“I’m so overwhelmed by my daily grind… I need a place to disconnect and find peace.”

The start of 2025 has been a little rocky with recent political changes, economic war and tariffs escalation leading to more inflation, stock market correction and possibly job uncertainty… 

For some it’s been even harder with recent changes in their life (breakup, loss of closed ones,…)

It’s ok to feel overwhelmed sometimes.

When you are experiencing the lows of life’s roller coaster, remember these 3 pillars of mental health:

– Sleeping well

– Eating well

– Exercising

Improve Sleep Quality

There’s nothing more frustrating than rolling around in your bed, overthinking life changing decisions and possibilities in your head, letting the little monkey loose to cycle around on his unicycle until 2 am…

Here’s a few tricks:

– Write your thoughts and your goals for the next day, then forget about them for the night. They’re now out of your head, they’re on paper in your journal, so you’ll know what to start the day with. Action is the solution when you feel paralyzed by anxiety.

– Stop using the computer or your phone at least 1h before bed time, instead read a book, stretch, write in your journal or listen to calm music,

– Avoid working on your laptop in your bed. Your bedroom, especially your bed should be for sleeping and intimacy only.

– No coffee after 1pm, no alcohol four hours before you plan on going to sleep. Even though alcohol can make you feel sleepy, it may impact your overall quality of sleep.

– Limit your use of social media. The billionaires of this world are competing for your attention, trying to make you feel envious of others stories or argue with trolls while wasting your precious time. But you are smarter than that.

– When it’s time to go to bed, thank the universe for what you are grateful for.

Things might not all be perfect at the moment, however you surely have many things to be grateful for:

• Are you physically healthy?

We probably all know someone who’s sadly been diagnosed with a terminal illness.  

• Do you have a job?

It might not be the best job, but you’re probably not in the street otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this right now.

• Do you have use of both your arms and legs?

At least 57.7 million people worldwide were living with limb loss due to traumatic causes in 2017.

• Have you accomplished anything in life that you’re proud of? Surely you did!

Thank the universe for it. Once you’ve done that, you can ask the universe to help you with whatever challenging situation you need help with. 

“Happiness doesn’t depend on what we have, but it does depend on how we feel about what we have. We can be happy with little and miserable with much.” – Buddha

– Finally, use this life changing breathing technique:  When you go to bed, put both of your hands on your diaphragm (one hand below and one hand above your belly button). Focus bringing your breathing from there instead of your chest. Slow down your breathing. Focus your attention on your breathing, nothing else. Feel your belly going up and down, Do this for 10 minutes. You should probably fall asleep before your reach the 10 minutes…zzzz

Why do we sleep so well after surfing?

Surfing doesn’t just benefit your body and mind during the day – it can also improve your sleep quality at night.

You’ll get a burst of dopamine, aka the “feel-good” hormone, when you’ll catch and drop into a nice wave.

You’ll also feel more relaxed after spending time in the water. This is called the Blue Mind Theory. According to Wallace J. Nichols, blue mind is the antidote to the red mind, which is the state of being defined by anxiousness or over-stimulation.

Research has proven that spending time near a body of water has a number of surprising mental and physiological health benefits: it can lower stress in the body, but it can also increase your feeling of overall well being (the ability to be comfortable, healthy or happy).

By reducing stress, anxiety, and insomnia, and promoting better sleep patterns, surfing can help you achieve a restful night’s sleep, which is essential for overall health and well-being.

Improve Eating habits

Sure it’s easy to order pizza to get yourself in a better mood. And of course what’s best with pizza.. beer! But that won’t get you feeling better in the long run.

If you’re feeling low, cutting down all alcohol should be your #1 goal.

Some people use alcohol to cope with depression or anxiety, but this can worsen the problem and lead to dependence.

A good tip for cutting down alcohol is removing all beers and wine bottles from the fridge, so that when you have the urge to grab a cold one, there are none to be found. Replace this with your favourite non-alcoholic drink, avoiding soda if possible. A personal favourite is coconut water, which we have plenty of around the retreat.

So get yourself together, cut fat, sugar and processed food from your diet and focus instead on fresh vegetable, fish, and beans- they are a nutritional powerhouse, rich in protein and fiber, and include varieties like chickpeas, black beans, and kidney beans.

You can use your stay at our retreat as a springboard to starting eating more healthy food, inspired by chef Dian who cooks hearty and nutritious meals with love for all of our guests.

Get moving everyday!

If you’ve managed to have at least 8h of sleep and skipped the evening beer/drink for a day or two, you should now be feeling already a bit more energized.

Use this momentum to start a new exercising routine!

1. Find the best tunes to keep you going through your work out.

2. Set a minimum of 30-45 minutes without distraction, preferably first thing in the morning to make sure you put yourself first before doing anything else.

3. Write down 5-6 exercises you want to do, the weight, reps and serie in a notebook to track your progress every day and keep you on track.

No need to sign up for a gym membership. You can get a skipping rope ($10), a yoga mat ($15), a training ball ($20) and some light free weights (8-10lbs) to start ($15). You can also read this article for exercises that will help you surfing.

Will it be hard at first, yes! Will it be worth it? Absolutely! And the good news is that once you start exercising daily, you will also sleep better, and you’ll be motivated to eat better. So it will reverse the negative spin cycle.

Are you craving an escape from everyday pressures, looking for a restorative, off-the-grid experience?

Do you want to experience something life-changing, but don’t know where to start?

Are you looking for a special place where you can learn surfing without pressure?

Our surf and yoga retreats might just be what you need…