6 Ways to Achieve BLUE MIND

Now more than ever is an important time to embrace the concept of water as your healer for some Blue Mind therapy. To introduce the topic, think ofRed Mind as stress/anxiety (basically the vibe you may feel when you turn on the news or consume most media right now), Gray Mind as burnout / meh-ness, and BLUE MIND as calm, healthy, content, high vibe, in flow, and chill. 

According to Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, author ofBlue Mind, water is quite literally designed to support us through situations like this. And if you know a group of people who could use this at an organizational level — looking at you hospitals — you canbook J for a consult. What’s really interesting is that I have joined in on an almost daily online book club, where J reads and chats with us about the passage and about what’s happening. As this has unfolded, others are sharing what they’re experiencing, how they’re coping, and it’s never been more clear that the water is here to support us through this time.

From his “The Blue Mind Rx: Water Is Medicine Statement” he offers:  Neuroscientists and psychologists add that waters and oceans are a wellspring of happiness and relaxation, sociality and romance, peace and freedom, play and creativity, learning and memory, innovation and insight, elation and nostalgia, confidence and solitude, wonder and awe, empathy and compassion, reverence and beauty — and help manage trauma, anxiety, sleep, autism, addiction, fitness, attention/focus, stress, grief, PTSD, build personal resilience, and much more.

So, all of that said, what can we do when we can't get to the water? A lot. This is an updated version of this post that was shared during 2020 lockdowns when many of us were not able to physically get to the water (as many states closed access to public beaches and shorelines in attempts to keep control of social distancing). J goes into more detail about the whys of each of these in the book - we sell signed copies - and reading that alone feels like getting your blue mind on.

I’m not a doctor, but I am a certified clinical hypnotherapist, NLP practitioner, success coach, Certified Nutritional Consultant and have gone down many rabbit holes in the nature-healing world. I’m not just copy-pasting from around the Internet. While some of this may feel fluffy to you, don’t knock it ‘til you try it. And like anything, if you don’t feel like it’ll work for you, it probably won’t. Open your mind, get blue. And friendly reminder, we don’t always need to know HOW or WHY something works to consider it a tool. I mean, do you really understand gravity? Take what works for or interests you, leave the rest. 

DRINK WATER. This is an obvious one, but it’s even more important right now when we need to be making sure our bodies are in full function and force. Our organs require a lot of water to keep on doing their job. 

EASY MAGIC: Bless your water with gratitude - seeing it as powerful vs. obligatory can change your experience of it, shifting you to one of gratitude which moves you up the emotional vibrational scale. When you do that, you are naturally in a healthier, happier, less-stressed state.

SHOWER. There are a lot of reasons why baths are powerful  healers, and you can make your bath ritual something powerful, but I don’t have a tub. Never fear, I use my shower to create an escape. First things first, your skin is pretty much a sponge, so when you’re taking a shower or bath, your skin is getting an influx of hydration and that alone is a great benefit.

EASY MAGIC:Visualize yourself in a waterfall or simply visualize the water washing away whatever you’d like to cleanse. This can be simply stress, but you can also imagine any virus, bacteria, anything not serving your body being picked up and washed down the drain. Pair this with gratitude and it feels even more magical. 

EXTRA MAGIC: Take cold showers for their added benefits - including immune boosting abilities.

LISTEN. Find a playlist of water sounds that soothes you. Rain, ocean, waterfall, whatever suits you. 

EASY MAGIC:Pair the water sounds with solfeggio frequencies (I’ve made a  playlist of this for you). More on  solfeggio frequencies here - these are controversial, but I find them highly soothing so not too concerned with what the haters have to add to the convo.

LOOK.  Photos, videos. Yours or from others. Conjure up memories. Envision a future time by the water.

EASY MAGIC:MEDITATE & VISUALIZE. I’ve mentioned this a couple times, but pairing water sounds with either of the above or making water the focus of the exercise is incredibly powerful. I created a free meditation available  here, but there are quite literally hundreds on YouTube if you’re looking for a different variation etc. OR just turn on one of the above water playlists and let your mind wander.

EXTRA MAGIC: Create a curated Pinterest or Instagram collection of images. I add to this one called  Nature is Your Healerand this one called  WATER MAGIC. Follow us on Instagram or Pinterest where we show daily imagery. Let yourself linger in that blissed out state. Make your phone background an inspiring water pic - everytime you pick up your phone you’ll feel immediate calm vs. whatever potential stress-like emotion.

ART.  Poetry, painting, singing. Whatever your medium, let the water inspire you OR enjoy the inspiration that it has brought to others. There are countless books about water that are also great options. Here are  some ideas.

Community.  Talk to other water lovers. Do this on our Instagram, follow the #Longlivelakelife or #bluemind Instagram hashtags, start a group chat with the people you love going to the water with. Message us! Join the Blue Mind LIVE Book Club daily at 7pm central time on J's Facebook page. 

Become a Patron of J’s Blue Mind work. Just reading the content he shares basically daily is a wonderful way to get watery content and access a calmer state.

Talk to me.  If you can’t find a program that feels like it works, I’d be honored to help you put something together.