The beach can be a site for rejuvenation and refreshment. With their scenic beauty, beaches impart a sense of peace and serenity into us that is beneficial to both our mental and physical well-being. The soothing smells and sounds of the waves combined have a healing effect on our brain–referred to as by scientists as ‘blue space’.
The beach alters the way our brain interacts with the environment, and scientific research has shown that the feelings of calmness are not merely products of the brain’s imagination. The beach acts upon our psyche much like hypnosis does and helps us in getting rid of stress to make us happy in return.
The blue space affects our brain in the following ways:
1) Helps to reduce stress
Water, on account of its negative ions, is a natural healer. After having been exposed to the positive ions emitted from electronic devices all day, the negative ions present in water counters the above effect and help us calm down/de-stress. Thus it becomes extremely necessary for a person to spend some time away from technology.
Both swimming and just sitting on the beach with your toes dipped in the water can be equally effective in relaxing our bodies after a rough day at work.
2) Helps to reduce depression
Anxiety and depression share a strong relationship with the kind of environment we are in. The mesmerizing setting of the waves and the blue sky coupled with the breeze and the view of sand and water are together enough to raise our spirits. Just merely closing one’s eyes and trying to imagine such a setting would reduce stress significantly!
The scenic beauty of the beach itself helps in transferring us to a meditative state that aids in getting rid of anxiety and depression.
3) Changes our perspective towards life
By spending time at the beach, you can devote more time towards yourself and learn to take things in a relaxed manner. Your pace of life will slow down significantly, and you will develop a confidence in dealing with everyday problems. Anxiety would become a highly unlikely phenomenon.
You will learn how to sort things out and deal with the most pressing issue of the moment by keeping lesser important things out of focus. You will also learn to value your time alone in a contemplative state.
4) Helps in improving creativity
The feeling of peace that the beach affords is unlike that of any other place. It helps develop the necessary distance from everyday life so that you may deal with your problems more creatively. With a calm and fresh mind, you become more adept in handling difficult and tricky situations.
This will also increase your powers of concentration so that you may become more focused and alert.
If you are troubled by feelings of stress, anxiety or depression lately, then the beach is where you must be!
Article originally published by The Minds Journal
