Vitamin Sea: The Health Benefits of the Beach

Julie Frumin, Life Balance Counselor, LMFT, M.S. at the Center for Health & Wellbeing shares why wellbeing by the water may be just what you need this summer. 

In today’s go-go-go culture, it’s easy to get trapped in a routine. Our ever-expanding to-do lists, thoughts, and distracting pinging-vibrating devices become almost like blinders, keeping us stuck in our habitual patterns. Most days, we keep our heads in our own stories, stories of productivity and accomplishment, stories of crossing tasks off the lists and staying in our small bubble of work, laundry, Netflix, dinner, carpool, books/bath/bed.

And while, “mama said there’d be days like this,” not all days should be the same. We may very well enjoy our typical routine and feel satisfaction and pleasure in our work and/or caretaking roles. However, research has found that we experience incredible mental and physical health benefits when we push pause and deliberately seek out experiences that trigger a sense of “awe.”

Dr. David Keltner writes in his new book Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, “Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your understanding of the world.” Faced with a natural landscape, you have the sense that you and your concerns are very small, and the world is very big - there’s something deeply healthy in that sensation.

What better way to have that experience than to take advantage of the natural beauty that our local beaches provide? The experience of awe can begin on the drive through the canyons, by taking in the splendour of the hills and listening to your preferred soundtrack. Then simply leave your devices in the car and walk, run, sit, lay, do whatever you like, with your toes in the sand. Take in all that you see, smell, feel, hear. Take a moment and feel your nervous system relax. Allow yourself to simply “be,” knowing you will get back to “doing” soon enough. When we honour our body’s needs for rest, for contemplation, for nature, we return to our routines with more energy, more focus and creativity and more able to effectively manage our emotions. So the next time a meeting gets cancelled, or your plans fall through, don’t spend that precious time deleting emails or organizing your desk. Instead, head to the beach with the goal of simply “being.” Then let me know how you feel.

To learn more about the Center for Health & Wellbeing at Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, click here.