Do you ever stop to check out the view of the ocean or lake, take in the picture, feel the breeze and starting to feel your whole body relax and release all the built-up tension? Are you calmer than usual when you hear the crashing of the waves and smell the saltiness of the ocean? This is not just because you are on vacation, but there is a more complex meaning to this feeling, according to BetterHelp psychologists, researchers, and mental health specialists.
Your body does not only relax because you are on a break. The blue waters give you that sensation, and it affects both your body and your mind. There has been a growing science that studies explicitly the effects of being on a lake or near the ocean does to your overall well-being.
“Staring at the ocean actually changes our brain waves’ frequency and puts us into a mild meditative state.” –Richard Shuster, PsyD
There have been numerous studies within the past decade, which clearly states that there is a correlation between being near a body of water and your physical and mental state. It improves psychological health and also improves physical health by being more active. This then reduces the risk of developing an illness such as diabetes and heart diseases. It also slows our heart rate and reduces the levels of stress hormones in our body.
This can then be a way to prevent mental illness such as depression for it can be the most significant contributor of diseases by 2030. That is a scary thought, and it can happen. The rates of depression nowadays keep increasing and who would have thought that blue waters can help fight off depression? Because as you know, “A mental illness cannot be willed away or brushed aside with a change in attitude. Ignoring the problem doesn’t give it the slip either.” Deborah Serani, PsyD said. So there’s got to be a way to take it off.
Everyone Needs A Balance Of The Waves And The Trees
Jennifer Bradley, Psy.D., HSPP, Clinical Psychologist once said, “I believe that human beings have an inherent longing and need for wholeness and balance, which is our natural state of being.” There have been ongoing researches that depicted people prefer pictures of nature rather than images of urban areas. There are a lot of landscapes where you can see the mountains, hills, and plains. There are also pictures of forests and other greenery. These also show images of rivers, lakes, and oceans, while images of urban areas have no evidence of any bodies of water surrounding them. From this, you can understand how nature and bodies of water have a positive impact on swimmers and their mental health at first sight.
Studies show that the more water in the picture shows, the more positive reactions they get from people. Aquatic features also matter and is a great deal when it comes to positive responses of people who are participating in the study.
There is also a connection of an overall health impact when people who are at proximity to a body of water. Surveys show that people who live near a lake or an ocean feels healthier compared to people living in urban areas.
Comparing Lakes To Rivers And Seas
There are still ongoing studies about lakes and how it affects the health of people compared to rivers or seas. There is undoubtedly a positive effect when people are near a lake. There are vast lakes that can be compared to an ocean and have the same results as the ocean.
Any form of a body of water is packed with negative ions that increase the feeling of relaxation and calmness that can be a positive impact to people who are always busy and are living in urban areas where there are little to no negative ions around.
These studies are only for a small number of people; those who have time to relax, take a short trip or an extended vacation. Suggesting that a whole population migrate to the coastlines can bring pitfall to the environment. It may take the water to get polluted and won’t have the same positive effects it once has when it was still clear and blue.
Now that you know the positive effects of water, you can now understand that state of calmness you feel when you go for a quick trip to the beach or lake. Not only being near a body of water helps you physically and mentally, but being submerges in water has many positive effects, too.
If you are feeling stressed from work and you are overwhelmed by the busy streets and noise from all types of vehicles and people around you, why not take a walk on the beach and enjoy a bit of quiet? Try swimming in a lake and let the water cure your whole body and restore your strength? Take time to have peace of mind and take care of yourself.
Your health is your wealth, and that is a priority. It is not selfish to take some time off and go dive in the beautiful blue waters of an ocean, lake, or river. Be one with nature and feel its power overflow into you and be healed. Now go and take that trip that will give you a lot of physical, emotional, and mental benefits.