Blue Mind – What Water Does for Me

Ever since I got my camper, I've noticed something.

When I think about where I could go, I'm drawn to the water surprisingly often.

To a lake.
To a river.
And best of all, to the ocean.

You could say: I just like water.

That's right.

But somehow, it's more than that.

Especially in the last few months, when there's been quite a bit going on in my life, I've noticed that water has an effect on me.

Sometimes, just one glance at the ocean is enough.

I get out of the camper, walk to the beach, look out at this endless expanse—and something inside me changes.

His shoulders slump a little.

My breathing becomes calmer.

The view stretches into the distance.

And my mind, which can be pretty good at thinking about about 27 things at once, shifts down a few gears.

Not at the push of a button.

Not always right away.

But it's pretty reliable.

And then I stumbled upon a term: Blue Mind.

Blue Mind describes this special state that water can evoke within us.

The feeling of calm and alertness at the same time.

From afar.

On Presence.

That feeling—which is hard to describe—that comes over us when we look out at the ocean, hear the waves, sit by a lake, or dive into the water.

And I thought:

Oh. There's a name for that.

Suddenly, a lot of things started to make sense.

Why I love going to the water so much after a hard day.

Why I can sit by the sea for hours without feeling like I have to do anything.

Why swimming isn't just exercise for me.

And maybe also why my trips in the camper so conspicuously often end up somewhere near water.

Water doesn't demand anything from me.

Maybe that's exactly what I love so much about it.

The ocean doesn't care whether I was productive today.

Whether I have everything under control.

Whether I made the right decisions.

Or whether I already have an answer to any particular question.

It's just there.

The waves are coming.

The waves are rolling in.

And I just get to sit right next to him.

Or be right in the middle of it.

No to-do list.

No destination.

Nothing I need to understand or decide right now.

Just water.

Wind.

Horizon.

And then, at some point, there's that moment when I realize:

I feel more at peace now.

Maybe that's why I keep setting out again and again.

When I bought the camper after my breakup, it was one thing above all else to me:

Freedom.

Just get in and drive off.

Once with Nino.

Just me.

For a weekend or a few days.

And surprisingly often, the path leads to the water.

I think it took me a while to realize that it's not just about being on the go.

It's also about those spaces where nothing is expected of me.

Where I don't have to function.

In which my system eventually shifts down a gear all on its own.

Maybe my body had known for a long time what my mind only learned later:

Water is good for me.

And no, life doesn't suddenly fall into place after that.

To me, "Blue Mind" doesn't mean sitting by the ocean for an hour and then knowing all the answers.

Some questions remain.

Some things still weigh on my mind.

Some longings even come along to the sea.

And some thoughts keep popping back up, even though I'd actually just given them a break. 😉

But they no longer take up the entire room.

Suddenly, there's room for something else again.

For the feel of the wind on your skin.

For cold feet in the water.

For the sound of the waves.

For a sunset.

For that incredible sparkle on the sea when the sun is low in the sky.

And for this very simple thought:

Just how beautiful is this, really?

Maybe that's exactly what my "Blue Mind" is.

Not perfect silence in my mind.

Not the answer to everything.

Rather, it’s that moment when whatever is on my mind right now becomes a little smaller—and there’s more room again for everything else that’s still there.

Last night, I was standing by the sea again.

The sun was slowly setting.

In front of me, nothing but water and the horizon.

And for a moment, it didn't matter at all what would happen next.

I was just there.

Maybe that's why I'm always drawn back to the water.

And maybe, by now, I don't even need to understand why anymore.

All I know is:

It makes me feel good. 🌊