100 Days of Blue

An Invitation to Caring Professionals to Celebrate Water Wellbeing and Water Therapy

Your days are filled with compassion and caring for others. As a dedicated nurse, teacher, social worker, church worker or other caregiver, you put others first - often at the expense of your own well‑being. 100 Days of Blue offers a restorative summer invitation to pause, step away from screens, and immerse yourself in water’s healing embrace. Blue Mind science says that a few minutes, perhaps just 10–20 minutes daily, near, in, on, or under water, can help ease compassion fatigue, restore focus, and improve your sense of calm.

As we dive into the summer months in the northern hemisphere, when diaries are sometimes lighter, days are longer, and the pace a little slower, now is a great time to rest and refresh! So how can 100 Days of Blue, Blue Mind living and diving into Blue Health Coaching support us in this?

Why a Summer Digital Detox for Carers?

As Blue Health Coach professionals, we always encourage a more analogue way of living. Technology can be a great asset when used well, but we all know that unplugging the tech and restarting it sometimes makes it ‘work’ more effectively. The same is true for us.

Are you ready to unplug and reset for a refreshing summer detox? Unplugging from tech can help us reconnect with ourselves, others and the environment.

Combat Emotional Fatigue Reducing screen time and administrative overload lets your nervous system reset, supporting emotional resilience. Compassionate people need also to practice self-compassion!

Restore Mental Clarity Water-based breathing space improve focus and reduce mental chatter - essential when making important decisions, thinking creatively, and working effectively with your team.

Enhance Sleep and Recovery Fewer after-hours scrolling enhances sleep quality, vital for shift workers and those with irregular schedules. Doom scrolling can seem like a great wind-down, but the blue light emitted by our devices really affects our levels of melatonin and disrupts the body’s natural sleep / wake cycles. It also has us connected to our devices when more meaningful connections - with self, others, or the world around us - would be great for our wellbeing.

Summer Digital Tips for Busy Schedules - When did you last track your screen time? See what insights are revealed by tracking your current screen interactions during shifts, the school day, or work prep for three days. Can you identify specific time to swap screen for breathing space near water? Let it restore you!

The Power of Water and Nature Connection for Helpers and Healers

Nature connection is hugely powerful for those who work with others at the centre of their lives. When life and work become overwhelming, it’s good to remind ourselves that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves. Time near, in, on or under the water, and time in nature has so many benefits, and leads us to protect what we love. At Embrace Blue Space, compassion and interconnectedness is at the heart of my coaching practice.

Additional benefits include

Stress Relief Even listening to water sounds or observing ripples, and watching the waves at the ocean lowers cortisol - a welcome antidote for all high-stress roles.

Rekindle Compassion Blue Mind experiences can replenish empathy reserves, helping you reconnect more fully with those you serve, with yourself, and ripples outwards for increased compassion for the planet.

Physical Renewal Gentle movement in or near water. Have you ever moved the surface of water with your hand and watched the sunlight dance on the surface? Played with bubbles with a child (and popped them with delighted laughter)? Dipped a toe in the ocean or a fountain? Breathed with the rhythm of the waves? Stretched at the poolside or on a beach? All soothe tired minds and achy muscles after a long day.

Nature’s Synergy Pair water moments with green spaces - find a garden ponds, riverside benches, or walk by a lake - to amplify restorative effects. There is no green without blue!

Quick Mindful Start - During a break or at the end the working day, find a water source - sink, fountain birdbath, or rain running down a window  - and spend five mindful minutes focusing on its flow. Note how you feel.

Your Daily Invitation to Immerse in Blue Space

We are now part way through 100 Days of Blue. Missed the start and feel like you’ve missed the boat? Not at all! This is a celebration of water, not a challenge. You can start living a Blue Mind life any time. See how it increases your sense of wellbeing and purpose.

So I invite you to engage with a summer of mindful exploration.

Can you connect with water in a meaningful or playful way for a few minutes every day? Set a digital pause. Silence work notifications and let water’s rhythm be your only timer.

As you spend time near (sit beside water?), in (dip hands/feet?), on (float or paddle?), or under (snorkel or swim?) water notice temperature, movement, sound, rhythm, and how it affects all your senses physically and your emotional wellbeing. Does this improve over time and with repetition? Do you notice when you feel you need to spend more time near water, perhaps when stress levels increase?

Consider new ways of really engaging with water. Savour that warm bath, book a float tank therapy session, take a weekend retreat or holiday by the water (alone or with family) and seek out the blue spaces in urban environments during your work day. What have you previously passed by?

Briefly reflect - jot one sentence in your pocket journal: how do you feel now, compared to your state pre-water? How are your energy levels? Your emotional state?

This is an invitation to nourish yourself - no performance metrics, just presence and ease, and joy!. However, using the Blue Health App, developed by Going Coastal Blue, to record your mood, time in Blue Space and its effects, can help you track the benefits over the summer period. Find it in the App Store.

Practical Preparation and Safety

Being prepared to embrace all the possible summer water spots raises a sense of excited engagement. Give some thought to staying safe, and being ready to play when opportunity arises.

Locate Water Hubs Identify spots near workplace and home - hospital courtyard fountain, school garden pond, local water features, puddles that appear on familiar paths, damp forests walks.

Carry‑Along Tools A packable swimsuit and quick‑dry towel, is a daily carry, and consider taking a small notepad and pen, It’s great for noting the effect of your mindfulness in water, and even writing simple water meditations or poems.

Appropriate Gear: Slip‑on water shoes for pebbly beaches, snorkelling mask for pool days, wellies for rainy days, sunscreen and hat for coastal walks.

Safety First: Always check water cleanliness - the SAS water quality app is accurate and quick.  Use well-lit, accessible locations, check the tides and water conditions, and invite colleagues or friends to join you when possible. It’s always safest not to swim or walk alone, and more fun to share mini-adventures in Blue Space!

Peer Support and Celebration

Here are some other ways you could share the 100 days of blue water celebration with others

Buddy Check‑Ins Pair with a colleague - send brief daily messages to share one water moment insight. Can you share a daily mindfulness practice?

Team’ Gathering Share self-care ideas for overwhelmed caregivers. Host a once-a-month small group gathering by a local pond or pool for a collective Blue Mind workshop, perhaps with colleagues, your class, or church group. Celebrating water is a joyful intergenerational activity, and we can learn so much from the insights and playfulness of children. Find your inner child!

Day 100 Pause and Reflect At Day 100, or the end of the summer season, consider a shared meal by water - share favourite reflections and insights, read chosen quotes, and give blue marbles. You can read more about the Blue Marble Movement here, and buy blue marbles in the UK here.

Living a Blue Mind and Interconnected Life

After 100 days of stepping into your blue mind - or a summer season - you’ve made a great start in weaving water time and mindfulness into your continuing self-care toolkit: quick water breaks between appointments, weekend dips, or seasonal kayaking. The great news is, water connection isn’t summer season specific! Embrace water and Blue Mind as a sustainable and precious resource - your well-being is the foundation of care for others, and our blue marble planet depends on our care, too. As you protect what you love, notice how you will instinctively beach clean or litter pick, wonder if you could volunteer in some capacity to nurture and conserve, and encourage others in sharing what you have come to find life-giving and sustaining, helping you to thrive! Blue mind science tells us that time with water increases wellbeing and mental clarity, creativity and productivity.

Begin Today - embrace water’s gentle invitation and find new and flexible ways to prioritise your own wellbeing. Our bodies are mostly water, and are born to be fluid in our decision making, being, and doing. And when you’re ready to dive in deeper and know how Blue Health Coaching can support you in personal and professional development and your wellbeing, book a call here.

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