Top 10 Benefits of Nudism

Nudism is one of the best lifestyles, if not the best, in my opinion. It has so many benefits that books have been written about it, podcasts are produced, films are made and millions of people go to nudist resorts, camping parks and beaches each holiday season. We don’t just get nude because it just feels good, there’s a lot of other aspects to nudism and naturism.

After years of nudist living, hundreds of interviews and conversations with nudists, here are my top 10 benefits of nudism and naturism.

1. Comfort

Being naked is comfortable. No clothing that wrinkles. No sweat that sticks. Just the air against your skin. For many people, accepting to be naked is a psychological, cultural or religious challenge. However, once you’ve accepted that nudity is inherently non-sexual and it’s a normal and natural way of being, comfort sinks in.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines comfort as contented well-being. Nudity definitely rhymes with well-being. Contented adds this dimension to the path to happiness. Nudity makes nudists happy. The moment I get naked, my mood changes. It seems I cannot get angry when naked.

Nudity brings physical comfort as well as psychological one. I just feel better when naked. I believe this is why nudism is so powerful and effective to feel great. It explains why many nudists become strong activists of nudism. It finds its root in our animal conditions. The human body was never made to be clothed. It functions better when totally naked, as we will see later in this post. The link between body and mind finds here a real application. Being naked makes you feel better because it’s inherently comfortable.

2. Freedom

Freedom can be a loaded term as we’re not free to be naked whenever and wherever we want. However, despite this lack of freedom, being naked provides a layer of freedom that is difficult to explain. As for almost all the other benefits of nudism, freedom is psychological, physical and emotional.

Being naked is being free in our mind to be who we are, beyond prejudices. It’s getting back to our nature rid of the need to show who we pretend to be with our clothes. Being naked is accepting to be vulnerable as a strength. The psychological freedom is felt stronger and continue to grow when naked with others. When shame disappears and pride takes its place. Being naked and unafraid is a wonderful feeling that works on our emotional balance.

When we are naked, we also appreciate a wonderful physical freedom. The moment you start swimming naked, you feel this freedom. The day you hike or jog naked for the first time, the sentiment of freedom is indescribable. It takes you and never leaves. It floods your body with endorphins and dopamine that provide this euphoria that I believe is felt by all nudists. This probably explains why nudism is in a sense addictive. However, I believe – it’s a personal theory that is not scientifically proven (well, I have not found any scientific studies that prove this theory) – that as our body is made to be naked, our brain reacts so that we feel good when naked.

3. Acceptance

Mental health issue is a real pandemic. According to the World Health Organisation, mental health conditions are increasing worldwide.WHO says that “two of the most common mental health conditions, depression and anxiety, cost the global economy US$1 trillion each year”. Social networks, poverty, wars, climate change, all play a role in mental health disorder. Accepting who we are is key. The WHO released a small book about stress that you can download for free. In the first part about grounding, it mentions caring about yourself and caring about others.

A striking experience for newbies naturists is being accepted by others. It’s often that we hear that nudists are friendlier and more accepting than textiles. Being a nudist is de facto being accepted in the “nudist tribe”. But it goes beyond this. It’s not about just being naked with others. It’s being accepted as you are. This is a big step in accepting who you are, as you are.

By being confronted to others’ nudity, we see our own body differently. By being confronted to others’ nudity, we realise every body is different and never like what the media presents to us. By being confronted to others’ nudity, we start a healing process that realign our brain and body. We accept our body and are accepted as human beings in a community of like-minded people. Nudism is powerful for our mental, psychological, emotional and physical well-being.

4. Washing

No clothing, no washing. It’s as simple as that. The nudist lifestyle aims at living naked as much as possible. Not that we don’t like clothes, we prefer being naked. Hence, the only piece of clothing that we have is towels or sarongs in my case, to sit on, for hygiene purpose and to cover-up. If you manage to spend days naked, you may end up with a few towels/sarongs and your bedsheets to wash.

Not only it’s a massive reduction in house chores, it’s a massive reduction in water and detergent usage. One of the by-products of nudism is also to purchase less clothing, which in turn has an impact on your wallet and on the environment as clothing is one of the most polluting industries. In those times of climate change and environment consciousness, nudism is the right choice to make.

5. Vitamin D

The NHS explains that “Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body” and is “needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy”. The great thing with vitamin D is that “the body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors”. However, it warns us that people may not get enough vitamin D if they “wear clothes that cover up most of their skin when outdoors”. Nudity allows you to get as much vitamin D as possible.

Although too much vitamin D can be harmful, “You cannot overdose on vitamin D through exposure to sunlight.” This is just another wonderful reason why we need to get naked more often. Nature has made our body synthesise vitamin D in the right quantity from direct exposure to the sun. It’s always amazing to realise that evolution has made us who we are and that our body has been crafted to remain naked. One caveat though reminded by the NHS: “always remember to cover up or protect your skin if you’re out in the sun for long periods to reduce the risk of skin damage and skin cancer”.

This is particularly true for bits and parts that are not used to be exposed to the sun. The best way is not to apply expensive and sometimes harmful sun lotion, but to stay in the shade. Of course, if no shade’s available, mineral sun lotion is a solution, as well as sun-blocking fabric to avoid damaging your skin and your health. Nudity yes, in a healthy way!

6. Vulnerability

By going naked with others, we chose to be vulnerable. You may say that being vulnerable is far from being a benefit. Well, being vulnerable is accepting who we really are, deep inside. Accepting our own vulnerability is a conscious decision not to play a role but to live in accordance to our inner self.

An insightful article from Eugene Therapy explains the benefits of vulnerability:

• Vulnerability allows us to be our authentic selves, instead of trying to please others.
• With vulnerability, we build empathy.
• Being vulnerable can help us to work through our emotions easier.
• Vulnerability is a sign of courage.
• Being vulnerable can help us foster better connections and relationships with others.

In other words, vulnerability helps us manage our emotions and connections better, while showing courage and being ourselves. Vulnerability is far from the popular image of weakness. Being a nudist and disrobing with others is more than getting naked, it’s opening our soul, telling others, “this is who I am, I accept myself as I am, accept me if you want to.” A wide-open door to respect.

7. Respect

Naturism is a way of life in harmony with nature characterised by the practice of communal nudity with the intention of encouraging self-respect, respect for others and for the environment. This is the official definition of naturism as adopted by the International Naturist Federation. As you can see, naturism aims at encouraging respect: for self, others and the environment.

When naked, you become more aware and respectful of many aspects of our life, including differences among human beings, our own fragility and our need to become one with nature. Naturism in this regard cultivates respect. Respect starts with oneself. Acceptance is the first step in our self-respect journey and is key for our mental health. Respecting ourselves is listening to our needs and wants, putting our needs for security, health and love first.

When we fulfil this need of self-respect, we grow as human being and can freely respect others. I feel naturism helps accepting and embracing differences, showing respect for others, seeking to understand and appreciate the beautiful diversity of mankind. Lastly, embracing naturism makes us understand how fragile we are and increases the need to protect our natural environment. Not all naturists and nudists are attracted by nature, as some enjoy urban naturism. This, once again, cultivates the respect for diversity.

8. Simplicity

Nothing is simpler, clothing-wise, than being naked. Nudism has led me to the path of simplicity and tidying my life, keeping only items, relationships and activities that spark joy. However, like nudism, simplicity and tidying is a journey, not a destination. It’s a set of activities that leads to self-discovery, acceptance and let go.

Don’t mix simplicity with minimalism. I love objects, clothing, and many other things and activities. I just make the conscious decision of keeping only those that make me happy, deep inside. I moved from want to need. Nudism is a need, not a want, for instance. How do you know what you need? For each item or activity, look at your feelings and see whether it sparks joy. Real joy! Brining a smile on your face, a sensation of lightness in your body, a sentiment of accomplishment in your heart. If so, keep the item or keep doing the activity. Get rid of all other items, activities and relationships that do not come with those smile, sensation and sentiment.

Read the KonMari Is Not Minimalism post. When I think about nudism with the simplicity prism, I cannot but think about the KonMari method of letting go things that don’t spark joy. My nudist journey met simplicity and went a step further into the joy of being, enjoying and sharing nudity with others. It opened doors to many fun activities.

9. Fun

Being naked alone and with others is fun. The moment you realise you don’t need clothing to play games, to go for a hike or just have a drink, a new world opens to you. This new world is called nudism in North America and naturism in the rest of the world. Nudism and naturism are incredibly liberating lifestyles. Because all nudists and naturists live to be naked, abandoning clothing is like abandoning a weight on the shoulders. Smiles immediately pop up and a sensation of levity grabs you.

For many textiles, the fun side of nudism seems weird on two aspects. First, they don’t understand why nudists need to be naked to have fun. Second, they associate naked fun so sexual activities. Neither the first nor the second can be explained with words and need to be experienced. I feel it has something to do with regression and finding our child’s soul.

Most children are naturally fine with nudity. Their natural desire to be naked is killed by education. If raised in a naturist environment, a kid will embrace naturism with ease. As adults, embracing naturism feels like going back to the freedom of childhood. The more time you spend naked alone and with others, the more you embrace the fun that lies within.

10. Health

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Being naked every day is a healthy way. Natural evolution did not create clothes. The need for security, entry into cold territories and showing power led to the creation of clothes. They are the invention of our brain, not our body. Our body was made to be naked, like all other animals. This is the reason we have sensory sensations that our skin is our largest organ and we feel so good when we move away from the taught shame.

Naturism and nudism act on all the aspects of our health: physical, emotional, and psychological. All the previous benefits have a positive effect on our health. Of course, naturism and nudism are not the only solution to human ailments, but it’s one of the many tools in our health toolbox. One of its additional benefits is that it costs virtually nothing and can potentially lead to substantial savings on clothing and washing for instance.

Add to all that has been previously said that practising any activity entirely naked increases its pleasure. Hence, you’ll go running, swimming or playing tennis with added joy, determination and fun. If that was for only this, I would embrace nudism on the spot. It’s actually one of my key enabler for my daily gym, yoga and meditation practices. Naked, it’s a daily practice, clothed, I need to dig deeper for motivation.

As I come to the end of this article, I hope that you’ve found at least one good reason to try naturism. After being a naturist for dozens of year, I can say no other lifestyle comes close to naturism and nudism. Yes, it’s still frowned upon by many. Yes, it’s grossly misunderstood by some. Yes, people will look at you with astonishment. However, once over that obstacle, you will discover an incredible liberating world that will never leave you. Naturism is a journey, I wish you Bon Voyage!

Strip Naked, Stay Naked, Live Naked and Share the Naked Love!

Pitcure Alstersegler, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons