Cold Water Swimming with Rachel Ashe

This is our second blog post with the incredible Rachel Ashe, founder of Mental Health Swims. Mental Health Swims is a social enterprise fighting stigma through cold water swimming. To read part one of Rachel’s interview, click here.

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your story?

Growing up I always loved swimming, years later I rekindled that passion on New Year's Day 2019 by taking part in "The Loony Dook” swim in Edinburgh where I’m from.

I was very unwell at the time; I was on lots of medication and not feeling myself. I have a complex mental illness caused by traumatic experiences growing up and the reality is I’d lost who I was for a long time.

I made my way down to Portobello beach in Edinburgh and I ducked under water. It was so painfully cold and after a few minutes I made my way back up the beach. As the pain of the cold subsided, I started to feel calm. Partly because I was back in my body. For many of us who are mentally unwell, we can get trapped in our heads, in our imagined terrible scenarios and our anxieties. When I felt back in my body – it was a huge relief.

I went back to Swansea with the excitement to try cold water swimming to aid my mental health. I would just like to point out cold water swimming isn't the cure, I was also going to therapy and taking medication. I think cold water swimming can be an extra way to take care of your mental health.

Can you tell me how Mental Health Swims started?

When I started cold water swimming, it felt brave. It was a time in my life when I was so isolated, and there I was taking these tentative steps back into the community.

Cold water swimming is a great way to make connections in your local community, even if it’s just onlookers asking, “gosh isn't it cold?”

This got me thinking about all the other people who were in a similar situation to me, people who felt trapped in their minds and homes due to their mental health. I wondered how we could encourage people like that to join a group. And that is how Mental Health Swims was created. It was all about what things can I do to get people outside.

Whatever you’re feeling, you’re welcome at a mental health swim. We try to ease as much of our swimmers worries as possible, such as providing easy to follow directions and our pink pirate flat to make us easily spotted at the beach!

MHS has become such a success, with clubs all over the UK. How do you feel about it all?

I'm so happy. I’m one person who feels a lot, but there are lots of big feelings people everywhere so to know that mental health swims can be a support is brilliant. The magic of mental health swims is that it’s a kind and welcoming community, some who travelled an hour or so to swims have now set up their own swims in their local areas as they want to be that support system for others.

People want to feel safe, included and understood and that’s our goal at Mental Health Swims to provide that.

What are your tips on how to support someone with their mental health?

My Partner Cory is amazing at supporting me with my mental health. She doesn’t try to fix me. Cory supports me so well when I’m struggling with my mental health by reminding me that I have the tools to cope and letting me feel what I need to.

Communication is so important, if someone isn’t picking up their phone go see them for a cup of tea or send them a text. Let them know you’re thinking of them.

Ask twice! The first time you ask someone how they’re doing they will say they're fine but if you ask again, they’re more likely to say how they’re really feeling.

Refer them to the Hub of hope, it's an online search engine where you can find mental health support in your area.

What would be your advice for someone who wants to join Mental Health Swims?

If you’re nervous, contact the host!
You can meet the hosts 10 mins early, so they can introduce you to other swimmers when they arrive.
You can chat to us at our hello inbox
Check out our blog, there’s loads of stories of people who were nervous before starting and now some of them even run their own groups!
Remember, its normal to be nervous. You don’t even have to swim; you can chat with our other swimmers and maybe build up to a cold-water dip.

Do you have any safety tips?