Can water wash away anxiety? Yes! And it can even do more...
When I was a kid, I washed my hands all the time. I never wanted to get out of the bathtub or come in from the pool. There was something very comforting about feeling the water on my skin. I didn't know then that my natural attraction to water had something to do with being highly sensitive.
Although water has powerful health benefits to everyone, it seems that HSPs are particularly affected by water. Being one of the most powerful elements of the Earth, it makes sense that, like doing a grounding exercise out in nature, connecting with water would also have power effects. What surprised me was how different my energy shifted depending on what I did with the water. Here are a few examples...
The general rule is that our bodies need 2 litres (or 64 ounces) of water daily. Whenever I would reach that magic number, I'd feel pretty good about myself. Whenever I'd miss the target (or not drink anything but a Starbucks latte in the morning and a Coke at night), I'd chastise myself brutally. Then I read an article by Teal Swan about drinking water and self-love. She suggested that if I sent loving thoughts (even about someone else - since most of us have a hard time truly feeling self-love) into the water and then drank it, my positive thoughts would raise the vibration of the water molecules and then mix with my own body (which is 70%+ water); thus, raising my own vibration. Surprisingly, when I tried this experiment (expressing heartfelt love for my dog), I felt a slight surge of childlike joy. After a while, I simply started sending love and gratitude into the water for the water itself. After doing that for a few weeks, I found that I actually craved the water. Or perhaps it's that I'm craving the love? In either case, it's wa-teriffic.
There's an expression "wringing your hands" which means that you worry about something without doing anything about it. That was pretty much me for most of my life. Now whenever I find myself with a head full of worries, I head to the sink. As I run the water over my hands (experiment with whatever temperature feels most comforting for you), I "wring" my hands out -- and send the intention of literally washing away my worries. Essentially, I'm telling my brain, "Enough!" I'm acknowledging the worries and then releasing them into the water and down the drain. With practice, this exercise became extremely powerful -- almost like turning off the light switch of worry.
I discovered that showering with awareness and intention is also powerful. If I feel "slimed" from the heavy energy of the day, I will take a shower when I get home or before bed with the intention of scrubbing away that energy. And if I know I'll be heading into heavy energy traffic (a difficult confrontation with someone or an event in a large crowd of people), I shower first thing in the morning, both to wash away outside energy and also to purposefully cover myself in a shield of high energy.
By the way, I noticed it's not the same for baths. While soaking in a tub (especially a salt water bath) can be very relaxing, I don't feel it gives me the same pure, energized boost that a shower does.
The sound of water, whether it's the rain falling, the ocean's tide, a waterfall or a trickling stream, has a very therapeutic effect. It calms our breathing, lowers the heart rate, relaxes the muscles and soothes the mind. Perhaps it's because of the time we spent in our mother's amniotic fluid.
For me, listening to water brings a deep feeling of connection with the earth and the universe. It seems somehow to mend the holes I sustained in my 'energy fabric' throughout the day. I have a great sound machine which plays ocean waves and a tropical rain fall.
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Over time, I have come to realize how many tools Mother Nature has given me to help me be my best, happiest, healthiest self. The more I use them and celebrate them, the more I seem to benefit from them. And guess what? They are there for you, too.
Until the next session of The Human Sponge Workshop, enjoy life, be good to yourself ... Soak it Up!
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