Walking along the beach on a cold day in January does wonders for your mind. It’s incredibly relaxing to just look at the sea and listen to the sound of the waves.
A mesmerizing seascape in Hanko, Finland, January 2022. Photo by NR
I read in an article that the relaxing effect of the sea is mostly due to the fact that it represents a kind of a “vacation” for our brain.
Many of us live in an environment where we’re constantly bombarded by information and stimuli, which ends up creating a constant state of tension and stress that prevents us to relax. The sea allows us to temporarily disconnect from all the chaos.
It’s no wonder that the sound of ocean waves is often used as a background in guided meditations. According to the same article, these sounds have been shown to cause changes in brain waves.
Apparently there’s something called alpha waves in the brain, which are induced by ocean sounds, and interestingly they seem to be linked to states of mental clarity and creative thinking.
I’ve got a feeling I’m going to spend a lot of time meditating and gazing at the horizon on the beaches of Hanko this winter.