A Public Service Announcement:
Drink Water
Last week, after several storms had passed, the entire shoreline of Outer Cape Cod was littered with jellyfish. They were as big as my fist, translucent except for their purple tentacles, tucked in like arms in a sweater. I sent photos to my marine biologist friends. “That looks like Pelagia noctiluca,” one friend replied. “The dreaded Mauve Stinger. The sting of Pelagia noctiluca is venomous to humans, but normally only causes a whip-like scar across the body.” And then he followed up with, “Muahhahahaha.” We did not swim that day.
The following morning, when we returned, the jellies were still on the beach. But now, out of the reach of the water and exposed to the sun and air, they were deflated circles, as flat as though they had been pressed between the pages of a book, like dried flowers.
Dried flowers are how I imagine my cells when I have not had enough water, each one collapsing in on itself. The jellies on the beach made me wonder at how much a simple thing like drinking water might contribute to a pleasurable life.
A jellyfish is 97% water. Human babies are around 75% water. That number diminishes with age, but most of us hover around 60%. Our lungs are the most watery at 83%, followed by our brains and hearts at 73%. Even our bones are one third water. A loss of water of as little as 4% can cause dehydration and 15% can be fatal. The jellies are goners as soon as they are beached. As for us humans, we can go a month or so without food but only three days without water.
Researcher Molly Sargen at Harvard Medical School describes a well-hydrated cell as being similar to that of a balloon filled with air. A dehydrated cell, she writes, is wrinkled and deflated, unable to pass along helpful molecules while comparatively susceptible to the harmful ones. Drinking plenty of water helps our bodies and minds do all sorts of things, like lubricate joints and maintain a healthy Ph balance. There are studies linking dehydration to depression and compromised cognition. It makes sense, then, that hydration has been linked directly to happiness.
Drinking 8 glasses of water a day has been the prevailing wisdom but the Mayo clinic recommends that men double that and women add another four glasses to their daily intake. In a study of 3000 subjects, 75% Americans were chronically dehydrated. It looks like we have a drinking problem.
How does a pleasure researcher go about drinking more water?
I have gathered a few tips, gathered from fellow researchers for maximizing the pleasures of hydration.
Judgement free observation. Check out your own drinking habits. How do you feel emotionally and physically when you are well-lubricated?
Get intimate with your body. Love up on your urine. Is it clear? If so, well done.
Make it beautiful. I have a hand-painted glass that I keep filled on my desk while I work. Sometimes I add a drop of an essential oil.
Get yourself a water bottle you love and learn how many times you need to refill it each day to be properly hydrated. Make it easy. My friend Julia has a multi-litre jug that she has a personal goal of drinking all of each day.
Start your day with a glass of water.
Visualize your plump, happy, hydrated cells moving smoothly through your body, lubricating your joints, pumping your blood, removing the waste, and smoothing out the edges of your organs.
Turn it into a meditation. “It’s a moment for a prayer of gratitude for access to clean water,” my friend Shira tells me. “And, a chance to connect with my body.”
From the Institute of Pleasure Studies
Next Sunday, I am co-hosting on a workshop for girls ages 16-19 to learn how to turn anxiety into a source of energy and inspiration. October 3, 10-12 PM EST, on Zoom. If you know of a teenage girl who is feeling the pressure of school and daily life (and who isn’t?) please send them our way. Details are here.
One of my all-time favorite teachers, the woman who introduced me to pleasure as a path, is Mama Gena. I have written about her before. She is starting GPS, a 6 week intensive masterclass for women that runs Monday, October 11th through Friday, November 19th. If this calls to you, even just a little bit, I urge you to check it out. Game changer.
Another beloved teacher, Bernadette Pleasant, is co-leading a community grief ritual this Sunday, September 26th. “When we don’t grieve, we end up living numbed-out, half-lived versions of our lives,” writes Bernadette. “And when we only grieve alone, we miss out on the support and healing available to us when we grieve in community.”