Maintaining Our Energies

Clare Cable: 00:03

Hello and welcome to the QNIS podcast. I'm Clare Cable, Chief Executive and Nurse Director of QNIS. QNIS Has been supporting community nursing and midwifery since our inception in 1889. While our work may have changed since then, we continue to support and champion community nursing and midwifery at the heart of enabling health and recovery in every community in Scotland.

As caring professionals, we sometimes neglect our own self-care, and when unchecked over time, this can lead to burnout. These pressures are exacerbated by the current stress of unprecedented demand on our health and care services, and we're seeing the impact on individuals, families, and colleagues. We can't change the system alone, but it means that taking time to check in with ourselves is even more important. This series of podcasts seeks to inform and inspire by bringing a fresh perspective. It's an opportunity to pause and take a few moments to reflect.

Today, we are talking about the fundamentals of health and wellness and maintaining our own energy, and I am absolutely delighted to welcome Sue Cooper from Self Care World, who has huge experience in this field. So Sue, welcome, and I wonder if you'd just tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to recognize the importance of taking wellbeing seriously?

Sue Cooper: 01:59

Thank you, Clare. It's a delight to be here. I've been a registered nurse for 40-odd years, now retired, and I also qualified as what we call district nurse in the day, community nurse now. I had a burnout in about 2004, '05, '06, somewhere around that time. It took about two, three years for me to finally recognize something was seriously wrong. And I decided that I needed to stop what I was doing for time and find healing, and I wasn't able to find that through the health service. As much as it offered me antidepressants, I recognized that if I was to find my own healing, I needed to look deep within as to what it was that was sending me out of whack, well and truly.

So I started a journey, and I traveled the world with rucksacks and my husband, looking at indigenous human cultures, what we'd lost within our health system. So I decided that it was time that whilst I was finding my own healing, to really embed that within the nursing profession, and also speak to anybody who's interested in what I'd found for myself, only to inform and inspire and find if people connect with this, what we can do individually and collectively.

Clare Cable 3:27

Wow, wow. I just love the idea of traveling the world and learning some of that ancient wisdom about healing that maybe we've lost. Wow, that just feels like the most extraordinary journey. And I know, Sue, from talking to you before that you've managed to distill some of that learning, and I wonder if you'd be willing to share with us the model that has come from the wisdom that you picked up on your travels and in your experience of your own healing?

Sue Cooper: 04:08

There's so much information out there that there's either not enough that you're looking for or too much, and this is what I found. So I decided that how could I simply pass on the four Pillars of Health, as I call it? And as I was devising this for myself, I recognized that I needed to learn a little bit more about indigenous healing. So I trained as an Ayurvedic lifestyle educator. Ayurveda means wisdom of life, and it's based on natural forces.

And then I trained as a meditation and mindfulness teacher, because I recognized that finding a way to stillness and to natural breath work was fundamental to healing. So the four pillars are all entwined in this, and looking at the word mindfulness and goodness and consciousness and the words that we always add ness on the end, I looked at those four letters and use it as an acronym.

So the first pillar of healing is to look at our own nutrition. These are lifestyle behaviors, we call them, and finding a nutritional way that enhances wellbeing. And how I found that I was eating things that I adore, but they weren't necessarily agreeing with me, because after I'd eaten them, I either felt grumpy, ill or fell asleep. I know that I can't eat bread unless I want to go to sleep. So it was starting to look at what was I eating and what could I recommend to people to eat that will bring this focus of energy, so that after we've eaten, we feel enlivened rather than the opposite.

So eating colorful food, the rainbow colors, eating locally sourced food where possible, checking the labels. But food that you enjoy eating, we're now finding that we're having to add supplements to our diet, because the soil is not as rich as it used to be, and that's okay to use supplements. And to drink water, and to drink water that is clean, maybe filtered water. So nutrition is really the N at the heart of NESS.

Again, with a focus on energy, E is for energy, and it's the exercise that we do to keep moving, keep this incredible body moving so that we feel energized. And there's no prescription for this other than to do something that you love to do. And we find the research, and Clare, you alluded to this at the beginning, the research is showing again and again that if we can do this exercise outdoors in the blue sky hospital that a lot of the researchers are calling it within green space, that has that added extra.

Now, there's nothing wrong with going to the gym, but it's seeing what again energizes you. So the ancient healing traditions of yoga and qigong and Capacitar that the queen's nurses use, doing that Tai Chi outside really does have a huge benefit. So it's keeping us moving, and as we age, we do need the strength training. And again, these ancient healing traditions use strength and the use of breath in which to move. So they are beautiful.

The next S in NESS is sound sleep. We know so much about what not to do before we go to sleep, but it's the simplicity of working within what we call the circadian rhythms is going to bed when it's getting dark, but noticing when you feel tired and preparing ourselves for bed, for that sleep, and having that beautiful sound sleep where we switch off everything. And what I've been shown to do, which works really well, is to have a journal by the bed, so that when we wake up in the morning, firstly we give gratitude for waking up, so that puts it in this positive mindset, and maybe capturing some of the dreams that we've had.

We call it recapitulation, and it's amazing what you can find from the dreamlands. Let that go and start the day, feeling that sense of gratefulness for being awake, that sense of letting go of the night's sleep, and moving into the day, into a new day. So sound sleep. And the last S in NESS is stress reduction, and this is such a biggie for us now.

I remember in the '90s, I trained within teaching, and somebody did a project on stress reduction in teaching, and I was quite staggered. "So what does that mean?" Because stress hadn't been associated with the human form, it had been associated with engineering, the stress and tension of machinery. It's like, "Wow, we're putting this into the human dialogue," and I had no idea that within a few years how that would actually alter the way we see life and the way we deal with life.

So stress reduction, we do know, again, through the lens of science, that excess stress over time causes inflammation in the body, and continued inflammation within the body causes disease, because our body isn't designed for the amount of cortisol and adrenaline that it's constantly having to pump. We do need it, but not at the high levels that we're having. We're being incredibly reactive rather than responsive.

So I just want to give you a little tip that I learned when I was training with Dr. Deepak Chopra in Ayurvedic lifestyle, which was another acronym for stress reduction, which is SODA, S-O-D-A. When you feel that impulse or that reactive force is coming at you, maybe somebody says something or a thought comes in, S is for Stop. Simply stop. And O is for Observe how you're feeling. This is really connecting with our own feelings. Again, not thinking, we're feeling, we're feeling what this feels like to be in this reactive state. The D is for Detach, take a breath, take a moment to simply be with this feeling. It might be a millisecond, it might be a few moments.

And then from that place, have the decision of A, how to Act. How do I want to be in this moment? And you can choose, you become a conscious choice-maker, and that is incredibly empowering, and it's saved my bacon a few times when I've been in situations, because you can't take back something that's been said. So to take a few breaths or to step back and then choose. So NESS and SODA together really is a hugely empowering model to feel well and feel in that point of flow.

Clare Cable: 11:41

Sue, thank you so much. That's just such a lovely kind of, I think, overview and introduction to kind of health and wellbeing. And if we can consider those four, it feels as if we've gone a long way to thinking about our own flourishing. And I love the fact that NESS is at the end of each of the words that you mentioned. I hadn't realized that that's where the acronym had come from.

So maybe kind of going back to nutrition, it's so easy, isn't it? I think particularly, when we're busy at work, that we reach for the snacks which give us quick boost of energy. And when we get home after yet more hours of unpaid overtime, that actually again, our energy levels are depleted, and we reach for maybe highly processed foods, which we know are the things that aren't good for us, but when we're tired and busy, those are the things we reach for. What are your tips for busy healthcare professionals? What's at the heart of being really thoughtful about nutrition and eating well?

Sue Cooper: 13:03

I think a lot of this, Clare, comes down to the planning and to really, really deeply feel you're worth taking care of. We've been there, haven't we? And even now, I go and snack and eat processed food, but it's going back to the remembering, if I've got a fridge or cupboard full of things that are quick and nutritious that has some color, to throw an omelet together or to have some fish in or freezer food.

One really good tip that I've been given, and I do it myself, is eat an apple with a skin on, because underneath the skin lies these incredible phytochemicals, which wakens you up. So having some nuts in the car, okay, nuts are high fat, but there is good fat as well, to snack on, and fruit. It's the things that we know, but I think the point that I'd love to get over is not to beat ourselves up when we move to the processed food. We know that the food that is brown and beige is processed food.

It's becoming that conscious choice-maker is, "I need this now, but maybe tomorrow, I'll go, 'Okay, well on my way I'll pick up some stuff that I can make a quick meal with that is colorful and add natural herbs.'" And as you're preparing this, maybe saying to yourself, "I'm really worth this, because this is really helping me feel well." And remembering the connection between wellness and food and, "I'm worth it," is a habitual triangle.

Clare Cable: 14:42

It is, yeah. Absolutely, and I think what you say, planning is so important, isn't it? And I know for myself, that's when I fall over is sometimes winter Sunday afternoons, I quite like spending them in the kitchen and to kind of batch cook for the week, so I know I've got a whole bunch of healthy dinners for the week. When I do that, I know I feel better. And it's not always possible, but when it is to make up a big batch of something wholesome and know that it's there for midweek suppers is a real help.

And certainly, I've been trying to substitute chocolate bars for a handful of nuts, because I know there are, again, so much more wholesome. Listening to podcasts on nutrition, sort of hacks, reach for a piece of fruit rather than a chocolate bar, and it just kind of sounds like a very poor substitute as a kind of life hack, but actually, I've been doing that recently and it's kind of been enough.

I was talking to another colleague who'd been reading a book by a man called Michael Pollan, who had been all around the world, looking at food cultures and just identifying how much of the highly processed food that we have isn't really food. It's just so highly processed. And I love the fact he summarized all of his research in seven words, which I thought was rather beautiful. His summary was eat food, not junk, eat food, not too much, and mostly plants. I just thought that was a really lovely summary and very wise.

Sue Cooper: 16:33

Somebody said to me about processed food, which really resonated, was the body doesn't recognize it, so therefore, it stores it, because it doesn't know what to do with it. It doesn't know whether to expel it or to hold onto it. It's like, "Ah." So when I see my Brown Bay shoes, I think, "I don't quite know what to do with this." My point keeps going back to self-love. We really are worth it, and we're giving so much time and energy to others, the very nature of the calling of nursing and caring, care for ourselves. I know it's become a buzzword, but really, if we say we love ourselves so much that we can care for others, let's have in our car a little fruit display and little sultanas, there's really juicy ones, or some dates or some dried apricots or something. It hits the spot.

Clare Cable: 17:26

And plenty of water, as you say, which again, I'm not great at, but I'm getting better. Sue, let's move on to E and exercise. I know again, it's something that's challenging. More and more of our work lives are spent on screen, and sometimes I find that I'm not standing up. I'm stuck in my desk chair for hours and hours. Or we wind up just going from office space to car, and our periods of movement are limited from car to door, and it's kind of hard to build in exercise to the way we work. I wonder if you've got any thoughts, any tips on how we actually build exercise time into a busy working life?

Sue Cooper: 18:21

Well, I suppose there's all types of exercise. There's the vigorous exercise, which we tend to think of exercise. There's also simply breathing consciously, because we use so much energy, the mind that is focusing on what next or what's just happened. And I'd love to really get the message across that by consciously breathing and consciously breathing deeply, so that the belly moves, and breathing deeply in and slowly out, fully exhaling really boosts the system dramatically. We could do that in our car, we can do that as we're driving.

When we get to our next destination is I would suggest moving slowly but moving mindfully, because if we're not in position where we can use exercise to build energy, we can certainly maintain our reserves. And by concentrating on one step in front of the other, that's why I love mindfulness so much, bringing our full attention to our breath, and as we're walking, really starts to energize us. And you go with Capacitar and the movements, we're not doing very much it would seem in terms of movement, but we're so energizing ourselves.

So I think the slow, deliberate, mindful movements of the breath and the movement as we move from A to B and having the occasional stretch again in the car for moving from client to client when we've stopped so that we can fully expand our chest, so that we get a beautiful deep breath in really powers the system up fabulously. And then when we finish work, or actually between clients, in between patients that we go and see, we come in fully present, don't we, rather than the rushing in. So back to the focus on energy being it's great when we have time to build it, and we can do that in our out-of-hours work, hopefully at home, outside, if we can simply breathe and simply be in the movement of what we're doing.

Clare Cable: 20:41

Yeah. No, that's really wise and really helpful. And I think it's as exactly as you say, that focus on energy that is about often just mindful movement and really attending to the breath enables us to be truly present in every conversation that we have in the course of working, and then outside of working hours, we can maybe attend to that. As you were saying earlier, the bigger boost of energy in getting out, being in green and blue spaces. I know there's a lot of folk out there who love to swim in cold water and just the joy of being outside and being in nature, whether that's your small back garden or walking along the pavements, noticing the hedgerows, just the power of that.

And I suppose I just maybe wanted to mention for those of us who are perimenopausal and that kind of at the stage of life or menopausal, one of the things that I've been thoughtful about is strength and resistance and just the importance of thinking about how am I moving and stretching and maybe Pilates, yoga, any form of resistance exercise, just thinking about our strength as we move into that next chapter of life. And I don't know whether you've got anything that you know want to share on that.

Sue Cooper: 22:28

Posture for me is primary.

Clare Cable: 22:30

Yes.

Sue Cooper: 22:32

She says, as we sit up, put our shoulders back. And as you say, Clare, about the yoga and the Pilates, you are using your own body for the resistance. It's great if we have weights, but we're talking real world here, and if we don't have weights, but we do have the weight of our body to use that so beautifully by doing a few downward facing dogs and planks. I think being mindful of posture and doing these exercises slowly, that's what I love so much about those, because they are really posture perfect.

And then you start to notice your balance, because that's the next thing, isn't it, as we age, making sure that we're in the balanced position most of the time. Simple and easy. There is all the complex and the high powers, which is there for us, but for the day to day, we can move away from our computer a few minutes. We can literally just go on the floor and do a few, "Oh, I will set my target today and do 10 planks." Well, it takes me two minutes. And if I've got the opportunity to go outside and do it in a private space, maybe, thank God, all the better. But it comes to that motivation of mindset, doesn't it?

Clare Cable: 23:52

Yes. And I think exactly as you were saying earlier, not beating ourselves up about not doing things, but rather committing the time because we know it's about our health and valuing that space and valuing our own wellbeing, speaking with kindness to ourselves and doing the things we know are good for our bodies as well as good for our minds. It's about changing the narrative, the narrative of self-compassion and self-care, rather than a narrative of I should, I must, I ought, which is just kind of self-defeating and just leaves us feeling guilty and miserable often.

Sue Cooper: 24:35

Yes. Yeah. Yes. It's coming from that positive, "I'm worth it." I keep saying it. Being a work in progress myself, I certainly don't have all the answers, but it is great to have these conversations, because then it reminds us, "Ah, yes." Again, we must do it too.

I do remember when I was district nursing and getting to the next person's house, and sitting in the car, it's like, "Oh, gosh." Because the stress of the last patient getting there, and sitting and having a couple of breaths, conscious breaths, and using that area to have that big stretch and to press my feet into the floor and then align my body in the chair, in the seat of the car actually was enough. So in between, say you've got 10, 12 patients a day, if you do that 10 or 12 times or maybe a few, wow, that's more than you'd done before. And then you go, "Yeah." You go pat yourself on the back, "Well done." A couple of minutes.

Clare Cable: 25:43

Great. Thank you. That's really helpful. So where are we up to? First S, Sleep.

Sue Cooper: 25:51

Sleep, sound sleep. Yeah, we can have sleep, but it's not necessarily nourishing sleep, and going to bed with the worries of the day on our minds is we then kind of do our mental filing during sleep time, and we don't have any release from it. So this is where a period of one to two hours before bedtime, if at all possible, of taking some time out. And again, if we're going back to the mindfulness part of it, is just sitting quietly for a few minutes, doesn't have to be too long, but with the consciousness of it's time to unwind from the day. And again, we're taught within the Ayurvedic lifestyle to recapitulate what happened during the day. You're doing a video, fast-forward. Unless you go back there, you're able to let it go. And also to write, maybe write a list, again to be able to let it go.

And then the ritual of going to sleep, and we all have our own ritual, but knowing that when we go to sleep and we turn the lights off, if we need earplugs, wear earplugs. If we need a face mask, eye mask, wear an eye mask, anything that will help us find that place of darkness and stillness to allow us to just let go of everything that happened during the day. Be mindful of what we drink before bedtime. We know that caffeine has a life of about 18 hours, we know that alcohol can be a depressant, but also these things can help us. That's just being mindful of what it is that is preventing you as an individual from having that sound night's sleep.

So last night, I was very fortunate that I have a friend that I meditated with, that I went down to her house. I slept like a log. The deepest sleep I've had in a year, I would say, but, "Oh, now that really nourished me." I'm going to see her next week thinking, "Okay, well that was wonderful. That was something that will help me." Find something that really helps you.

Clare Cable: 28:01

And I think there are an increasing number of apps that have great kind of end-of-the-day meditations or sleeping soundtracks or just things that you can listen to right at the end of the day just to wind down, to help let thoughts go, and as you say, breathe to bring calm and ease to your body and mind as you prepare to sleep. Fabulous. Thank you. So we are with our second S, Stress reduction. Goodness. It's something we seem to need, increasingly.

Sue Cooper: 28:41

It creeps upon you. It does.

Clare Cable: 28:46

I feel it in my shoulders.

Sue Cooper: 28:49

Yes. Now, Clare, that's wonderful. Where do you feel it? It's not what do you think about it, it's where do you feel it? It's like, "Oh, here I'm all hunched up or in constricted mode of curling up sort of fetal-like. I'm so stressed, I just want to go into the covers," and we move back to the baby position. It's how can we open back up to that expanded position of being at one with the world and at one with who we are, who we truly are. What are those images or thoughts or feelings that are coming in that is causing us stress? And this is where I love ... We talk about safe spaces, but Clare, you expand on that by talking about brave spaces.

Clare Cable: 29:33

Yes. Yes, indeed.

Sue Cooper: 29:35

How can we reduce our own stress, when often, and I was in this position with my burnout, I had no idea that I was even stressed because I was coping, coping, coping. And to have that ability to have family, friends, colleagues that we can create this spaciousness of being deeply listened to and heard and being heart-opened, knowing that what happens in the room stays in the room. And this is the compassionate community model that I'm so passionate about, that when we find one other person, two other people, a few other people that we can really be truly who we are and share what's in our hearts, we can express it and we can let go of it. Because often, we don't actually know what's wrong, except we're tired and we're overworked and underpaid, all the biggies, but what is it? What really is it that's causing the stress?

Clare Cable: 30:35

And that discernment process often just takes time and space, and as we tune into ourselves and really learn to listen to ourselves, then I think we become more and more aware. And it is that awareness, isn't it? Our increasing awareness and tuning in to reading ourselves and understanding the things, the way we respond and being curious about that.

Sue Cooper: 31:12

And then being courageous to take steps before it takes us into a place of requiring some more intervention. I've posted within this a couple of articles I wrote a few years ago about healing and cure and the art of living and the science of health, which may be useful to really start to acknowledge the journey of self-responsibility, be the active participant in our own journey through life. And it's okay to say, "I can't manage. I'm needing help and support to be able to reach out." Queen's nursing is exemplifying this model of we're here to help. It's not nurturing of a culture that is non-nourishing. It's saying, "We are as compassionate beings, here to help each other. What can I do to help you if you're needing?"

Clare Cable: 32:23

And yet we find that easier. So often for those of us who are in caring professions, we're hardwired to support others, and actually asking for help ourselves is incredibly hard. And when people offer help, we find it really hard to accept, because we are the ones who've been used to being in the helping role. And I think when we tune in to really understand ourselves and recognize what's going on for us, then as you say, having the courage when we recognize that our own resources are becoming truly depleted, that we ask for help.

Sue Cooper: 33:26

I wonder if I could share something. When I started my nursing, it was a Florence Nightingale quote that so inspired me, because I know Florence Nightingale and Queen Victoria started the Queen's Nursing, I thought I'd be a little cheeky and alter it just a little, add to it. And the quote from Florence Nightingale was, "The role of the nurse is to put the patient in the best possible condition, so that nature can act and healing occur." And so many parts of that quote resonated, first to have nature and healing, the nurse putting the person in that position. And I've cheekily altered it to, "The role of the nurse is to put yourself in the best possible position so that nature can act and healing occur," because we can't care for somebody else as well as we could do it unless we care for ourselves first, and we know this.

Clare Cable: 34:17

That's really beautiful.

Sue Cooper: 34:20

The quote, just play with that. Cheeky and fun and playful.

Clare Cable: 34:28

Thank you. And Sue, just as we kind of draw things to a close, I wonder if you'd just remind us again of that lovely, while we're just kind of thinking about stress reduction, the lovely acronym from Deepak Chopra, I wonder if you just repeat that just so everyone has that, because it's just so helpful.

Sue Cooper: 34:52

It's SODA, S-O-D-A. So when you feel the impulse to react, because somebody has said something and you felt something or thought something that is triggering the fight/flight is S, Stop. O, Observe how you feel. D, Detach, and that is either take a step back, take a breath, but just have that pause, so detach. And A is Action, conscious action. How do you want to respond to this? Now, if it's somebody said something, it could be you laugh, or you could simply walk away, or you could say with kindness, "Could you explain that a bit further," because that's making you feel however it's making you feel. It's revolutionary in terms of communication, because you become empowered and you're in the driving seat.

Clare Cable: 35:51

That's just so helpful, and I think so many of our interactions can be incredibly stressful, working within a system where the resource is scarce and there aren't enough staff, anxiety levels are high, and it's so easy to react rather than to respond with kindness. And I love the fact that SODA just gives us that little bit of space to stop and breathe and step back, perhaps recognizing that the person who we're dealing with is also under immense pressure, and their intention is perhaps not to be aggravating, even if they've come across like that, and to respond with kindness and with curiosity.

Is there anything else that you'd like to add, Sue, as we kind of draw our conversation to a close, your kind of top tips for community nurses in terms of staying well, maintaining energy, the kind of that personal flourishing? Are there any final words that you'd like to add as we close?

Sue Cooper: 37:18

I'm in awe of the Queen's Nurses, and to be part of the organization, knowing that it's a caring organization and doing its best, I would say use all of the resources that you are sharing here, Clare, with myself and with others, to really, really consider that the time really is now to really take that full intention and focus on yourself, to focus on energy.

It's not something we talk about within medicine, it's within the Eastern tradition, it's not so much the Western. So just keep noticing where your energy levels are and go, "Oh, I know there's all these resources I can use," and then we simply have to do it. So we have to carve out a little bit of time for ourselves, and it's amazing how much more time we get by carving out a bit of time for some beautiful practices. Again and again, we have to keep prac ... That's why it's called a practice, because we have to keep doing it, little bits and often, and it builds.

Clare Cable: 38:26

Absolutely. I think that's so wise. It's a journey, and day at a time, we can take small steps to improve our health. Thank you, Sue, for being our guest, for your insight and experience and your wisdom. It's just been wonderful to have you here. I know that those listening will have been inspired just as I am to find new ways to take our own health seriously. And as this episode draws to a close, let's listen to Queen's Nurses, Suzanne Turner and Carol Cartwright, as they share some of the ways that they use to support their self-care.

Suzanne Turner: 39:03

Hi, there. My name is Suzanne Turner. I am very fortunate enough to live in a green space on the edge of woodland, but I also have access to blue spaces in terms of locks and the sea. When my day is really busy, I always schedule-in time to take a walk amongst the trees. My aim is to be mindful and present and not to let my mind race. I love listening to the birds sing in the sunshine and the trees rustling in the wind. I love the sound of the rain on the leaves. I always return home with my mind cleared.

Another very important activity for me is swimming in the sea. I have done so for approximately three years, and I swim all year round. The benefits of cold water swimming are very well documented, but on a personal level, I love swimming at sunrise with the sound of the seabirds above. I love meeting my friends and swimming as a group. There is always so much laughter. Swimming in the sea releases endorphins, and I always feel euphoric afterwards, which generally lasts throughout the day and lifts my mood.

Finally, I always try to wind down before sleep with low lights, and I listen to a guided meditation. The benefits of implementing wellbeing practices to my daily routine have helped me enormously. They've introduced a space, a pause in an otherwise busy day. It has also taught me about the importance of looking after myself in order to look after others.

Carol Cartwright: 40:29

My name is Carol Cartwright. I'm a Queen's Nurse working within child and adolescent mental health services with a focus on neurodevelopmental disorders. My Queen's Nurse journey has introduced me to a level of self-care and compassion that I had never experienced before. I fell in love with the Capacitar Tai-Chi, which we explored and find that it's a fantastic way to start my day. It grounds me, it gives me a sense of calm and wellbeing and helps me try and focus in order in a busy, hectic day, which is often as a nurse is nonstop.

I also grasp the Bold, Breathing, Bonkers Queen's Nurse motto and explored wild water dipping, which as someone with a fear of water, was indeed a challenge. I cannot describe the sense of calm and renewal that I would come to know as I walk into the cold lapping water, feeling the wind on my skin and tasting the salt in the air and the warm hug that I experience as my body temperature adjusts and envelopes me is indeed something to behold. The sense of stillness and peace that comes from this is truly indescribable, and I would urge you to give it a go.

Clare Cable: 41:40

I'd like to thank all of you listening for joining us. We hope that you've found this podcast useful and that you'll join us again. Remember to breathe and smile.