Blue Mind State of Mind

Throughout my life, water has always been my constant. I’m talking about bodies of water; the ocean, the Sound, a river. I’ve always gravitated toward water.

Growing up, I spent my summer weekends by the beach and have tried to live close to the water since those days. It calms me, keeps me grounded, and reminds me to be more present.

One of the first apartments that my husband and I rented had a view of the Hudson River, and although that apartment may have felt small and insignificant to some, it was everything to us. I looked out that window every morning, took a deep breath, and was always calmed by the view of the water in the distance.

When my husband and I decided to buy our first house, we were lucky to find a house close to the Long Island Sound. Now my mornings began by walking my dog around the Sound. I always stopped to breathe in the salty air. To me, there is no better way to start my days.

My husband has also always connected to water by boat.

He grew up sailing with his grandfather; some of his most memorable and vivid memories were on that sailboat. So it was only fitting that amid COVID, for my husband’s 40th birthday, I rented a boat with a captain to take us out.

It was a glorious afternoon. We hadn’t been away from our three daughters’ in months because of the lockdown, and my parents finally felt comfortable enough to be with our children again inside. We took full advantage of this opportunity and went out for hours, boating throughout Connecticut. This day reminded my husband and me how much we enjoyed being back on the water.

On the way home, he asked why we had to drive 45 minutes to Connecticut to rent a boat with a captain. I said, “There was nothing closer.” I saw his wheels turning, and that’s when my husband, the entrepreneur, who already runs his own business, turned to me and said, “Let’s buy a boat and hire a captain and start our own charter business.” I smiled and laughed at what I thought was another outrageous idea, and he responded with his famous last words, “How hard can it be?” 

My husband’s goal is to allow others to be on the water without the constraints of owning a boat or knowing how to drive one. As a social worker, I truly understand the benefits of being on the water and can attest to how much the water has helped me throughout my life.

According to discoverboating.com, “Boating triggers a restful “Blue Mind” state of mind. It provides the means to get outside daily routines, allowing our brains to reset. Being on a boat promotes physiological and psychological changes spanning health and wellness, awe and wonder, creativity and play, happiness, and relaxation.

We are lucky enough to provide others with this opportunity and allow our children to have the same connection to water as we do. We try to get out on the boat as a family as often as possible. My energetic and always on-the-go children become relaxed and tranquil, usually falling asleep to the sound of the waves. My husband often jokes that he loses ‘the real me’ once the warm air turns cold and gets ‘the real me’ back once the cool air turns warm again. I, too, am happiest by the water.

Acclaimed Marine Biologist Wallace Nichols, who has dedicated his life to researching how water affects our mind, states that “the “Blue Mind” counteract the “Red Mind,” which refers to modern life’s anxious state. Spending time near water disconnects us from the tech-filled world and helps us reconnect with nature and ourselves. The presence of a large body of water emits negatively charged ions into the environment. These ions promote the release of serotonin in the brain, which improves our moods. Moreover, our senses of sight, sound, and feel all play a part.