How Sailing Can Help Improve Your Mental Health: The Comforting Effect Water Has on Us

Stress and anxiety have unfortunately become a part of everyday life for many of us, so it's important to make sure that we take time every now and then to improve our mental well-being. One powerful tool you might not have considered? Sailing! While this may seem like an odd suggestion, surprisingly, studies have shown that sailing can help reduce stress levels, increase emotional well-being, and provide the calming effect that water often causes. In this blog, we’ll dive deeper into how water can help restore balance in your day-to-day life and discuss why sailboat adventures are perfect for relieving stress and anxiety. So, get ready to do some Lake Lanier sailing with one of our amazing sailing courses and improve your mental health today. 

Physical Activity

Physical activity has been proven to be good for your mental health. Regular exercise not only helps keep you in better shape physically but it also reduces stress and relieves symptoms of anxiety and depression. It increases your confidence as well as extending your lifespan. 

With activities such as hoisting and pulling sails, sailing is considered a sport that helps you build muscles, specifically in your arms, core, and legs. It also improves agility, flexibility, strength, balance, and cardiovascular health. Lake Lanier sailing can be even more rigorous depending on if there are strong winds or rough water. 

The Appeal of Water

Studies have shown that being around the water makes us happier and less likely to develop symptoms of depression and anxiety. Why scientists aren’t quite sure why this, but there are several theories on what this is: 

Feelings of Safety and Security

Being around water often leaves us with a primal sense of safety and security. Some theorize that this is because water is essential for life so we view being around it as a sense of comfort. 

Looking at an extended horizon has also been proven to be incredibly comforting. This is because we have a better sense of our surroundings so our primal brains aren’t unconsciously fearing the unknown or the possibility of an ambush. When we are able to see so far ahead, our eyes are able to relax. 

Ambient Sounds 

Lots of people love to fall asleep to the sound of water whether it be gentle rolling waves, a thunderstorm, or the trickle of a running river. This has to do with how our brains are wired to recognize sounds as either threats or non-threats. Screams or alarm clocks are loud and threatening, which makes them hard to tune out, much less fall asleep, while softer sounds of nature or white noise are easier to ignore. If the sound of running water doesn’t make you have to go to the bathroom, the ambient sounds of water are great for relaxation. 

The Color Blue

The color blue is thought to be calm and serene. As many people’s favorite color, blue is viewed as a non-threatening color that not only brings out feelings of peace and tranquility but is also thought of as traditional and reliable. 

Sunlight and Vitamin D

Have you ever felt better after sitting out in the sun for a bit? That’s because sunlight is a natural source of vitamin D. Vitamin D has many health benefits from fighting diseases such as multiple sclerosis and heart disease to supporting your immune system. It has also been proven to help regulate your mood and reduce the risk of depression. Spending time outside will improve your overall mood. 

Learn to Sail with Sunrise Sailing Academy

Being on a sailboat connects us to a much larger sense of self, clears the mind from worries, and immerses us in nature with its many beneficial effects on our mental and physical well-being. Learn how to sail with Sunrise Sailing Academy, an ASA-certified instruction company. We offer a wide range of sailing courses such as Basic Keelboat Sailing, Basic oastal Cruising, Bareboat Cruising, and more. Set out and join us in some Lake Lanier sailing.