There are few things more wonderful, or relaxing, than spending summer at the beach. If sinking your toes in the sand while the sun warms your body after a dip in the ocean sounds heavenly, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that spending time by the water can have amazing effects on your mind and mood. And experts say there are some clever ways to get even more mental health benefits from a stay by the sea.
“A beach getaway is a great way to carve out time for yourself and give yourself the opportunity and space to focus on your mental health and wellness,” Rosa Talavera Kaufman, counselor and certified life coach, tells Yahoo Life.
Here are some expert recommendations for maximizing your feel-good factor the next time you hit the beach.
Experience something completely new for you
While you can laze on the beach with a good book, try one brand new experience that will stimulate your body and brain in the long term. It could be something as simple as paddleboarding for the first time, but you can also take it to the next level by adding a once-in-a-lifetime experience to your itinerary, like swimming in a luminous bay surrounded by microorganisms that glow a shocking neon blue.
“Diving into dark, murky water is scary in a primal way,” Seattle lawyer Julia Guarino told Yahoo Life about her experience trying the latter at Excellence Oyster Bay, an oceanfront resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica. “But watching magical blue light emanate from my hands while I was swimming was something I’d never experienced before,” she said, referring to the magical sensation many beachgoers experience when swimming in bioluminescence.
Research shows that this sense of awe has a positive impact on both mental and physical health. Psychologist Leena Patel agrees: “Spending time in a new environment… [and] “Participating in fun activities lifts your mood, sparks your creativity, and sparks new ideas,” she tells Yahoo Life. “A beach vacation is the perfect time to try something new.”
Dip your toes in the sand
According to Patel, even a simple walk on the beach has been shown to have calming and anxiety-reducing effects. “You’ll be walking barefoot on the sand, so it’s the perfect time to practice using your environment to get grounded,” she explains.
“To get the most out of your beach vacation, there are what I call mini-grounding techniques,” behavioral health clinician Mark Debus tells Yahoo Life. “This involves taking a walk along the beach and focusing on the feeling of sand and waves on your feet and ankles.” Debus notes that people often unconsciously bring anxiety and tension from their home or work environments onto vacation, and practicing grounding strategies during a beach walk can help you focus mindfully, which can also lead to lower heart rate and blood pressure.
“In general, focus on the physical environment around you,” suggests Debus. “Stay grounded and try to take your mind off anything that’s not related to relaxation, and try to distract yourself as much as possible.”
Life coach Talavera Kaufman recommends taking a grounding walk under a full moon for maximum benefit. “For anyone wanting to connect with their intuition, a visit to the beach at night under a full moon and stars can be a powerful experience,” she says. Because the lunar cycle influences behavior, being on the beach under a full moon “can help stimulate your intuition, along with meditation and grounding practices,” she explains.
It might sound like a gimmick, but many beachgoers—and scientific studies—attest to the peace, calm, and clarity that comes from being near water. “Being near water is incredibly beneficial for mental health and provides a great opportunity for self-reflection, deliberate thought, and meditation,” adds Talavera Kaufman.
Avoid the temptation of “workcation”
In the age of digital nomads, working “on vacation,” or “workcation,” is all the rage. But Debus explains that Zoom calls and keeping to work commitments can be detrimental to the potential physical and mental benefits of a beach trip. Instead, he advises travelers to “make an appointment with the beach.”
Ai Mohr is a workplace mental health expert and CEO of productivity brand Boomerang, and she’s all too familiar with the phenomenon of not being able to rest your mind just because you’re on the beach. “It can be hard to fully relax and enjoy your vacation when work stress is at the back of your mind,” Mohr says. She recommends taking some simple prep steps before your getaway to help clear out work-related worries in advance, so you can fully disconnect once you arrive at your destination.
“Before you go out, set clear boundaries with your manager and team about your availability,” she tells Yahoo Life. “By letting your team know what to expect and being clear that you’ll be completely offline, you can avoid any confusion.” Next, review upcoming deadlines and send anything you can in advance. Finally, leave notes detailing who your colleagues can contact if various questions or issues arise. “That way, if anyone, internal or external, asks a question while you’re out, you’re available and you don’t have 100 tasks piling up when you get back. Plus, you can focus on relaxing, knowing that nothing will fall through the cracks while you’re out,” explains Moah.
Once your long-awaited vacation arrives, it’s time to take the hardest yet most powerful step: “Disconnect work email from your phone,” More recommends. Also, turn off notifications for Slack and Teams. Or, best of all, uninstall the apps entirely until you’re back. “Ultimately, you should focus on completely unplugging, so you come back less stressed and more creative,” More says.
