How Surfing Improves Mental Health
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Anyone who surfs will tell you that surfing makes you happy. You feel bad you go surf, and then you feel better. But in recent years, scientists have begun to look more seriously at surfing’s potential for treating mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, and even PTSD.
In 2010, Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) conducted a study on the effects of surfing as a therapy for mental health conditions, and the results were pretty conclusive. Twenty-two participants between the ages of 12 and 23 suffering from mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and even schizophrenia, learned to surf for six weeks in Cornwall, England.
Participants rated their feelings before the lessons began and then again after the program had finished. Joe Taylor, who was in charge of the program, noted that the improvement was significant in terms of self-esteem and just having fun.
Another study in California suggested similar findings. Participants were asked to rank on a scale of one to five how strongly they were feeling certain emotions.
The questionnaire included words such as angry, miserable, upbeat, and enthusiastic. After surfing for half an hour, the participants were asked to complete the same questionnaire again.
Surfing put the participants in a better mood, specifically increasing their feelings of calmness and tranquillity. It’s long been known that exercise of any kind releases endorphins and increases your overall mood. But further studies have specifically linked surfing with other aspects of mental health. One study in the journal of clinical sports psychology suggested that surfing is a hybrid of a meditative experience and rigorous exercise, both of which have been proven to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.
As a result, surfers reported significantly fewer incidences of these conditions compared to the general population.
Surfing and the ocean have also been used to treat PTSD in soldiers returning home from war.
Netflix even made a documentary about the subject called “Resurface.”
The director of the movie, Josh Eisenberg, has a few reasons why he thinks ocean therapy has been so effective.
He suggests that surfing in the ocean helps ease negative emotions by putting them in the context of something much larger and more powerful than a person’s own existence.
Josh also cites that when surfing, thinking about the stresses of life just isn’t an option.
To stay up on a wave, you’re forced to focus on the present moment, which in itself provides some relief, even if temporary, from any debilitating mental conditions.
What do you think? Has surfing or the ocean helped you through any difficult times, or is it all just a bunch of baloney?
Video by Michael Claisse | @michael.claisse
Illustrations by Anna Messechkova | @annnamess
