What Naturism Means to Me

When people hear the word naturism, they often get the wrong idea straight away. Some think it is strange. Some think it is all about being naked. Others judge it without ever really understanding what it means or why people choose it.

But for me, naturism has never been about trying to shock anyone.

It has been about freedom.

Peace.

Healing.

Confidence.

And learning how to truly love myself.

I live for the outdoors. Give me mountains, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and open skies and I am happy. Some of my favourite moments in life have been hiking through the beautiful Welsh countryside or stepping into freezing cold water after a long walk through the hills. There is something magical about Wales. The landscapes are wild and peaceful at the same time. The air feels cleaner. The noise of everyday life fades away.

And when I combine that with naturism, I feel completely myself.

The first time I tried wild swimming as a naturist, I was nervous. I think that surprises people because confidence is often what they see on the outside. But confidence is not something I have always had.

Like so many women, I spent years picking myself apart.

I worried about my weight.

I worried about how my stomach looked.

I worried about scars, stretch marks and changes in my body.

I compared myself to edited photos online and unrealistic beauty standards everywhere around us.

Some weeks I felt good in myself. Other weeks I didn’t even want to look in the mirror. I think many women understand that feeling. Our bodies change constantly through stress, hormones, emotions, age and life itself. Yet society somehow expects women to look perfect all the time.

Naturism helped me let go of that pressure.

Not all at once. Slowly.

The first thing I noticed was how different naturist spaces felt compared to the outside world. There was no competition. No judgement. No pressure to look a certain way. People simply existed as themselves.

Young. Old. Slim. Curvy. Scarred. Tattooed. Disabled. Athletic. Ordinary.

Real people.

And honestly, it was one of the healthiest things I have ever experienced.

When you spend time around real bodies instead of filtered images online, something changes in your mind. You start to realise that perfection does not exist. Bodies are meant to change. Bodies carry stories. Every line, mark and scar means something.

Naturism taught me that my body is not something to hate.

It is the body that carries me up mountains.

The body that swims through cold Welsh water.

The body that keeps going even during difficult times.

The body that has survived stress, sadness, anxiety and self-doubt.

Why should I spend my life being cruel to it?

Mental Health Awareness Week always makes me reflect on how far I have come. Before naturism, I carried so much insecurity. I was hard on myself constantly. I worried too much about what people thought of me. I felt pressure to fit into expectations that were impossible anyway.

But spending time in nature changed me.

There is something powerful about standing in a quiet part of Wales with nothing around you except mountains, water and sky. You realise how small your worries can become. The things that once felt huge suddenly lose their power.

Cold water swimming especially became part of my mental health journey. It clears my head in a way nothing else does. The moment I step into the water, everything else disappears for a while. The stress. The noise. The anxiety. The pressure from everyday life.

All that matters is the present moment.

The shock of cold water wakes me up physically and mentally. I come out feeling stronger every single time.

And naturism adds another layer to that feeling. There is no hiding. No uncomfortable wet clothes sticking to your body. No shame. Just complete connection with nature.

For me, that connection has been deeply healing.

Naturism also taught me resilience.

That word gets used a lot these days, but resilience is not about pretending everything is fine all the time. It is about learning how to keep going. Learning how to be kind to yourself during hard days. Learning how to stand back up after life knocks you down.

I still have insecure days. I still have moments where I doubt myself. I still notice changes in my body and sometimes struggle with them.

But now I understand something important.

My worth is not measured by my appearance.

I do not have to earn self-love by looking a certain way. I do not need permission to feel comfortable in my own skin. I do not need to apologise for existing exactly as I am.

That mindset has changed my life.

I think one of the biggest misconceptions about naturism is that people assume it is all about nudity. But the nudity quickly becomes the least important part. After a while, you barely even think about it.

What matters is the feeling.

The freedom of walking through nature without shame.

The acceptance of being around people who do not judge bodies.

The calmness that comes from disconnecting from social pressures.

The confidence that slowly grows when you stop hiding yourself away.

Naturism gave me confidence not because it changed my body, but because it changed my relationship with my body.

And that is such an important difference.

I stopped seeing my body as a problem to fix.

Instead, I started appreciating it.

I appreciate the legs that carry me through mountain trails.

I appreciate the lungs that breathe in fresh Welsh air.

I appreciate the arms that push through cold water.

I appreciate the heart that kept going even during difficult chapters of life.

The more time I spend outdoors in Wales, the more grateful I become. Wales is truly beautiful. From peaceful lakes hidden in the mountains to rugged coastlines and waterfalls deep in the countryside, there is healing in these landscapes.

Some of my happiest moments have been simple ones. Sitting beside a lake after a swim. Watching clouds move across the mountains. Feeling sunlight on my skin after stepping out of icy water. Laughing with friends around a campsite. Feeling accepted exactly as I am.

No masks.

No pressure.

No pretending.

Just freedom.

And honestly, that feeling is priceless.

Naturism helped me understand that self-love is not vanity. It is not arrogance. It is simply accepting yourself with kindness. Speaking to yourself gently. Allowing yourself to exist without constant criticism.

That has been one of the greatest lessons of my life.

So when people ask me what naturism means to me, the answer is simple.

It means peace.

It means confidence.

It means healing.

It means community.

It means connection to nature.

It means resilience.

It means freedom.

Most importantly, it taught me that it is not just okay to be myself.

It is amazing to be myself.

Eira xx