Make Life a Beach l Lessons From the Beach l Finding Hope in Life

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Many people dream of retiring and living near the beach. There’s a sense of wonderment and harmony when we start digging our toes into the warm sand, listening to the waves and capturing the visual beauty of the ocean. Research is also backing up why the beach evokes such a feel-good response from our emotions. A study, co-authored by Michigan State University’s Amber L. Pearson, found the connection between health and the visibility of water, which the researchers call blue space. “Increased views of blue space is significantly associated with lower levels of psychological distress,” said Pearson, assistant professor of health geography and a member of MSU’s Water Science Network. “However, we did not find that with green space.” The American Psychological Association found one-third of Americans reported symptoms like headaches (34 percent), feeling nervous or feeling anxious (33 percent) because of stress. With mental illness on the rise, discovering ways to cope outside of self-medicating is quintessential and nature could produce an antidote. Considering many of us don't have access to the beach, we can heed some of its teachings by using visualization and analogies. Apply the following suggestions to make your life a beach even if you're far away from the seaside.

Slow Down

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We're moving fast and can't seem to slow down today. So many people are missing out on life and are experiencing more stress since they're always connected to electronics, work and social media. Imagine breathing in the salty air and allowing the breeze to brush your face. You can begin to feel the body slow down and become aligned with this mystic and somewhat intoxicating peace. This may teach you to live in the moment. Try this exercise when you're driving, having lunch, doing the mundane things like brushing your hair or at the beach. Feel the sensations of what you're doing and concentrate on it. This will prepare a way for you to not rush through everything and to slow down. On a perfect beach day, slowing down is easier, but in life, it's obdurate at times.

The Sun Will Shine Again

You know the saying: "The sun will shine again?" Our lives may not always be a sunny day and there will cloud cover and gloom. Like a visit to the beach, we still wait it out and hope the rain won't doom our beach day, but then the storm strikes. Life can bog us down with darkness, depression, anger and excessive afflictions. Sometimes we are taken off guard by trials and feel deserted with only a shred of faith left in our grasp. Try to see past the hardship during a mysterious season of cloud cover. When you’re in a crisis, you need to let it go. During a moment of contemplation see yourself handing over to God the storms you're battling. "Far too often, we allow the crisis to define our lives and mindsets for way, way too long,” said John Duffy, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, and author. "We burnout, become more anxious and depressed and have less energy and focus to find effective solutions," he added.

Go Deeper

Getting out in the deep water can be scary for some folks as there might be more marine animals and other unknown factors. It's in those challenges where we grow and so do our dreams. We can't advance when we're ankle deep in the shallow end of life. Examine the areas of your life where fear is a master. Possibly this could be the enemy blocking you from leaving your job or switching careers. Maybe there needs to be a purging of the relationships in your life. In every situation try something different by seeing it from God's view rather from your own vantage point. Not going into the deeper waters could put you at risk for a bland life, which still doesn't ensure there won't be any complexities.

Accept Unpredictability

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The ocean is inconstant and so are our lives. There may be crashing waves one day and the next the water gently touches the shore. We may be floating along and become hit with an unforeseen wave flipping over our raft, leaving us with a panicky feeling. After the waves calm down, life continues to march ahead of us if we let it. Hardship can keep you under water for years if you allow it. No matter what, the beach goes on, the sun never fails to rise and set, the hermit crabs will come out of their nests and the tide will come in. Life will go on with you onboard or not. You can relinquish to devastation, impediments or ride the tide out towards safety.

Have Fun

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The beach is associated with fun, rest and just letting loose. Yet, why do we have to wait to experience this once a year or occasionally? Life can't be a beach all the time, but geez, we all need to laugh more. "Be silly. You’re allowed to be silly. There’s nothing wrong with it," said comedian Jimmy Fallon. Do something on the fly, take a different route home, take an unplanned trip, start painting, go dancing or try different cuisines. Do whatever it takes to get out of the box and to have fun. Add a new life experience and live out your dreams and passions regardless if goals are met. This will change your life in a whole new way. Start to play like a child and channel your inner youth to bring a new perspective on things. Having fun doesn't need to be intricate, just start chilling out and experience life.