According to Scientists, Visiting The Beach can Change Your Brain in an Incredible Way! Read on to know how spending time in a beach can be benefit your body and brain.
People love to spend time on the beach because they feel rejuvenated and refreshed, but the scientific reason is just revealed. Beaches, with their scenic beauty, induce a sense of peace and serenity into us which is beneficial to both our bodies and our minds. The soothing smells and sounds of the waves combined have a healing effect on our brain and are referred to as ‘blue space’ by scientists.
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.
Research finds that people living in coastal areas have better health and feel calmer than those who don’t. The beach influences our psyche much like what hypnosis does. It is the change in the way our brain reacts to the environment – leaving you stress-free, happy, relaxed and re-energized.
According to Richard Shuster, PsyD, clinical psychologist, the color blue is associated with feelings of calm and peace and the same has been reported by a lot of people. When you stare at the ocean, it changes your brain waves’s frequency, taking you to the meditative state.
The blue space affects our brain in the following ways:
1) Helps in reducing 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 and around ocean water counters the above effect and help us calm down and de-stress. Thus it becomes extremely necessary for a person to spend some time away from technology.
Both swimming and just sitting in the beach with toes dipped in the water can be equally effective in relaxing our bodies after a rough day at work.
Related: Doctors Explain How Hiking Actually Changes Our Brains
2) Helps in reducing depression
Anxiety and depression share a strong relationship with the kind of environment we are living in. The mesmerizing setting of waves and the blue sky coupled with the breeze and the view of sand and water are together enough to raise up our spirits. Just merely closing one’s eyes and trying to imagine such a setting would reduce stress significantly!
According to Sally Nazari, PsyD, owner of Chrysalis Psychological Services and host of the podcast Beyond the Couch, the hypnotic sound of sea waves and the visually appealing scene together activates your parasympathetic nervous system and help you destress. It decreases your mental agility and allows you to relax and feel more engaged.
The scenic beauty of the beach itself helps in transferring us to a meditative state that aids in getting rid of anxiety and depression.
Related: This is How Your Brain and Body Physically Changes After Meditating for One Year
3) Changes our perspective towards life
By spending time at the beach you can devote more time towards yourself and you will learn about taking things in a relaxed manner. Your pace of life will slow down significantly and you will develop 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 other lesser important things out of your focus. You would also learn to value spending time alone in a contemplative state.
Related: Science Explains How Staying Near Water Can Change Our Brains
4) Helps in improving creativity
A study published in the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s journal found that blue is associated with a boost of creativity.
The feeling of peace that the beach affords is unlike that of any other place. It helps you in developing the necessary distance from everyday life and thus deal with your problems more creatively. With a calm and fresh mind, you become more adept in handling difficult and tricky situations.
This would also increase your powers of concentration and let you be more focused and alert.
If you are being troubled by feelings of stress, anxiety or depression lately then the beach is where you must be!
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