About a month ago, I came hours early to my physio appointment to write. I wanted to write about what's been going on. I have a project going on the back burner, about my the highs and lows of mental health, and the struggles that people face and the mountains that have to be climbed in our society and the different parts that I've had to deal with, but I forgot my headphones. I crossed the street to pick up a pair and this business that I've passed quite a few times called the Float House caught my eye, so I thought I'd go in and see what it was all about.
It's basically a tank of water, so big that I can stand up in it, and so wide that I can do a starfish and not touch any end of it, filled with Epsom salts to a certain capacity, so that no matter how heavy one is, you float. There is no light, no sound, no stimulation, and the end goal is to be completely sensory free. To just be.
I'm big into guided meditations to help me relax, but with me running around doing non-stop errands and dealing with the condo and moving and renegotiating my mortgage and blah blah blah, I have done nothing but run around, and I am burnt out. I had no idea there was so much to do when moving provinces, plus prep for some renovations, plus live on the farm, live in my condo some nights, and live in the West End other nights when I'm feeling lonely. (Thank goodness for friends who have a huge spare bedroom just right for me).
So, instead of writing, I decided to take part in a 60 minute float and OH MY GOD MY LIFE WAS CHANGED AFTER. I'm addicted. I signed up for a very, very affordable once a month float, plus I get a very cheap discount if I want to add in another float here or there.
My first float was so interesting. No clothes are worn, you first must shower, put in ear plugs, and it would be good to listen to a Guided Body Scan Meditation first before you go, and practice this while you are in the tank. Or, if you regularly attend yoga and you have a mantra, that would be good too. You are given full instructions and helpful techniques, and it may seem intimidating, and if you are claustrophobic, maybe this isn't your thing. Or, maybe you can get past it in a float.
My first float was amazing. I felt relaxed and refreshed and wondered where this had been all my life. Water is so soothing to me, the sensory deprivation was amazing, and it forced me to call upon all my relaxation techniques, and my body craved it. It was like taking a nap, but a nap whereby you feel so incredibly refreshed afterwards, like a focused nap, where your brain got a deep tissue massage....
The second float that I had wasn't as great. I had monkey mind, life was getting to me, but I still left feeling like it was good for me.
Yesterday's float was amazing. I ended up having a conversation with my grandpa, laughing at all of the things that he would have thought were hilarious if he was watching me, like when I dropped an entire chicken at Costco last week, or how he would have been barely able to breathe as he watched my friends and I carry 16ft baseboards up the stairs and me literally run into everything possible because I have zero depth perception skills and I looked like some kind of comedy show....I actually was laughing during my float...which was something that I needed because I have been so exhausted.
For the moment, this is cheaper....and more effective than therapy. If you're interested, check one out, even if you don't go for a float.
The company I use is called Float House https://floathouse.ca/book-a-float-now, and have multiple locations in Western Canada...but they are everywhere. And worth trying once.
