Why I . . . swim outdoors in cold water

“I’m looking forward to swimming in cold water at the Hampstead Heath Mixed Pond. It’s a nice way to start the festive season,” says Jon Goldin, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London.It’s not the first time he’s taken a cold water plunge during the Christmas holidays. “A few years ago I took part in Perranporth Surf Lifesaving Club’s traditional Boxing Day dip, where I swam off the coast of Cornwall.“We swam in our swimming costumes and Santa hats. It was very cold but great fun. It woke us all up and was a good way of working off Christmas dinner. And after the shock of the cold water, when you return home to the warmth you feel a sense of calm and wellbeing.”Goldin believes it’s important for doctors to look after their mental health and wellbeing to build therapeutic relationships with patients and be…
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