Top 7 Ways The Caribbean Calms Anxiety!
If you’re suffering from anxiety, nervousness, fidgeting or just feeling a little wound-up, it can sometimes feel all-consuming and never-ending. Living with anxiety, or any of the similar symptoms, can really affect your ability to enjoy life and the people around you. It may prevent you from going out with friends, making conversation at work, maintaining composure when plans don’t go your way, or even just getting out of bed in the morning.
Of course, treatment and management of symptoms, patterns and disruptions can take many forms. There is the medical route, in which you work closely with your medical team to regulate your symptoms through medications, and there are alternative therapies such as breathing activities, journaling, behaviour therapy, massage therapy and even exercise. It seems that more and more people are recognizing the limitations of their anxieties and working in positive, holistic ways to help ease the discomfort. A combination of medical and supplementary options create a holistic approach to managing the symptoms. It gives you control over your situation and responses to the situation.
One supplementary option that is often overlooked, and taken for granted, is our connection to the outdoors. Our connection to the outdoor physical environment – the earth – and all of its elements. As our society becomes increasingly dependent on electronic devices, we are becoming equally reliant upon remaining indoors and further disconnecting us from our natural environments.
This is a shame! Studies are showing that our natural elements can provide a lasting and positive effect on our mental health and well-being; and even more so when we commit to our environmental connection on a daily basis! Depending on where you live in the world, access to some of the most influential environmental aspects may not be available on a daily basis – which is why some doctors actually recommend a southern vacation to help manage the symptoms of anxiety! But why? What is it about the Caribbean that can be so helpful? Here are the top 7 ways that the Caribbean calms anxiety!
1. The Length of Day
The consistent and equal length of day and night helps to reset our circadian rhythm, thereby balancing our body’s serotonin, melatonin and cortisol levels. All of which are affected by the amount of sunlight we’re exposed to, the quality of our sleep and the consistency in the length of our day. When our bodies have high levels of cortisol, our stress hormone, we are more likely to exhibit anxious behaviours, nervousness and to feel ‘wound-up’, as our cortisol hormone is what puts us in a ‘fight or flight’ state. Having a better balance of our sleep hormones (melatonin and serotonin) can help reduce the high cortisol levels and provide our minds with the rest needed to have better focus and emotional stability.
2. Vitamin D
The vitamin D exposure aids in the improvement of brain health, function and mood. Our bodies cannot create Vitamin D without exposure to the sun. Having direct and constant exposure on a daily basis allows our body to create a constant supply of Vitamin D to help regulate our moods and emotions.
3. Caribbean Air
The Caribbean air is of a cleaner quality than our industrial cities and offers the natural benefits of sea salt and gentle humidity. All of these, in combination, are great for clearing our sinuses and providing fresh oxygen to all parts of our body, including our brain. Fresh oxygen and oxygenated blood to our brains allow our brain to think more clearly and robustly about a situation, rather than feeling closed off from solutions.
4. The Sand
The sand in your toes, wrapped around your feet, and between your fingers can provide a tactile experience that is mesmerizing, calming and grounding. Tactile experiences have been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety. This has become increasingly well-known in part due to the popular ‘fidget spinners’ and other random toys that provide a repetitive movement and texture for our minds to focus on. This focus allows us to feel more control in our environment and allows us the chance to regroup our thoughts while we calm down.
5. The Ocean Sounds
The ocean sounds provide a relaxing, cyclical pattern that the brain finds soothing. The sounds are similar to what our immature ears hear as infants in utero and remind us of a safe space where we don’t need to feel negative emotions.
6. The Ocean Movement
The ocean movement. Spend a night in a cabin boat on the ocean. The gentle, constant and rhythmic rocking of the boat again takes us back to experiences in utero that will lull and soothe our anxious fears and behaviours.
7. The Slower Pace
The slower pace of the Caribbean environment can really help us unwind and relax from the stress of our everyday lives. It helps us to remember to breathe and focus on what’s in front of us, rather than what’s to come. In addition to this, being away from our daily life requirements really gives us more time to focus on self-care and symptom regulation techniques, such as developing a habit for journaling, deep breathing, stretching, or exercise!
There you have it – 7 ways that the Caribbean can help you in relaxing your anxiety and give you some control over your symptoms!
Of course, Cuan Law can help you unwind and shed some of those anxious feelings during our specially designated week in October for those living with anxiety and anxious behaviours!
Join us from October 18th-24th, 2020 for the week of a lifetime!
OR in a more professional development setting by participating in “Wellness Week” from August 9th-15th, 2020 or October 25th-31st, 2020!
