As if it were news, SouthernLiving.com has announced that God made us to enjoy creation, and we thrive when we do.
Well, they didn’t give God any credit, but they affirmed this basic truth in an article published online April 11. Science, the blog offered, confirms that we should “visit the beach regularly” because it’s good for us.
According to the article, when we go to the beach on vacation, it’s not just the fact that we are on vacation that’s relaxing. It’s that we have the sun on our backs, our feet in the sand, and the breeze in our hair. But even more importantly, it’s “the ocean itself.” Scientific studies have confirmed that “the beach is good for the brain, as it makes us happy, relaxed, and reenergized.”
The blog reviewed one study in particular. In 2011, the article said, “researchers at Washington University and UC Irvine asked over 1,000 beachgoers about their mental state before and after trips to the ocean. They found that beach trips reduce stress, increase creativity, and can reduce feelings of depression and anxiety and were overall restorative for our psychological well-being.” In addition, “those who experienced more stress and fatigue in their daily life found the beach the most reinvigorating.” The best time to go? Off season, when the crowds are sparse, and it costs less.
As someone who lives at the coast, I get it. Even when I am not walking on the beach, I am immersed in an environment that fosters relaxation and leisure. And when I do step on the sand, and especially sit and watch the waves, the relaxing effect is hard to describe. I could take a nap just thinking about it.
But, I have to admit, I feel pretty much the same way sitting on a cabin porch in the mountains. The sun peeking through the hills, the cool morning breeze, a rocking chair, a cup of coffee, and a book in my hands is pretty much the perfect morning for me.
So why is it we do not receive the same benefits from sitting on a hotel balcony in New York City? Or walking on the sidewalk in Los Angeles? Why is it the hustle, rush, and race of city life and living, or the day by day grind of working, do not relieve our depression, restore our energy, or refresh our motivations the same way that being captured by God’s creation will do? Or why don’t we come away feeling refreshed the same way from a day at Disney? Why won’t just any vacation do it?
The simple answer is that God designed us to enjoy his creation, and, more importantly, to actually benefit from it. The instant gratification we receive from simply being quiet and still in his creation is evidence that we are part of that creation. Eden calls, and we hear the echoes of what God meant for us all along.
A pause to scan the Master’s handiwork reminds us how great He is, and how small we are. Most “vacations” are about what we want to do. They give us control. But creation gives us perspective (Job 37:5; Rev. 4:11).
In such moments, as creation nestles us, we are reminded that the best place to find God is not in the noise, but in the quiet. We remember that He is good, and that He made all this for our pleasure (Gen. 1:21; 1 Tim. 6:17; James 1:17).
If you are stressed, depressed, compressed, or just need rest, pick up a chair, go sit outside, watch the sunrise or the sunset. Maybe you can’t get to the beach right now. No problem. Keep the TV off, silence the cell phone, and sit in His presence. If you are blessed to be in the mountains, sit on the porch and be quiet. If you are privileged to be at the coast, carry your chair to the sand, sit and watch the waves.
But wherever you are, be still. And remember, He is your God (Psalm 46:10).
That’s all you need to know today.
https://www.southernliving.com/news/beach-benefits-brain-health-according-to-science
Thanks Pastor Bob – a wonderful reminder.