Looks like your local beachbreak. Photo: Croyde Bay//Unsplash
There I stood in front of the class, teeing up an anecdote about getting fired from my ski-industry job for writing a particular newspaper article. I’d told the story to writing classes before to illustrate how writers must aim for the truth, but be prepared for the consequences when they take a risk.
Out of nowhere, my heart sped up, cold sweat sped down my spine and my mouth filled with sand. I knew I had to keep speaking to the sea of expectant faces but…I couldn’t. My eyes blurred, I coughed out an excuse and lurched into the hall.
I splashed water on my face and moved on, thankful that most college kids are more focused on happy hour and exams than a teacher’s mental health. Luckily, my anxiety is light, and that rare moment of panic was fueled by stress and lack of sleep — both were in heavy rotation that semester.
Which leads me to surfing. I don’t get to surf in bigger swells too often, but sometimes, whether it’s autumn in New England or winter in California, the wave size shoots straight past my comfort zone and I experience a similar mix of emotions to those classroom shakes, albeit to a lesser extent. Maybe a calf cramps up, my mind races, or my breaths become quick and shallow as a cleanup set appears on the horizon.
The mental aspect of surfing is well recognized, and big wave surfers have this stuff dialed in because they must. But, what about average surfers who want to stay chill when their normal break resembles smaller Pipeline? Here are a few ways that everyday chargers who’re not well-versed in board-breaking surf can leash up their anxiety and make the most of epic swells when they arrive.
Just Breathe
When I make it out the back on a bigger day, I typically take a few minutes to focus on my breath. For me, it’s either diaphragmatic breathing or box breathing that slows any rising tension and allows me to think clearly about my next move.
However, there are a variety of breathing exercises to try, from alternate nostril breathing to mimicking the rhythm of the ocean. Another technique to try out is nasal breathing, as outlined in James Nestor’s insightful book “Breath.” Breathing through the nose as opposed to the mouth boosts nitric oxide, which improves blood pressure and circulation. Nasal breathing also helps the body absorb more oxygen into the blood, creating more energy, and helps us breathe into the lower lungs, which activates our parasympathetic nervous system and stimulates relaxation.
I’ve been trying nasal breathing when jogging as well as surfing. It’s an adjustment — you feel a bit short of breath at first — but there’s a clear contrast between the frantic chest breathing some of us do when we’re caught inside and the smooth nasal breaths that help us relax and flow.
Don’t Try to Surf Like Slater, Just Surf Like Yourself
Surfers often set unrealistic goals because we’re so amped up. Even if we’re not used to the size or power of the swell, our addiction to surfing and search for new challenges pushes us to not only paddle out, but fully expect to rip.
Recently, on a foggy day with few takers, a cross-shore breeze created strong, funky currents, but when you could spot them, sizeable waves sucked up water and detonated through the impact zone as I paddled out. My first wave was steep and far bigger than I was used to. After I made the drop, I tried to draw my line on a bumpy, swirling wall and wiped out. I dusted myself off and lowered my expectations. I didn’t need to necessarily ride the best set wave, and I also wasn’t going to pick up where I’d left off a few days ago in smaller, cleaner conditions, working on new maneuvers. I’d just enjoy some fast rides and hang on – and I did just that.
Take a Moment to See Yourself Having Fun
Even just five to 15 minutes of pre-surf meditation, especially on dicey days, can do wonders for our jumbled minds. As surfers, we froth over forecasts, and all of us have that buddy who overhypes major swells and texts us hot takes in the middle of the night. When I’m caffeinated and jittery at dawn, it can be tough to get quiet for a few minutes. Yet the second I do so, I calm down and focus, and that feeling follows me as I paddle out.
Meditation also provides the opportunity to visualize a realistic version of success. While the goal of meditation is to empty the mind; try envisioning yourself getting shacked afterwards. Visualization activates the neural pathways you’ll use when your feet are on wax and works best when the mind is already in a meditative state.
Get Out of Your Head
When the waves jack up way past our respective comfort zones and there are more surfers with binoculars on the beach than in the water, it’s sometimes a relatively easy call to wait it out, grab your camera, or hit a more sheltered spot. But it’s the days when the swell rises only a few feet past our comfort zone that it’s harder to resist.
When we opt to paddle out into bigger waves than we typically ride, it’s natural to tighten up physically and mentally. However, there are innocuous things you can do to get out of your head on a bone-crushing day. Whistling, for example, helps me to de-stress out there — yep, I’m that guy. Chatting with fellow surfers can get you out of your head and provide a sense of renewed focus on the waves, not the possible wipeouts. Surf Coach Luke Hardacre says that instead of doing mental gymnastics, simply keep busy: “Go get a hit, have a bad wipeout and realize it can’t get any worse…go to the inside and get a few waves to get in rhythm and then paddle back out.” A (crazy) friend of mine used to seek out a bad wipeout or hold down early in the session, because then he felt more free and relaxed.
Be Prepared and Put Fear to Good Use
As Socrates (also a surfer) said: Know Thyself. Be honest with yourself about both your tendency for panic and trusted coping mechanisms. This past winter, I had one of my best sessions of all time on the first day of a solid swell but realized the next day that my past injuries were loudly insisting I hit pause. Bummer. But I still caught the end of the swell and was energized and healed up, which made it worth it.
In surfing, controlling fear and panic comes from patiently working your way up in size as opposed to blindly leaping into conditions way over your head, and being comfortable with fear. For me, one of the best parts of surfing more frequently now has been growing comfortable paddling out on days where, years ago, I would’ve stayed on the sand. When you do opt to head out into challenging surf, view fear as an enabling force that helps you be alert and motivated, as opposed to a limiting factor.
All in all, you are the judge, not your frothing friends. If the swell is too strong for you, take a seat on the beach. Breathe, meditate, visualize yourself out there ripping, and soon you will be.
