Rosh Chodesh: Blue Mind. Be Happy.

New Moon. New Month. New Habit.

Welcome to our new wave of water conservation inspiration. Thanks to a recommendation from community member Lauren Schneider, every Rosh Chodesh (the beginning of every month in the Hebrew calendar, marked by a new moon), we will introduce one new easy step you can implement for the month to improve how we treat our oceans, waterways, and planet.

Each month we will briefly educate you on a topic and share a new habit we hope you adopt to improve the current status of our environment.

Adar

This month (Adar) is the month of Joy.

"When the month of Adar enters, we increase in joy." -Talmud, Taanit 29a

So this Rosh Chodesh, we invite you to find joy in water. As a first step in our journey to be stewards of this planet, we invite you to cultivate gratitude and happiness from the life-giving liquid. It's scientifically proven to be possible.

Why: Blue Mind

Researcher and Author Dr. Wallace J. Nichols (“Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do") has coined the term “blue mind” to describe "the mildly meditative state we fall into when near, in, on or under water." He describes it as "the antidote to what we refer to as “red mind,” which is the anxious, over-connected and over-stimulated state that defines the new normal of modern life."

Research supports these statements. According to Dr. Nichols, "research has shown that being near, in, on or under water can provide a long list of benefits for our mind and body, including lowering stress and anxiety, increasing an overall sense of well-being and happiness, [and] a lower heart and breathing rate."

What: Be Happy

This month, in the spirit of Adar, we invite you to find join in water. We encourage you, every day this month, to take time out of your day to tap into the meditative state of water and cultivate joy from the mental release it provides. Here are some suggestions (inspired by Dr. Nichol's Patreon) for cultivating a blue mind and joy from water.

Spend time at the beach

• Sit by a lake

• Appreciate a shower

• Swim in a public pool

• Kayak

• Watch a film about water

• Walk in the rain

• Scuba dive

• Listen to the recording of the rain

• Play in the snow

• Ice skate

• Paddleboard

• Use a float tank

• Drink a big glass of water

• Watch the clouds

• Wash dishes mindfully

Raise your awareness, and pay attention to how you feel when you interact with or are around water. Then, next month we can build upon our newly cultivated joy and appreciation.