Recently I’ve been reminiscing on a trip to Fair Isle – a teeny tiny island halfway between Orkney and Shetland surrounded by miles of deep blue sea.
There’s something about the sea -the sound of the waves lapping gently on the shore or pounding against cliffs, the joy of bouncing over breakers in a speedboat, or kayaking on a glassy-surfaced sea loch while seals bob playfully next to your boat. These are just some of the things I’ve enjoyed.
But actually, the science tells us that being near the sea is also therapeutic. The restless waves disturb the air nearby negatively charging its molecules to become ‘negative ions’. And once in our bloodstream, after we breathe in the air, these can produce biochemical reactions that affect the levels of the mood chemical serotonin in our brains.
So next time you take a trip to the seaside, breathe deeply. Relish all that God has done in providing somewhere we can not only have fun, but also improve our health.
[Want to see some science? Here’s a link showing how negative ions can have a positive effect on your mental health: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acm.1995.1.87]