'Being prescribed cold water swimming for depression saved my life'

Laura Hampson
·3-min read
Helen Downham found her cold water swimming group through the NHS. (SWNS)
Helen Downham found her cold water swimming group through the NHS. (SWNS)

A woman who was ‘prescribed’ cold water swimming to treat her depression says the activity has saved her life.

Helen Downham, 37, saw her mental health plummet after she experienced a string of traumatic events between 2019 and 2022, including ending a relationship, losing her job, and breaking her leg.

Downham, who was a senior support worker before she was dismissed, says: "Losing my job was the worst thing that happened to me. My work was my life."

Breaking her leg while walking her dog, however, was the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’.

"I couldn't leave the house for weeks and developed severe agoraphobia," she explains.

Before these events, the single mum says she had already suffered from mental health issues, but this pushed her to breaking point.

"When my mental health was at its worst, I hated everything," Downham, from Warmley, Bristol, says.

"Doctors upped my meds and told me to exercise but the pills numbed everything and I couldn't leave the house."

It was only after her doctor suggested she sign up for an NHS initiative called ‘social prescribing’ in January that Downham discovered a six-week course of cold water swimming that she could do with other local women.

"When cold water swimming was mentioned, a little spark went off in my head," she explains.

"The cold took my breath away at first, but I loved it and never looked back."

Earlier this year, researchers from the University of Portsmouth revealed findings from a study that said cold and open water swimming can alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Downham now goes cold water swimming two times a week. (SWNS)
Downham now goes cold water swimming two times a week. (SWNS)

Now, Downham describes cold water swimming as ‘absolute bliss’, and says it leaves her head feeling ‘so much clearer, calmer and I feel so happy’.

"I used to isolate myself and never want to leave the house – now I get so excited to go and swim with my friends that I can't sleep the night before," she says.

"It has completely changed my life. It has saved my life."

Downham now swims at least twice a week and has made ‘a lot’ of new friends in the process.

"I think it's a combination of the cold water and the social aspect of seeing your friends in the group," she adds.

"It relaxes you and reduces your stress levels. It just does wonders - it's changed my life."

Downham now advocates for the NHS social prescribing programme, and wants to make more people aware of the good it can do.

"Most people I speak to have never even heard of social prescribing but it's such a wonderful concept," she explains.

"I still have mental health problems that I struggle with but I don't dread getting up in the morning, and I look forward to whenever I can next swim.

"I couldn't advocate for it more - it has completely changed my life - and it has saved me."

Additional reporting by SWNS.

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