La mer est ton miroir; tu contemples ton âme
The sea is your mirror, you contemplate your soul
(L’Homme et la mer, Charles Baudelaire.)
I was having a little read around to explore current news concerning mental health and wellbeing and I stumbled across this article on the Guardian’s webpage.
I don’t want to rip the Guardian off or anything, and quite frankly their article pretty much sums up the recent study by the National Trust, so I’d definitely recommend reading the article! 🙂
I wanted to mention this study as I think it’s very interesting. I live on an Island (a small one in Essex, England), though it may not be a little picturesque island, with one small cottage and loads of seagulls, there is still a wealth of sea, rivers and nature. I’m pretty lucky, but at the same time I value the sea more when I go down to Cornwall. It’s a lot cleaner down there – and I don’t say that maliciously, I live on the Thames Estuary so it’s a mixture of saltwater and river water.
I certainly notice when I’m in Cornwall after I’ve spent a day swimming and surfing that I definitely definitely sleep better. I’ve always put that down to being tired and the salt water – salt water, aka. sea water, does wonders for me.
When I walk along the seafront at home it doesn’t really have the same effect, but I reckon that’s maybe because the novelty has worn off? Also, the sea was always a huge part of my child/teenage years, so I’m always left thinking about certain memories and my brain is always in overload haha.
In the article it says that coastal walks offer a restorative space, a chance to relax, and a chance to connect with happy, positive memories. Maybe that’s why I love the sea so much!
Anyway, I thought this was an interesting article – so give it a little read!
Oh, and any excuse to share photos of the sea…
Dearest Someone, 