Boost your mental well-being by adopting a 'blue mind'
It’s Mental Health Awareness Week and Becky - our Marine Biodiveristy Officer - shares her love of the big blue. Connecting with our seas and oceans provides tangible benefits to our mental wellbeing, below Becky outlines some simple ways you can reconnect and adopt a ‘blue mind'.
This week is mental health awareness week, with ‘nature’ the chosen theme this year. Millions of us have turned to nature over the past year, with walks in and around nature shown as one of the top coping strategies during periods of lock down. For me this meant plenty of walks by the sea.
The pandemic meant a huge shift in my lifestyle and environment. Lockdown started just as I would have been launching the summer season of expedition surveys on board our research vessel Silurian. For me this usually means spending the majority of time out at sea from April – October. However, my work environment completely changed, consisting of a screen on my dining room table, rather than the swaying deck of Silurian. I missed spending time at sea and encountering the incredible marine life of the west coast of Scotland, not just because of the joy of seeing wildlife but the sense of calm that being on the water brings me. It turns out that I am not alone and there may be a psychological and even biological reason that I am missing my time on the waves. Is nature and specifically the ocean the key to happiness for everyone?
I remember even as a child the sense of calm I felt as soon as I was by the ocean. I would often disappear when at the beach on holiday with my family, coming back hours later, full of adventure and happiness that just was not achievable anywhere else. At the time, I thought that the relationship I had with the sea was unique, something I could not quantify or explain in words. Turns out what I felt at the beach is not unique at all, but part of our evolutionary biology.
Water makes up 70% of planet earth, but it also makes up 70% of the human body. The earth cannot survive without water and neither can we; even our bones are comprised of 31% water. It is our most urgent biological need. This may explain why, when we are near water, sensory signals make us feel calm. Positive neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) are released rushing through our mind including endorphins, dopamine, serotonin and even oxytocin, the ‘love hormone’.
This release of chemicals is almost immediate when we are in the vicinity of water and it leads to what Dr. Wallace J. Nichols refers to as the ‘blue mind’. This meditative state makes us happier, calmer, helps us to enhance relationships and increases our overall sense of well-being. Poets, scholars and explorers have described these benefits for centuries. The restorative benefits of the ocean are well documented in Victorian times with doctors prescribing sea air for a variety of ailments, including mental health conditions. It has even been shown that being out in the open and looking out across the sea to the horizon gives your brain ‘space’, allowing it to function at its best, increasing our ability to daydream, imagine and create. Albert Einstein once declared that he had the majority of his important realisations out to sea and spent as much time at sea as possible, despite not being a sailor. Whilst I have never come up with a world altering theory whilst by the sea, it could explain my childhood wanderings and very elaborate sandcastles!
Why then have we lost our connection with the oceans when our biology is urging us to get back to the blue? This past year has taught us how nature and being outside can help us through, particularly those of us who are lucky enough to live by the sea. Is it time to incorporate Blue Mind science into our conservation efforts, adding emotional wellbeing to the long list of reasons why we need healthy seas!
So what can you do to integrate Blue Mind theory into your life?
TAKE A WALK BY THE SEA
Starting out with the simplest and perhaps obvious step, taking a walk by the sea can immediately lead to a calmer, happier you. There are many theories as to why a visit to the beach is good for your mental health. Firstly, the ocean provides a sense of wonder and excitement. We can’t see below it and the oceans seems an infinite area of unknown. The increased levels of excitement are known to improve our overall mood. Watching the ebb and flow of the tides has also shown to decrease levels of anxiety. This may be due to the tide mimicking feelings of letting go and washing away any fears or anxiety we have been holding. There may even be a simpler explanation for the positive effects of a walk by the sea. Some research has shown that negative ions produced by ocean waves increases energy and well-being. So make sure you take a walk even when the sea is rough!
FIND YOUR WATER
If you can’t get to the sea easily then don’t worry, you can still feel the effects of Blue Mind with other bodies of water. Even proximity to a fountain has shown to improve mood! So go and find your water, whether that be a nearby lake river or even swimming pool.
LISTEN TO THE SONG OF THE SEA
It turns out that just listening to the sea decrease levels of cortisol – the stress hormone, as well as activating the prefrontal cortex in our brains, which is associated with emotion and self-reflection. The most pleasurable sounds are predictable, with soft volumes and regular intervals – all characteristics of oceans waves lapping the shore. The noise of waves holds your attention but doesn’t demand it, a process known as soft fascination. This creates a bubble of solitude and a safe space to think. It is also known to help us fall asleep more easily and sleep more deeply.
DISCONNECT
Through his research Dr. Nichols also identified what he called the ‘red mind’, a state of anxiety that comes from constant reliance on technology. Disconnecting from screens and getting outside releases this anxiety and is an antidote from the overloaded, over connected world that we now live in.
TAKE A SHOWER OR BATH
Yes, even a shower can help! When you step into the shower you are removing most of the visual stimulation of the day and it sounds similar to the sea, so you’re reaping the auditory benefits too!
LOOK AT PHOTOS
Your memories of being by the sea and the benefits from Blue Mind aren’t diminished with time so the simple act of looking at a photo of a beach holiday can bring you that same joy. It is scientifically proven that more blue spaces in photos increases people enjoyment. It is not just the memories, the color blue has been shown to produce feelings of security and relaxation, with a reduction in blood pressure and stress levels.
EMBRACE GREEN AS WELL AS BLUE
If you can’t find your water on a regular basis, then finding your green space is a great alternative. Being active in an outdoor setting, or even just birdwatching, is shown to raise happiness levels. It’s also a great way to get some vitamin D!
DO YOUR BIT
Your environment and health are inextricably linked. Issues like oil spills and pollution don’t just have an economic cost, they have an emotional one too. The theory of Blue Mind depends on our blue spaces being healthy. So let’s help keep our blue spaces thriving.