It’s one of the best times of the year for fishing, the cool water, the gentle breeze, the calm sound of nothing but birds singing, it sounds perfect! Now is the best time of year to get outside and enjoy the calming but strenuous activity of fishing.
Maybe you enjoy fishing as a hobby, or maybe it’s a way to de-stress, it is something you just like to do as a weekend treat – whatever it is that drives you down to the lake, it’s making you healthier by the minute!
Fishing has a lot of physical and mental health benefits; it is common knowledge that being outside is good for you. We’ve been taught from a young age to “get outside” and to “go get some fresh air”, that’s because everyone feels better after a breath of fresh air. However, it’s not just being outside that makes fishing so good for you, multiple studies show how fishing has improved peoples mental and physical health. One of the biggest mental benefits of fishing is that it allows you to focus on the simple act of fishing. You can let go of all your cares and worries, which in turn, allows you to decompress and appreciate the beauty and joy a day on the water affords. It’s important to pay attention to your surroundings, just the act of acknowledging where you are and the simplicity of the water and nature around you helps focus the mind and create a state of calm and relaxation.
Believe it or not, fishing can help with self-esteem and confidence. Getting a good catch gives you a sense of achievement, the waiting patiently and then finally catching something, makes the wait worthwhile. Not only does it help with good self-esteem it also helps lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone). This then ties in with physical health as stress can course multiple physical issues so lower stress levels mean intern being much healthier.
Fishing can help people who struggle with change! This sounds bizarre we know but, fishing isn’t consistent, every day is different. The bait you used yesterday that caught a giant carp may not work at all today. This helps people except that the things that sometimes work one time don’t always work the next, it’s a gentle way to help people who struggle with change slowly adapt to the realisation that sometimes changes is necessary.
Fishing is great and exciting for little ones too! We know the chances of your first fishing session being the day you catch a large fish is low but, that’s the best bit. It’s important for children to learn patience from a young age, it’s all about the wait and then remaining calm when you do get a catch to prevent spooking the fish. Being outdoors is also beneficial to children and getting them familiar with nature, it’s proven that being outside can help conditions such as ADHD in children. There is also dexterity to fishing, things like detangling the very fine line, placing the bait on the end of the hook, and casting out and the right time all takes precision, timing, and care. These very small but effective tasks help with building cognitive function and problem-solving.
It’s clear that fishing has a lot of health benefits in adults and children from physically building stamina to mentally destressing from life it just shows that a weekend trip to your local fishing lake may have more benefits to your health than you think. Get outdoors, go on adventures with the little ones and get fishing.
If you would like a fishing trip to relax, unwind and have a little bit of ‘self-love’ time. Join us at Bewl Water.