The Elements: Missing My Vitamin-Sea
We ran quickly along the promenade. The English Channel was angry and it was spitting stones. With our coats held over our heads, we hurried to our destination over the water, trying to not get hit by the pebbles and spray that was coming at us. It was dark and cold for it was winter and we, college girls, were dressed up in our finery ready for the night of dancing and boozing ahead in the ballroom at the end of the pier.
Growing up by the coast meant you couldn’t get away from the sea. If you couldn’t see it, you could smell it; that distinct fresh, clean salty air that hits your nostrils and fills your lungs. It’s the smell of holidays and health. Water has been the backdrop to my life before I moved inland to the big city and I didn’t understand how much I missed it until I wasn’t near it.
There is something about being near a body of water that makes me feel better, be it a lake or river, but there is nothing better than being by the sea. No matter how still it is, this huge expanse of water is always moving but when the sun is shining and the sea is calm, it brings over a sense of stillness and tranquillity. When it is raging, with the wind whipping up the waves, nature is reminding you how powerful and destructive it is. Walking along the promenade can be quite the thrill when it is rough and the high winds takes your breath away. I love it when the sea is like this. It reminds me that I am alive.
The Victorians prescribed the sea for all types of physical and mental ailments and science now tells us it’s good for our wellbeing. It doesn’t matter if the sea is calm or rough, there is a meditative quality to it. The waves have a rhythm and the crashing sound of the water hitting the shore and receding back across the shingle is a calming and welcoming sound.
Research has showing that spending time in and around water promotes a positive mood, reducing negativity and stress, even more so that being in a green space. Water has a psychological restorative effect and concentrating on the constant ebb and flow of the waves, just like concentrating on your breathing when meditating, pulls you out of your head and into the present moment.
It’s not just being around the sea that can improve you health, being in the sea has it’s own benefits too. It is believed that repeatedly swimming in cold water helps lower your stress levels as well as having an anti inflammatory effect. Cold water puts out bodies under a lot of stress and evenutally we adapt to it, meaning that we are better placed to cope with the everyday low-level stress. Having done this myself in the depths of Decemeber, I can confirm it is certainly an experience! After tentiviely walking barefoot over the pebbles to the water, it took courage to fling myself into the freezing cold water - if you’re going to do this, you have to go all in! The coldness took my breath away and I only stayed in for a few minutes before rushing out to get warm, but I certainly felt great for the rest of the day! You don’t need to have access to the sea to do this, try a very cold shower. You’ll still get a shock!
The sea to me, is what Parklife is to Blur: it gives me a sense of enormous well-being, and when I’m next to it, I'm happy for the rest of the day safe in the knowledge there will always be a bit of my heart devoted to it.
Written by Sarah Rajabalee
Sarah used to work in the travel industry but Covid decided it wasn’t to be. She is studying to be a counsellor and spends a lot of her time writing assignments. She is also a photographer and you can find her on Instagram @SarahRajabalee.