Seas the Day

5:45 pm, Monday, July 10.

Parked at Rainbow Haven Beach, I sat in my car – debating whether to head in to the beach. I drove out with every intention to lay by the ocean, to feel the sand between my toes and close my eyes to breathe in the fresh, crisp ocean air.

But something happened to me on the way in …

I could not get out of my car. I wasn’t locked in – I just could not move. In my head, my thoughts started to race:

“Today is workout day, and when will I find the time to workout later” ...
“It feels too cold outside" (it was 25 degrees) ...
“I haven’t cleaned the house yet and I should probably do that”...
“I'm by myself – look at everyone else, they’re with friends and I'm alone.” ...

No lie, I thought about all of that – to the point where I was about to put the key in the ignition and head back home to tackle all of my “should haves.”

You see, in the midst of my stress and worry, I had forgotten about why I had gone to the beach in the first place. When I made the conscious decision earlier in the day that I deserved a timeout by myself, by the water – it was because I recognized a need to recharge. It is so easy to be distracted and pulled away from the things that fulfill and energize us, because in reality, there is always something else we could be doing. 

Feeling somewhat ridiculous for what just happened, I unbuckled my seatbelt, grabbed my beach bag, my book and sun glasses and off I went. I found the best little spot on the beach, I sprawled out on my blanket and let the breeze sweep over me as I listened to the birds and the water move in and out on the beach.

I hung out for about an hour and a half (would have stayed longer but I forgot to bring snacks), and it was one of the most enjoyable moments. In the end, I was happy with my decision to stay at the beach. In challenging my previous thoughts; I was ok with my decision to not workout that evening; the weather really wasn’t cold; I had a chance to tidy up at home after the beach, and being by myself isn’t a bad thing.

So on that day, I made a promise to myself – I will try to beach more, worry less and ‘seas the day.’

I hope that in your ‘happy place,’ you too can recharge and give yourself the care you deserve. The more we practice kindness to ourselves – the more we develop the practice self-compassion.

Have a fantastic week! 

Martina Kelades
Founder of Life Out Loud

Martina has over 10 years’ professional experience working as a Personal Development Counsellor and Instructor and holds a diploma in Social Services (Addictions Counselling concentration) from the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), as well as a BA (hons) in Psychology from Mount St. Vincent University.