Kelly Slater, Bruce Irons, Rush Randle, Tony Hawk, Chris Miller, Andy Macdonald, Quirin Rohleder and Bill Bryan surf off in Munich.

Stress and how to over come it.

Katy Griffin is a mental health nurse helping men overcome mental health challenges through progressive lifestyle medicine. We asked her about dealing with stress and how her approach can over come its negative effects.

Tranquillity is the new luxury.

We now make more decisions in one day than we used to in a year; What career should I follow? Will it allow me a good work life balance? Did I make the right career choice? Would another career suit my needs better? Should I retrain? Should I buy a house? Should I travel more? Where should I travel? Can I find a career that allows me to travel? What about having kids? Did I answer my emails, text messages, Facebook Instagram? What’s the best form of exercise? What’s the best diet for my health? Is that the right diet to look after the planet? What are the best phones, laptop camera, and surfboards? What’s the best beach to surf with the right amount of swell for the right wind on the right tide?

Having lots of options is great and education, travel and the ability to connect have never been more abundant. Yet, is seems that ‘choice’, one thing we crave so much, doesn’t seem to be making us any happier.

Conversations about mental health are at an all-time high. Whist this could be partly due to increased awareness the mental health charity MIND states that it appears how people cope with mental health problems is getting worse and the number of people who self-harm or have suicidal thoughts is increasing.
Could this be due to NHS services having such long waiting times? Or could it be that we are offering a 20th century model of care to 21st century problems?

Mental health is actually a small component to our overall well-being and this could be the way to helping us feel better and live more. Well-being is a much broader concept and is dependent on individual preferences in how we eat, sleep relax, exercise, our purpose and relationships.

Dealing with stress

If we were to over use the muscles in our bodies through increased demand say after a long stretch of perfect swell, we know to rest in order to recover, yet we never seem to take the time out to rest our brains so they can recover.

While stress is actually good for us in small doses problems occur when it’s for a prolonged period or if we don’t match our stress levels with equivalent relaxation levels. If we choose to lead a stressful life this can be ok as long as we increase the amount of time we take to relax, so our brains have time to rest and recuperate. Continual stress can cause this system to repeatedly produce stress hormones, which keeps our bodies on high alert for danger, this will impact upon our mood and the way we sleep, eat, relax, enjoy life’s pleasures, our concentration and motivation.

In order to counteract this we need to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for rest and recuperation.
How often do we priorities taking time out to walk in nature, surf in the sea, listen to relaxing music, have a relaxing massage and focus on breathing and mindfulness?

Yet this could be the key to most of our mental and physical health problems. The fast paced world we find ourselves becoming accustomed to is now causing tranquillity to be the new luxury in our busy lives.
If you are a beginner surfer and someone gives you a surfboard and sends you out into double over head pumping waves, this will soon turn into an overwhelming experience but if you’ve been surfing for some years and have learned how to read and understand the ocean and use it to your advantage this could turn into one of the most exhilarating experiences of your life. Learning to understand well-being is the same.

Progressive lifestyle medicine

There is a new proven way to successfully treat stress and improve well-being, it’s called progressive lifestyle medicine.
I have now dedicated my life to educating people about this new way of thinking to help them life to the fullest. I am a mental health nurse living in Cornwall and have experienced first had the benefits of the sea and what are the current difficulties that most people are experiencing in today’s world. After working within mental health services for over 11 years I have now developed Thera-Sea which provides educational well-being retreats on the Cornish coast that gives people the tools they require to live well by teaching them how to manage stress understand what keeps us well, because when we feel better we live more.
Thera-Sea’s retreats break free from outdated preconceptions and enable people to take back control of their lives through a lifestyle approach to health. Thera-Sea helps people develop a greater knowledge of the body’s systems and how to utilise coping skills that can transform their lives. The retreats are educational and exciting in equal parts as they’re set in a stunning location that can only be accessed by hike or boat and incorporated many sea based activities as well as foraging and bushcraft.

To find out about the latest retreats please head over to Thera-Sea’s website www.thera-sea.co.uk.
Facebook: Thera-Sea
Instagram @thera.sea

The storm will pass

"You can't calm the storm, so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass.”

By Steve England

I like to think surfing and the ocean can teach many life lessons and I was thinking about how we can learn from our oceanic experience and apply it to our current situation.

It is tough to stay positive, but every time I go down the beach, it just makes me realise how lucky we as surfers are, how life ticks on regardless of the Dow Jones Index and that we are all going to be okay in the long run. So here's my take on it all and how surfings lessons can boost our outlook.

In the face of adversity, relax!
We have all been there at some time. The horizon goes black, and a set is looming, you know you are going take it on the head. It's bigger than anything you have experienced, and you get that heart in your mouth feeling because you know you're in for a beating. A 15-footer on the head at low tide is a bit more intimidating than an impending lockdown or virus outbreak. The fear is mainly driven by the not knowing, or feeling out of your depth. Of course how we deal with it next dictates our outcomes. But we are all here, we all survived and none of us gave up. So the best bit of advice is relax, and go with it. No point fighting what you can't change.

As with sets, currents, storms you just have to prepare and go with it. In the case of corona, most of us are going to be okay, if maybe a little ill. So go with it, and try and seek positives out of the experience. In the surf you dive deep, open your eyes, look around. It's pretty beautiful. In life, it's the same. A lot of people think toilet roll is the essential thing in the world right now, and most sensible people believe our health, family, community and life experiences are priceless. Between the doom and gloom, there are some remarkable stories out there from scientific breakthroughs to people helping each other. If you look around, you can see humanity coming together. Our nurses and hospitals are now correctly appreciated, and people are looking out for neighbours, there is no end to the community support online and people trying to help in education, fitness and many other areas. For every negative, there are a million positives!

Don't let your ego write cheques you can't cash.
Someone from Wales told me that I think. It was aimed at someone talking the talk, without thinking about the consequences of their lack of knowledge in big waves. Yeah, they got nailed.

The current lockdowns are to protect the vulnerable and a bit like red-flagging a beach. Frustrating, but you go with it, so your lifeguard mates aren't inundated with people getting sucked out in the rip.

All the lockdowns are for a reason - to protect the vulnerable. Don't be that person who won't listen and thinks they know better. We all have to make sacrifices in this case to save a few legends lives. Set the example. Stick to the guidance to protect others

"Hesitation will cause your worst nightmares to come true."

Never gets old! If we don't act fast and decisively a lot of people will be harmed. If we move quickly, it will be over quicker. May as well just get on with it hey.

The bigger the storm, the brighter the sunshine when it passes.
We all get locked down from time to time. Remember January with mostly with dark nights, endless onshores, and rain, rain and more rain. But how does the sunshine feel on your face now? Lighter nights, UV, summer is coming. Sure things look bleak when you are staring at your phone or watching the news, but a half-hour at the beach (if allowed), or sat on the cliff and all these things seem a world away. The waves are still rolling in, and the tides are still grooming sandbanks. Find some space away from the noise. When this pans out, we will all be stronger. And all you need to fill your soul are a few waves anyway. And maybe new sled to celebrate.

It's an ill wind that blows no good.
It's always offshore somewhere. Change is inevitable in our world, but isn't half the fun looking forward to exploring and going on new adventures? Onshore 'here' leads to discoveries 'there'. It is our journey as surfers. No one wave or ride is ever the same, and that's what makes surfing and life so addictive. If change comes, embrace it, adapt and find new ways.

There's always some kook trying to spoil your day.
Sad but true, especially online. Whether chucking boards in the lineup or throwing offhand comments online, the kooks are out there.

There are a lot of negatives being pushed across social media, a lot of untruths and a lot of toilet paper being hidden, but for every kook, there are a lot of amazing stories of people helping each other. Community groups are being set up to help, people have realised health and those that look after us when we are ill are the priority and are starting to invest in them.

So there you have it. You may agree or disagree, but hopefully, it's a bit of positivity for you.

Surfers are pretty resilient and creative humans. I mean we invented the 'work x life' balance with an emphasis on 'life'. Every recession or crisis that has gone before just meant less work and more waves (as soon as everyone is let back in). I mean a job kinda gets in the way of the fun stuff anyway! We'd all rather buy boards and wetsuits than food anyway. And as we all know sets and storms soon pass through, and even if we are a bit beaten we will always get back on the board and paddle back out.

Stay safe and be kind!

WIN A GUL 5/4 VIPER WETSUIT, BOOTS, HOOD AND DRYBAG WORTH £320!

WIN A GUL 5/4 VIPER WETSUIT, BOOTS, HOOD AND DRYBAG WORTH £320!

For 50 years Gul has been at the forefront of technical wetsuit development. Since 1967, the philosophy has been simple-to-make the best product possible. It was in the early sixties that Dennis Cross, a man with a passion for surfing, decided that enough was enough. Although he loved surfing, the waters of the Atlantic were too cold, especially in winter! He, therefore, set about designing the first purpose built wetsuit for surfers. Dennis began designing and making the first wetsuit rumoured to have been made in the back of his split screen camper at Fistral Beach in Newquay, Cornwall. From this humble beginning, the Gul brand was born. By the early 70’s, Gul had created the ground breaking one-piece wetsuit. They went on to sponsor the UK’s first pro surf comp, the UK’s first surfing pros (Steve Daniel and Nigel Semmens), and help put Russell Winter on the tour as well as supporting UK surfers like Egor (pictured), Ben Howey (5th in the world!), Jack Unsworth, Beth Leighfield, Tina Beresford and many many more…

GUL’s Viper wetsuit is packed full of the latest GUL innovations such as the LAVA: Pre-stretched Infinity fluid stretch neoprene for maximum freedom, FX:LITE: silky smooth, hydrophobic ( i.e. doesn’t hold H2O ) material for full-body defense in the harshest of winds and BOLTDRYX lining from chest to knee for ultimate warmth. LAVA FLOW taped construction for a tough waterproof seam with no compromise to stretch and no need for a liquidseal that often ends up cracking for maximum seam durability. The Viper a serious suit from the cold water specialist, leaders in innovation for over 50 years. It also retails at just £225!

We have one to give away together with Viper 5mm Split Toe Boots, Viper Peaked 3MM Surf Hood and a 50L Heavy Duty Drybag. The prize is worth more than £320 and will keep you toasty all through winter.

To win this wetsuit and gear hit up our Instagram post here
like the post, tag a friend, follow @gulwatersports + share it as a story

We will pick a winner early next week and you will have your suit for winter!

Check out the wetties here >