There is more and more evidence proving that Stand-Up Paddling, among other water sports, can improve overall mental health and well-being and have a positive impact on depression, anxiety and PTSD. Water therapy is on the rise across the globe and the United Kingdom is leading the charge, recently prescribing SUP lessons to patients with mental health disorders.
It turns out that Stand Up Paddling isn't magic, there is science behind its restorative qualities. Doctor Wallace Nichols studied the effect of water on people and coined the term Blue Mind to describe the “mildly meditative state we fall into when near, in, on, or underwater.” When you see water, hear water, or even think about water, it triggers a response in your brain and immediately makes you feel calmer. Research has proven that spending time near the water is “essential to achieving elevated and sustained happiness.” It's settled then, Stand Up Paddling really does equal happiness - don't let anyone tell you otherwise!
Stand Up Paddling is the perfect way to achieve “Blue Mind,” as it gives us unlimited access to the water – allowing us to explore places off-limits to walkers, swimmers and even boats.
Here is what achieving Blue Mind can do for your mental health:
1. Reduce Stress
Being on, in, near or underwater is proven to decrease the stress hormones in our body. When we are surrounded by water there is an increase in serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin and a decrease in cortisol (stress hormone). Even looking at photos of water or listening to sounds of water reduces the levels of cortisol in our blood and has an immediate calming effect.
2. Increase Productivity
Spending time near water helps us to avoid burnout in our professional lives. It reduces stress, increases our ability to focus and improves creativity - ultimately increasing professional success.
More and more land-based elite athletes are realising that training in the water is good for their overall performance. One of the greatest American basketball players of all time, Steph Curry, spends time in a float tank once a week to keep his stress levels down; because when his stress levels decrease, his performance level increases.
Spending time near water will increase your professional success in any job though - especially in an office job. Taking regular breaks to get your water fix, even if it is just looking at photos (perhaps the APP World Tour’s Instagram account) will improve your creativity, enable you to think of new ideas and will boost your ability to collaborate with others.
3. Improve Sleep
Spending time near, in or on water is proven to help people with sleeping disorders as it reduces our stress levels and helps us feel relaxed, thus helping us sleep better at night. Even listening to water sounds before bed, like rainfall or ocean sounds, can induce a meditative state that brings on relaxation, helping lull the brain into falling asleep.
4. Reduce Anxiety and Depression Disorders
Scientific studies have shown that simply being near bodies of water can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. There are endless examples of how Stand Up Paddling in particular has helped with mental health disorders.
Will Schmidt, a former marine from the US, was dealing with anxiety, depression and PTSD. On the day that Will was intent on taking his own life, his mother suggested he go paddle boarding, a sport he’d recently taken up. Schmidt grabbed his SUP and drove to Dana Point Harbour where he paddled about a mile offshore to the flag buoy. He tethered himself there and bobbed for hours, alone with his thoughts and the sounds of the sea. “I found my vindication on the water that day,” he recalls. “I really believe that not just Stand Up Paddling, but being around the ocean, in general, is what saved my life." And Will isn't an anomaly - more and more people are finding solace in the ocean and in particular on a Stand Up Paddle board.
5. Allow You to Connect with Others
Going Stand Up Paddling takes away the distractions that come from modern life. There is no technology, no traffic and no distractions. Visually and auditorily, everything is simplified, which allows us to connect with people on a deeper level. It opens us up and improves the quality of conversation, strengthening our relationships with others.
Your overall wellbeing can be improved by finding your "Blue Mind" and Stand Up Paddling is the perfect way to do it. Over the next few weeks we will be telling inspiring stories of those who have used SUP to help them recover from mental health disorders. Stay tuned @appworldtour and APP World Tour and we would love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments the effect SUP has had on your mental health.