Photo © Achensee Tourismus
This post is sponsored by the Austrian National Tourist Office
From wild swimming to paddleboarding, Austria’s beautiful lakes and pristine springs are replete with ‘blue mind’ benefits
The myriad positive, meditative wellbeing effects that water has upon the mind are well-documented – and never more compellingly so than within eminent marine biologist Wallace J Nichols’s 2014 book Blue Mind: How Water Makes You Happier, More Connected and Better at What You Do. In his book, Nichols shares studies that illustrate how being by a large body of water floods the brain with the feel-good hormones dopamine and oxytocin. These studies also found that levels of the stress hormone cortisol drop when we’re near water. Contact with water induces a meditative state that makes us happier, healthier, calmer, more creative and more capable of feeling emotions such as optimism and awe. And it’s this feeling – awe – that has numerous health benefits. In past studies, people who reported feeling awe also tend to experience less emotional stress and have lower levels of body-wide inflammation. Just from being closer to the water – awe-inspiring indeed. The term ‘blue mind’ describes the mildly meditative state we fall into when we are in or by the water. “It’s 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,” Nichols explains in his book.
And while travel may not be on the cards just yet, Austria certainly provides ample inspiration for immersing yourself in a wealth of water’s powerful wellness benefits which abound at every turn.
Calming waters
With so many beautiful lakes in Austria – such as Lake Achensee in Tyrol – visitors are spoiled for choice. It’s no surprise that Austria is also known as the ‘land of water’. Its high-quality drinking water – pumped directly from pure mineral springs into households and public water fountains – sets the salubrious tone for life among the Alpine countries. Whether it’s to offer an extra boost of energy while on a bicycling break, a comfortable boat trip or a cooling, leisurely swim, lakes hold a special appeal for lovers of the outdoors.
Lakeside leisure
For cyclists seeking out lake landscapes, there is no nicer trail than the 337km-long Salzkammergut bicycle route, which runs through Salzburg, Upper Austria and Styria and takes in 13 stunning spots along the way. Where to begin? In Salzburg, the city of festivals and Mozart, or at Lake Wolfgangsee? Or perhaps the UNESCO World Heritage region of Hallstatt, or the beautiful imperial town of Bad Ischl? For culture and culinary pitstops it’s a route unlike any other. At the route’s end we suggest time out to soothe weary limbs with a restorative break at the thermal baths in Bad Aussee and Bad Mitterndorf.
Wild swimming wonders
Austria’s most beautiful lakes demand a fresh dip
In the Waldviertel, the fjord-like landscape of the three artificial lakes in the Kamptal Valley are stunningly beautiful. Ideal for a dip, Lake Neusiedle in Burgenland is one of Europe’s few steppe lakes and is almost entirely surrounded by reed beds. Carinthia, too, is famed for its many lakes which draw open-water swimmers from all over the world. And if wild swimming isn’t your thing, take inspiration from the many holidaymakers who glide across the turquoise blue Lake Weissensee or go on a rowing tour to explore the charming bays nestled along the shores of Lake Millstatt.
For more information on what Austria has to offer, please visit austria.info