<strong>Frog's eye view: </strong>"Unlike walking or cycling, swimming in wild water puts you in the scene," Minihane says. "You have, as [author Roger] Deakin put it, a frog's eye view."
Frog's eye view: "Unlike walking or cycling, swimming in wild water puts you in the scene," Minihane says. "You have, as [author Roger] Deakin put it, a frog's eye view."
Courtesy Ben Cox
<strong>Stranded on dry land: </strong>"Yet when I wasn't swimming, my anxiety was still flaring badly," Minihane adds. "Things came to a head when I had a bike accident and broke my wrist. Stranded on dry land, I began to spiral."
Stranded on dry land: "Yet when I wasn't swimming, my anxiety was still flaring badly," Minihane adds. "Things came to a head when I had a bike accident and broke my wrist. Stranded on dry land, I began to spiral."
Courtesy Ben Cox
<strong>Coping techniques: </strong>"When the cast came off my wrist and I was able to swim again, I had a new-found appreciation of the water, as well as new coping techniques to deal with my anxiety when I couldn't swim."
Coping techniques: "When the cast came off my wrist and I was able to swim again, I had a new-found appreciation of the water, as well as new coping techniques to deal with my anxiety when I couldn't swim."
Courtesy Ben Cox
<strong>Better than ever: </strong>"I felt lighter and more comfortable with myself than I ever had. And I had wild swimming to thank."
Better than ever: "I felt lighter and more comfortable with myself than I ever had. And I had wild swimming to thank."
Courtesy Ben Cox
<strong>Life-saving: "</strong>It's no exaggeration to say that wild swimming around the UK saved me from myself and made me into the person I am today."
Life-saving: "It's no exaggeration to say that wild swimming around the UK saved me from myself and made me into the person I am today."
Courtesy Ben Cox