10/28/2025
Is Lakefront Living Good For Your Mental Health?
When I was a child I always wondered why my father would just sit in a lawn chair and stare at the lake when we were at our cottage in northern Michigan, but he never actually went IN the lake. Made no sense to me. Now when I get home after a stressful day I find myself sitting on my deck just staring at the lake. And I understand completely. According to an article by Stacey Leasca in Southern Living magazine, best-selling author and marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols, merely being close to a body of water, be it sea, river, lake, or ocean, promotes mental health and happiness. And he wrote all about it in his book, âBlue Mindâ.
âThe term âblue mindâ describes the mildly meditative state we fall into when near, in, on or under water,â Nichols told USA Today in 2017. âItâs the antidote to what we refer to as âred mind,â which is the anxious, over-connected and over-stimulated state that defines the new normal of modern life. âAs Nichols noted, research proves his theory that being near water can help us all achieve âan elevated and sustained happiness.â
That elevated level of happiness happens because, according to Nichols, water helps in âlowering stress and anxiety, increasing an overall sense of well-being and happiness, a lower heart and breathing rate, and safe, better workouts. Aquatic therapists are increasingly looking to the water to help treat and manage PTSD, addiction, anxiety disorders, autism and more.â
Moreover, being near water can increase our creativity, including our conversational abilities. But, being near water doesnât only help us during our waking hours. It can help us in our sleep, too.
âThere is some research that says people may sleep better when they are adjacent to nature,â W. Christopher Winter, M.D., author of The Sleep Solution, told Conde Nast Traveler. âNo wonder sleep machines always feature the sounds of rain, the ocean, or a flowing river.â
And this gift of Mother Natureâs to soothe us all with a simple drop of water is precisely why Nichols believes itâs so important to protect this precious gift.
Perhaps this is why we are all willing to pay more for a house along the water, or a room with an ocean view.
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