The Sea Soothes my Soul
The madness of Christmas and New Year are over. We've entertained the family, seen our friends and over indulged on food and drink, but we still have a few days before returning to the usual routine of work/school, weekend, repeat until the next break!
During the long run-up to Christmas, I was desperate for a 'real break' after the big day – a chance to re-set the switch and look forward to 2018 with my family. This started as dreaming of 2 weeks in a beach hut in India, Sri Lanka or Thailand, swimming, snorkelling, reading, writing, yoga. Bliss! We have recently bought our first home however, and there is much to do, so this rapidly turned into a week in Scotland, then a weekend in Cornwall, and finally a few day trips, and so here we are....
I chose a visit to the coast to blow away the cobwebs and my daughter Mia loves fossil hunting so we went to a family favourite on the Jurassic Coast – Charmouth. Equipped with our fossil-hunting gear, a picnic and a nice hot flask of tea!
It was a stunningly beautiful day. Sunshine, crashing waves, spray and not too many other people with the same idea.
What is it about the sea? It quite literally soothes my soul. The sound of the waves, the fantastic colour of the rugged cliffs against the blue sky, the salty fresh smell of the ocean, the seas breeze on your face? These are all wonderful, but for me it runs a lot deeper.
'The voice of the sea, speaks to the soul.'
Since I was a little girl I have always loved trips to the sea. South coast, East coast, Indian or Pacific Ocean. It doesn't matter. Just get me to the beach and I instantly feel the weight of the world lift from my shoulders. It's like medicine!
As humans we are drawn to the ocean, and the reasons go beyond evolution. Our brains are hardwired to react positively to water and being near it can calm and connect us, increase innovation and insight, and even heal what's broken!
We are inspired by water — hearing it, smelling it in the air, playing in it, walking next to it, painting it, surfing, swimming or fishing in it, writing about it, photographing it, and creating lasting memories along its edge.
In an age when we’re anchored by stress, technology, exile from the natural world, professional suffocation, anxiety, bills and much more maybe a trip to the sea is just what you need?
So don't just wait for a sunny day or a holiday – enjoy the beach all year round. We have loads of fantastic coastline all around the UK and I intend to visit it a lot more frequently this year.