Ahead of World Rivers Day, 27 September, slow travel expert shares guide to enjoying the ‘Blue Mind’.
As summer draws to a close, packed calendars, school runs, overflowing inboxes and looming deadlines are back on the horizon. For many, the return to routine can feel like an abrupt shift from the slower pace of summer – filled with beach days, waterside living and dining, and afternoon naps soundtracked by the gentle sound of waves lapping.
However, slow travel expert Cheryl Brown, MD of inland waterway holiday operator, Le Boat, and champion of the ‘Blue Mind’, believes you don’t need to leave that holiday feeling behind. By seeking out moments beside canals, rivers, lakes and other waterways, it’s possible to build small pockets of calm into everyday life.
The term ‘Blue Mind’ was coined by marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols to describe the meditative, calm state associated with being on, in or near water. It is the opposite of the Red Mind, a psychological state of stress, high anxiety and survival mode caused by the fast pace of modern life.
Cheryl says: “Spending just short periods of time near water can have a hugely positive impact on our mood and mental wellbeing with just a 20-minute walk in a waterfront area improving mood and wellbeing significantly, compared to a walk in an urban environment or taking a rest. Meanwhile, spending long periods of time physically on the water, as you may do while on holiday, can be a particularly peaceful experience.
“Many people naturally find themselves in this Blue Mind state during a cruise or a boating holiday: time slows down, the weather is warm and the worries and pressures of everyday life are set aside.
“But that feeling doesn’t have to end when the holiday does. Canals, rivers, lakes and even small urban waterways can provide opportunities to pause and change pace throughout the year. You don’t need to take a week off or travel hundreds of miles – sometimes 20 minutes beside the water can be enough to create a useful break from the everyday.”
Ahead of World Rivers Day, Cheryl shares seven simple ways to bring more ‘Blue Mind’ moments into your routine…
Enjoy your lunch break waterside
Instead of eating at your desk or at your usual spot, find a canal, river or pond nearby and make it your lunchtime destination once or twice a week.
Find a waterside bench, put your phone away and give yourself the time to eat, reflect and watch the world go by. Even a short break by the water can help break up the working day, creating a change of pace and perspective.
Turn your commute blue
Check if there is a canal or river somewhere along your route to work of school. If this is the case, take this route deliberately a few times a week, even if it adds an extra 10 or 15 minutes to your journey.
Rather than thinking of this as time lost, think of it as a transition period. A walk beside the water can provide a moment to clear your head before the day begins or allow you to decompress before arriving home.
Practice ‘water watching’ instead of scrolling
One of the simplest pleasures of spending time on canals, rivers and lakes is simply watching the water.
Instead of reaching for your phone when you have a spare five or 10 minutes, find somewhere beside the water and simply observe it. Watch the movement of the surface and how it reflects the light, listen to the sounds around you and allow yourself to be present without having to do anything.
Swap the gym for waterside exercise
Take your workout outside and enjoy the benefits of exercising in a natural environment. Instead of staring at your phone or a screen at the gym, you will get to enjoy the fresh air and natural light you can only find when you run along a towpath, cycle along a canal or simply walk briskly by the river.
You can try a different route each week to give yourself new things to notice and explore as you exercise, drawing your attention to different elements each time.
Make weekends a water adventure
You don’t need to book a week away to enjoy the benefits of being near water. Instead, make it the destination for a day and turn an ordinary weekend into a mini getaway. Go for a walk along the canal or river, try a new watersport like kayaking or paddleboarding, pop to your nearest beach with a homemade picnic or simply enjoy a drink at a riverside café.
By stepping outside your usual surroundings and doing some of the things you enjoy while on holiday, you can bring the calm from a well-earned break into a regular day.
Bring the sound of water home
If you don’t live near or can’t easily access a body of water, you can still recreate the sensory elements of being on or near the water through sound.
Playing the sound of gentle waves or a flowing river can take you back to a slow morning on a canal boat or a quiet afternoon on the beach. Listening to water won’t fully replace being beside it, but it will act as a soothing reminder to slow down. It can also be a simple way to wind down at the end of the day, replacing the background sound of the TV, podcasts or phone notifications.
You can make this experience more authentic if you make your own sound recording the next time you visit a water environment. Every listen can take you back to that specific place and moment, helping you recreate the sense of calm at home.
Set your screensaver to water
Bring the ‘Blue Mind’ to your working day by setting your screensaver to water. It can be a photo you have taken yourself during or a stock image of somewhere you’d like to visit.
While a screensaver is not as powerful as the real thing, it can serve as a regular reminder to pause, take some deep breaths and step away from your desk, giving you the time to take a break from the stresses of your day
While ‘Blue Mind’ moments may come naturally on holiday, they can easily be weaved into our daily routine. Even a short walk by a canal or taking a moment to watch the sunlight glisten across the surface of a river can help bring a sense of calm into everyday life.
Alternatively, if the thought of the ‘Blue Mind’ has you longing for one last late summer short break, consider a self-drive boating holiday with Le Boat. For more information, visit www.leboat.com/en
