Living life along a beach is like nothing else you’ll experience. It’s a laid-back lifestyle, but with plenty of local flavor to keep it unique and exciting. Numerous studies have shown how seaside living can help your health, coming with its own set of benefits.

The Sunsets Can Wipe Away Anxiety

Renowned for amazing sunsets, beach life never disappoints. The sky seems to light on fire each night, giving onlookers a magnificent show.

Time seems to stop when you’re watching a great sunset. And it’s hard to feel anything but in awe of what you’re seeing. All your worries seem to float away for a few minutes, giving you a much-needed stress-reducing mental break.

White Sands Can Destress You By Helping You Envision a Fresh Start

When you get to the beach, anything can seem possible. You’re in vacation mode, even if you live here. And if you’re lucky enough to be on gorgeous white sand, you might experience extra benefits.

Colors play an important role in how people feel. A term, color psychology, is used to describe this phenomenon. In color psychology, a person’s mood and health can be impacted depending on the colors that surround them.

There’s a reason that interior decorators turn to the color white frequently to create a clean and serene background for people to destress from the outside world. It’s a color that can signify a fresh start. So, science can back you up about why you see white sand, start to relax, and begin to envision a new life for yourself.

The Sunlight Is Great for Your Mood and Bones

The lack of sunlight can bring on anxiety and depression in some people, leading to a condition called seasonal affective disorder. The treatment? Light therapy.

Beaches have plenty of sunlight that can help anyone get over the winter doldrums. That light leads to a boost in the release of serotonin, a hormone that can improve your mood. Not a fan of the heat, but you’re craving some sunlight? Go to the beach in the cooler months, like January through April, for those who want sunshine without the heat.

While we can automatically tell our moods feel better after a day out in the sun, our bodies are also benefiting from the light. Sunlight leads to the creation of vitamin D in the body, which leads to stronger bones. It can also improve skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and acne.

Blue Seas Can Help You Relax

In today’s non-stop society, we’re inundated with things that need our constant attention. We get frequent work emails, texts, and calls. We drop whatever we’re doing to answer our phones. It’s no wonder many of us feel like we can’t relax.

Being on the blue seas or near that cerulean color can help us achieve that elusive state of relaxation. We equate the color blue with relaxing and calmness.

There’s something priceless about staring into the gorgeous waters of the Emerald Coast and realizing you’ve forgotten to check your phone in hours.

Loads of Marine Life Gives Us Healthy Food and a Sense of Wonder

Seafood is tremendously beneficial for your health. Eating a minimum of two servings a week can protect your heart from disease. In the 30A, the fishing is outstanding whether you’re on the shore or on the water.

And if you’re more into watching animals than eating them, snorkeling or scuba won’t disappoint. You’ll reap the health benefits of being physically active while experiencing the pure joy of seeing ocean creatures in their natural habitat.

Improve Your Mind and Your Body

Life on the beach, or even a quick trip there, can help you with every aspect of your health. Your overall mind, body, and spirit will thank you. A day or week at a beach can be its own kind of therapy or fitness retreat.

If you love the beach, be sure to follow 30A on Facebook and @hey30a on Instagram where we share truly amazing beach stories, photos and videos every day!

SHANNON SERPETTE is an award-winning journalist, having received 10 Illinois Press Association writing awards across a wide variety of categories. An avid metal detectorist, Shannon spends most of her vacations at the beach searching for buried treasure. Follow her daily adventures on Twitter.