The Ice-Cold Ocean Can Sometimes Be Better Than Antidepressants: An interview with Tanit Karolys
Translation: Hallberg Brynjar Guðmundsson
The Spaniard, Tanit Karolys studies Icelandic at the School of Humanities at the University of Iceland and, to be more specific, comes from the Canary Islands. She has practised open water swimming (a swimming discipline which takes place in outdoor bodies of water, i.e. open oceans, lakes and/or rivers) for four years and describes how Cold Therapy has helped her to rebuild her life, taught her how to deal with stress and burnout and how it helps her to enjoy the moment.
Myndir: Tanit Karolys
In a bikini in the snow
Like everybody knows, Iceland is an island. When one hears the word "island" one tends to think about a tropical paradise, palm trees, the sun, and a warm ocean. Not a huge block of ice that is windblown for most of the year, where it rains and snows 24/7, but that is how Iceland may appear to those who do not live there.
The cold lakes of Iceland are perfect for swimming and hundreds of people regularly practice open water swimming in Iceland. Open water swimming also has numerous health benefits although at first, it appears that only crazy people are foolish enough to try it.
“It was in Nauthólsvík on a cold winter day," says Tanit Karolys when she recounts her first experience with open water swimming, "I had only my bikini on. I was walking along the sand to the ocean, and I thought that the people who did this must be crazy or on drugs"
Relaxing in the ice-cold water
Before Tanit arrived in Iceland, nine years ago, she lived in the Canary Islands and Barcelona. It is not hard to imagine how difficult it was for a woman used to a warmer climate to show up in Nauthólsvík, dressed only in a bikini during winter. What motivated Tanit to do such a thing?
“I experienced burnout and was searching for a way to recharge my energy. I tried going to various seminars and workshops…,” says Tanit about the desperation she felt during this time.
“And then, one day, I was told by my friends about the Wim Hof method* and an Icelander named Andri who practiced it at Nauthólsvík. I decided to give it a try and went to Nauthólsvík on a very cold day.”
According to Tanit, Andri led her into the ocean, taught her how to control one's breath in the icy water, explained to her how the nervous system operates and how to allow the body to adapt and change to accomodate the cold.
“And then it clicked, I did not feel the cold any longer and instead, this peaceful feeling came over me!” Tanit happily recounts. “It was a very powerful moment. To figure out how one could control their reactions to stress, being in a completely serene state of mind while not being bothered by the ice-cold ocean.
Cold therapy is like a drug
Tanit started to regularly practice Cold Therapy. And not just in Nauthólsvík but also elsewhere in Iceland; in Seltjarnarnes, at Kleifarvatn and so forth, in snow and rain, during the summers and winters. Along the way, Tanit realized that the self-control she uses in the ocean could be helpful in other aspects of her life. The world around her started to change for the better.
“It resulted in a breakthrough when it came to my problems regarding burnout,” explains Tanit. “I learned how to control my stress reactions in all parts of my life. The cold is a powerful teacher when it comes to that. If I can remain completely relaxed in the ice-cold water, then, no matter what happens to me, I can just take a deep breath and relax in the same way I do in the ocean. In that way my mind is clear and I can react to all kinds of circumstances in a calm manner while remaining fully aware and not letting the stress reaction spiral and take over."
Tanit believes that swimming in the ocean has helped her adjusting to the Icelandic climate, which is quite different from the climate of the subtropical Canary Islands.
"I think I stand out from other people who migrate to Iceland from a warm climate," Tanit says as she describes the reactions that people from warm climates have to Iceland.
"I think the cold ocean has taught me to embrace the Icelandic climate and to love it by not being bothered by the weather!" Furthermore, Cold Therapy is not just useful when it comes to relieving stress and burnout.
“We have records that show that Cold Therapy can help combat depression, anxiety, burnout, and also with self-allergy, arthritis, psoriasis etc.”
The scientific arguments for Cold Therapy
One can find confirmation of Tanit’s words in the results of Bjarni Rúnar Lúðvíksson, professor of Immunology, who wrote on visir.is a couple of years ago. In it, he wrote that Cold Therapy has "a positive influence on the mental health of those who engage in cold baths"
Vilhjálmur Andri Einarsson, Tanit's trainer, experienced the benefits of Cold Therapy first-hand. After an injury in his youth, Andri struggled with recurring back pain for thirty years. Unable to receive sufficient help from doctors and medicine, Andri turned to Cold Therapy. The ice-iold ocean combined with cold baths finally relieved him of the pain.
Tanit has also experienced further benefits when it comes to cCld Therapy. For example, starting a family.
“Andri and I became very good friends, we are both licensed Wim Hof Method instructors and founded the company Andri Iceland, where we started to teach the Wim Hof method to Icelanders. Today Andri is my husband and we have a daughter, Sól.”
If you are interested in open water swimming but do not know where to look you can join numerous Facebook groups dedicated to the practice. For example, “Andri Iceland”, which is Tanit’s group, or the Polish group “Zummondovi Islandia”, or the largest group “Sjósund”.
You can also go to Nauthólsvík and swim in the sea by yourself.
* Wim Hof (born on 20th April 1959), also known as the Iceman, is a Dutch motivational speaker and an extreme sports athlete who is famous for his ability to withstand frost. He holds the Guinness world record for "under ice swimming" and for long-term exposure to frost. Previously, he held the world record for running a half marathon, barefoot, on ice and snow. He attributes his achievements to his Wim Hof Method (or WHM), which is a combination of frequent exposure to cold, breathing techniques, yoga, and meditation.