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Trigger warning: This article mentions depression and suicidal ideation, readers’ discretion is advised.
"Vitamin Sea" might be worn down cliche we're more than ready to retire but there might actually be truth to it: A visit to the beach offers more than just a scenic retreat.
From the rhythmic crash of waves to the gentle warmth of the sun, from rustling of trees to the wide expanse of blue, from the unique touch of sand to the undeniable smell of the ocean — every element invites a meaningful and a sensory escape from the noise and pressure of daily life.
The beach is a good example of what experts call blue spaces — visible bodies of water found in both natural and built environments, including oceans, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, fountains, and urban canals.
According to clinical psychologist Michaela Jamora, going to blue spaces can help us clear our mind. The color blue is often associated with calmness and relaxation, after all.
Blue light
“Blue light has been shown to affect the amygdala, the region [of our brain] responsible for processing emotions like fear and anxiety. By engaging this area, blue spaces can help regulate stress and support emotional balance,” Jamora explained.
“Additionally, other brain regions tied to cognitive control and arousal also respond positively to blue light, enhancing clarity and reducing mental fatigue,” she added.
Aside from this, blue spaces can also help us manage our anxiety or help us navigate our lives.
“They act as destinations or an escape where people can momentarily reconnect with nature and find peace. This powerful combination of visual, emotional, and cognitive effects explains why many people feel calmer and more centered when near the sea or under a clear blue sky,” said Jamora.
Multi-sensory escape, a sense of freedom
Yeng Gatchalian, Chief Psychologist of the Mind Care Center of the Perpetual Help Medical Center Las Piñas said going to the beach can help us by providing a sensory escape.
Sensory escape is a mental or emotional break that allows individuals to retreat from overwhelming or overstimulating environments. It engages their senses in calming, refreshing, or pleasurable experiences.
A sensory escape often involves soothing sights, sounds, smells, tastes, or tactile experiences that help quiet the mind and reduce stress.
“Pag nasa beach ka, may hangin, may sound [ng dagat], may sand. Nakakatulong ‘yun unang-una sa tinatawag nating sensory escape lalo na kung taga city ka,” Gatchalian explained.
“Alam mo yung mga sinasabi natin lawak ng karagatan? It gives you that sense of freedom na parang ang lawak, ang free gumalaw kahit tumakbo ka, lumundag ka. So yung ganun klaseng sensory freedom,” Gatchalian adds.
Aside from that, a change of environment can also bring a sense of peace.
“Parang there's this feeling of freedom, parang may cathartic release from whatever load or emotional burdens, mental burdens,” Alip shared.
Helps lower cortisol levels, actives the parasympathetic nervous system
Echoing Gatchalian’s sentiments, lifestyle doctor Jedilou Alip said, having all our senses engaged at the beach can activate the body’s relaxation response and helps lower the levels of your cortisol, commonly known as the stress hormone.
“When all of our senses are engaged — we see the calming visual of blue waves, blue of the sky, the soothing ocean breeze, tapos yung sand, yung feel niya in our hands, ganyan — na-ti-trigger yung relaxation response natin and naglo-lower din yung cortisol levels,” Alip told GMA News Online.
Just by simply listening to the sound of the waves can relax your mind and body.
According to Alip, that’s because the sound of waves have the power to activate one’s parasympathetic nervous system, which controls involuntary bodily functions like heart rate, digestion, and respiration.
“So yung sound of the waves, parang siyang white noise kasi. It slows down yung heart rate natin, it encourages our relaxation, it activates the parasympathetic nervous system, and we can just stay in the moment,” she said.
“This white noise drowns our intrusive thoughts, it enhances mental clarity, it reduces anxiety,” she added.
Improves body’s overall mood
The medical doctor also explained that the beach can also boost our body’s overall mood, as spending time under the sun helps the body produce Vitamin D, which is linked to improved mood and a stronger immune system.
Meanwhile, Gatchalian said sunlight exposure at the beach plays a key role in regulating our circadian rhythm, which helps maintain our internal balance.
“Kapag maayos kasi yung circadian rhythm mo, mas nakakatulog ka nang maayos. And yung tulog kasi very powerful sa mood natin yan,” she explained.
“Kapag ikaw problemado, hindi ka nakakatulog ng maayos or oversleep, ang sleep natin dapat hindi umabot ng 10 hours. Ang nangyayari, yung waking moments mo mismo, pagod ka, lalo nari-reinforce yung distress mo kasi kailangan may maayos na tulog,” the mental health expert added.
Encourages physical activities
Going to the beach also encourages us to do physical activities which activates our endorphins and serotonin.
“Kasi you don't just go there to watch it, you go there to swim, you do physical activities, and therefore you are engaged there physically. So by going to the beach, may narirelease tayo na hormones which is called the endorphins that helps us to manage our cortisol levels,” Jamora said.
“Pag nasa beach ka, nagsiswim ka, naglalakad ka, nararamdaman mo yung sound. Ang tatandaan natin when we have physical activity, it allows us to release serotonin and endorphins. These are very good hormones for mood regulation,” Gatchalian added.
Strengthens social bond
The beach is also a wonderful opportunity to build up our relationships with our friends and family.
“Just being in the beach, it's that place to have these friendly conversations in a relaxed atmosphere.
It's a time to be physically together, bonding, exchanging, kunwari, that exchange of ideas from one parent to another, the laughter among siblings, sharing your hopes and your dreams with your friends,” Alip explained.
Meanwhile, Gatchalian said spending time at the beach with loved ones can strengthen social bonds and create meaningful memories, which increase the release of oxytocin, the "love hormone," which promotes feelings of connection and emotional warmth.
“Alam mo yung sinasabi nila, sometimes it's not the place or food but the company that you're with.
So i-cocombine yung beach na napakagandang lugar, pagkatapos yung company mo, yung loved ones mo, family mo. Bukod dun sa nade-develop the dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins, masyadong tumitibay din yung tinatawag natin yung oxytocin or the love hormone kasi you spend time together, you're creating moments,” she explained.
These meaningful moments are stored in our autobiographical memory and can serve as a source of comfort in challenging times.
“So when you go to a beautiful place with your loved ones and you create moments, it stays in your autobiographical memory. So encoded siya, encoded siya sa brain mo,” Gatchalian furthered.
“Tapos kapag gano'n, ang nangyayari usually, pag meron kang nararanasan na you feel alone, nobody understands you, binabalik yun ng brain, yung memory mo na, oh this person at that time you were together, ang saya-saya ninyo, and then you feel better. So if you have more good memories with your loved ones, mas marami kang pondo for positive emotions,” she added.
Blue spaces for people living with mental health conditions
While time at the beach isn’t a cure for mental health disorders like depression or anxiety, blue spaces have been linked to reductions in symptoms of depression and improvements in emotional well-being, Alip said.
A research study published in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health also suggests to these environments can serve as a natural remedy for stress, enhancing both mental and physical health.
The study further explained that spending time at the beach can have a profound impact on your mental and physical well-being. The combination of natural sunlight, soothing sounds, and positive social interactions contributes to a holistic sense of relaxation and joy.
Per Gatchalian, the waves are also helpful to people living with mental health conditions as it can give them a sense of tranquility and peace.
“Alam mo yung waves. Again, it gives us a sense of tranquility and peace. Tapos kadalasan kasi kapag ang tao ay merong anxiety, hirap na hirap ang focus niyan. So kapag merong waves kahit paano medyo naaayos yung kanyang concentration,” she noted.
But according to Jamora and Gatchalian, blue spaces can only help up to a certain level.
“It can help but only up to a certain level. It’s just a band-aid solution. Even if you stay on the beach for so long, but if you are not going to the core issue of what’s going on with you, hindi ka pa rin magiging okay,” Jamora explained.
“Kasi we have to remember also that ang tao kapag meron siyang clinical condition like clinical depression and anxiety, hindi ito basta nagagawa ng paraan sa mga ganitong klaseng self-help. Pero malaking tulong,” Gatchalian said.
Gatchalian stressed the importance of undergoing psychotherapy and taking prescribed medicines in dealing with clinical conditions such as depression and anxiety.
“For example, if you're going to counseling already tapos ginagawa mo yung beach, put together, parang painumin ka ng gamot kasi may sakit ka. So yung gamot, yung bahala doon sa sakit mo. Pero kailangan, natutulog ka ng maayos, kumakain ka ng tama. Kumbaga hindi sapat yung gamot na. So if a person with anxiety and depression, importante pa rin na nag-undergo sila ng psychotherapy. Then with that, supplemental pa rin yung pagpunta sa beach,” she said. — LA, GMA Integrated News
