From our research, we found that it was useful and interesting for people to reflect on their individual relationships with blue space. It may be helpful to think about how/if blue spaces can influence your mental health and wellbeing. If you would like to think about your relationship with blue spaces, and find out more about other peopleās, please check out the interview questions we used and what themes came out of our research!
Depending on where you live and resources available to you, accessing blue spaces can be easy or more difficult. We have developed a list of organisations and resources that may help you access places local to you. However, many peopleās advice was often simple: look at maps of your local area and check out the blue bits!
If there arenāt any places local/accessible to you, it may be useful to think about alternatives that give you similar feelings. Some participants talked about accessing āblue spaceā in a range of different ways:
There can be a range of ways to connect with blue spaces, or get the same feelings, like calmness, invigoration, a shift in perspective, and/or a mental reset.
A note on safety:
When accessing blue spaces, you are responsible for your safety. There can be risks associated with any open water, including when in the water and nearby it. Please read the RNLIās safety advice for guidance before visiting a blue space.
There may also be additional safety considerations if you experience bipolar disorder and/or psychosis. For instance, multiple participants in our interviews suggested that they may be more likely to take risks during manic episodes, including swimming in more dangerous conditions, going for longer swims, or going spontaneously to blue spaces without telling anyone. While there seem to be lots of benefits of blue spaces, please consider if they are safe for you, and at what times and mood states. Consider taking mitigating steps to ensure you can benefit without putting your safety at risk.