5 Tips to Reduce Anxiety & Stress Levels When You Feel Overwhelmed or Stuck in One Place
By Ninja Shark’s founder (and water enthusiast), Andrew Porter
Hey Ninjas, we know this is a strange time.
You may be feeling anxious, you may be feeling scared or worried. Like a lot of the world, you may even be in social isolation, taking precautions to keep yourself and others around you protected.
During this time, make sure that you take care to look after your mental health as well as your physical health. The two are very intertwined, and being sure to move your body and follow certain practices can make a tremendous difference if you’re feeling anxious, scared, or overwhelmed.
Here are some tips from the Ninja Shark team to help keep you cool, calm, and entertained during this time.
1. Focus on family and friends
You may be in isolation, but family and friends are always one click away. Don’t get carried away spending your time bingeing on news articles and scrolling through social media. Make sure to focus on connecting with your family and friends, whether they’re with you at home or worlds apart.
Remember, we’re all going through this together and nothing can ease stress and anxiety like knowing you’re not alone in the feeling. Call up an old friend, Facetime some family that lives abroad, play games with your family at home, and just spend some time reconnecting. Social connection is not only good for your mental health, but also your physical health.
2. Breathe - either in or out of the water
Key to reducing stress and anxiety is keeping your mind calm and relaxed. When your mind is healthy, life becomes easier and less stressful. In these times, it’s essential that you avoid over-stimulating your mind and focus on relaxation exercises. Meditating is one way to do it, but if you can’t quite sit still, snorkelling is another way to do it.
Just like meditating, snorkelling can reduce stress and anxiety levels by inducing a state of blissful relaxation. This is because of the regulated breathing, which brings on a state of calm just like meditation does. Slow, deep breathing is known to ease anxiety levels. If you have a pool, take your snorkel in the pool and enjoy a swim with the mask on, focusing on your inhales and exhales. If not - try the bath! Or follow our next point.
2. Breathe - either in or out of the water
Key to reducing stress and anxiety is keeping your mind calm and relaxed. When your mind is healthy, life becomes easier and less stressful. In these times, it’s essential that you avoid over-stimulating your mind and focus on relaxation exercises. Meditating is one way to do it, but if you can’t quite sit still, snorkelling is another way to do it.
Just like meditating, snorkelling can reduce stress and anxiety levels by inducing a state of blissful relaxation. This is because of the regulated breathing, which brings on a state of calm just like meditation does. Slow, deep breathing is known to ease anxiety levels. If you have a pool, take your snorkel in the pool and enjoy a swim with the mask on, focusing on your inhales and exhales. If not - try the bath! Or follow our next point.
3. Sun, sea, sand
It’s being recognised that lack of sunlight can lead to anxiety. When you’re self-isolating and working from home, your exposure to sunlight can be drastically reduced. If you’re already feeling anxious and stressed, this is not good for your mental health. Make sure that you sit out in the garden, on your balcony, or near a sunny window to get some sun every day.
At the same time, the ocean is known to induce calm and relaxation to the mind and body. There’s a reason why we always come home from the beach feeling blissful! If there is a remote beach near your home, try to get out there and enjoy splashing in the seawater and getting some sunlight. For an extra dose of relaxation, pop on your snorkel mask and enjoy that regulated breathing.
Of course - make sure you avoid renting any snorkelling equipment to prevent the potential spread of infection. If you don’t own a snorkel mask, our store is still shipping full face masks during this time.
4. Be choosy with what media you consume
There are a lot of articles out there. The reports seem never-ending and they’re always being updated with new information. Not all of it is true. Some of it can be called fear-mongering and media hype. Others are informative, rational reporting. If you’re glued to your screen and constantly checking for updates on the situation, we recommend taking a step back and being choosy with what media you consume.
Avoid negative press that is driven by fear and panic. Avoid reading news and articles from unofficial sources that may be untrue. Try to restrict your news and media time to just twice a day - once in the morning and once in the evening. If you can do once a day, then even better.
4. Be choosy with what media you consume
There are a lot of articles out there. The reports seem never-ending and they’re always being updated with new information. Not all of it is true. Some of it can be called fear-mongering and media hype. Others are informative, rational reporting. If you’re glued to your screen and constantly checking for updates on the situation, we recommend taking a step back and being choosy with what media you consume.
Avoid negative press that is driven by fear and panic. Avoid reading news and articles from unofficial sources that may be untrue. Try to restrict your news and media time to just twice a day - once in the morning and once in the evening. If you can do once a day, then even better.
5. Move your body!
Like we said before, your body and mind are related in many ways. Your mental state can impact how your body moves, and the state of your body can impact on how your mind is feeling. Moving your body is known to induce mental relaxation and calm, improving mental health drastically. If you’re feeling anxious or stressed, there’s no better way to push all those negative thoughts out than by moving!
You can put on some music and dance in your bedroom. Go for a walk or jog around your house or around the block. Hop in the pool. Do some online aerobics or yoga classes. Use a skipping rope. Get in plank position.
There are so many ways you can keep your body moving while in social isolation. Our personal favourite is, of course, snorkelling! You can jump in the ocean, cleanse your mind and body, and easily stay within 1.5 metres of anyone else. It’s the best contactless sport, in our opinion.
Let’s make this time easier
Any situation can go one of two ways: it can drive things forwards or move them backwards. The same goes for social isolation. You could get caught up in fear, worries, stress, and anxiety, or you could see the positive side to the coin. Embrace your family and friends, use this time to work out your body, try to relax your mind with meditation or breathing exercises, and enjoy this time for yourself.
We’re not ones to advocate whether you should be leaving your home or not. But if you think you’d like to get some sea, sun, and sand and a good snorkelling session during this isolation period, check out our article on the top 10 best places to snorkel in Australia. If there’s somewhere near you, consider taking that snorkel trip you haven’t had time for. And stay safe, Ninjas!
How many people dream of snorkelling but don't feel comfortable wearing a snorkel mask?
The answer is: too many! Traditional snorkel masks can be uncomfortable and scary for many people, so the beauty of snorkelling goes undiscovered and unexperienced. Whether it's breathing difficulties, choking on sea water, or foggy goggles, there's a lot that prevents people from enjoying the wonderful sport of snorkelling. And that thought makes us sad.
We think everyone should be able to enjoy the underwater world - safely, comfortably, and easily. That's why we created Ninja Shark and our revolutionary line of full face snorkel masks. They're designed to be super comfy, easy-to-use, and make snorkelling accessible for all. Because nobody should miss out on discovering what's under the sea.
The Influencer @lud.around is a NINJASHARK lover!
NINJASHARK is the sound of a revolution in snorkeling. Whereas other water equipments companies are constantly adding poor quality products, we listen to your feedback and constantly improve our products to fit for all of your needs.
While other water equipments companies offer just a way to look under the water, NINJASHARK wants to create an amazing experience for water enthusiasts. That's why we listen to your feedbacks and we develop products based on them.
The Influencer @lud.around doesn’t believes just in snorkelling, but in the entire experience of it. When NinjaShark asked her what is in her beach bag everytime she goes on a vacation, she said, “Ninja Shark: I'm not leaving my room without the mask. The full face snorkeling mask from Australia is comfortable and fit me perfectly! Love how easy it is to breath out your nose and mouth when you snorkeling and even has earplugs! ”
“The mask include GOPRO mounts, so you can easily film and photograph underwater scenery! I highly recommend especially to people who have a fear of snorkeling! This mask is really easy to use and is safe!” said @lud.around. “I can’t wait for my next trip with my new mask!”
The Ninja Shark full face snorkel masks makes your experiences the best they can be. They are exclusively sold on the Ninja Shark website.
The Ninja Shark full face snorkel masks comes equipped with advanced Anti-Fog technology, automatic drainage, no CO2 Buildup with improved uni-directional valves, and a revolutionary breathe flow system so you can breathe through both your nose and mouth.
Our founder Andrew and Alizee are lifelong entrepreneurs and happy husband and wife. Andrew, is the visionary and marketing genius behind Ninja Shark. He’s always loved to swim and explore vast open waters, whether that be in a river, lake, or sea. Since he started snorkelling with a full face mask and flippers, however, his fascination with the underwater world has become unstoppable. Andrew always says: “The sea will be conquered!”
Alizee, is first and foremost a child of the land and avid hiker, with her passion for mysterious underwater life coming in second. In her past life (as in, before Ninja Shark life), Alizee created and sold a real estate company and managed the backend of numerous other businesses. She’s the glue that keeps Ninja Shark from busting at the proverbial seams as it grows from its current state of small Aussie family business. She’s the business brain, taking care of all things logistical and numeric, she’s the “life saver of the company”.
Ninja Shark started out more as a passion than a business.
Since Andrew and Alizee loved to go underwater so much, they tried to take their friends with them. We’ve all been in that situation where we try to share an incredible experience with loved ones, and that’s where Andrew and Alizee were at. But every so often, they’d come across someone who just couldn’t manage to breathe through a tube with their nose blocked (i.e, snorkelling).
It’s a wide held belief amongst the general public that snorkelling can be a little difficult. It’s fair enough – breathing seems unnatural with a snorkel, and the mouthpiece might be considered uncomfortable or unhygienic. The mask’s field of vision can be quite narrow, and when it fogs up you don’t really get to enjoy the underwater marvels so much.
You might be reading this as a snorkeller and scoffing, but it’s all true! Many studies have been conducted on the beaches of Europe, China, and Brazil, and the results all share the same sentiment: snorkelling is often considered difficult by the general public.
So, that was what started Andrew and Alizee off on their journey, where they eventually found the concept of a full face mask. Although the idea was already on the market, it was in its early beginnings, and they had to be sure it was something worth recommending to their friends.
Andrew and Alizee tested at least 6-7 types of full face masks, each with their own unique differences. They were surprised to find so much variation between the different types of full face masks, despite it being a relative newcomer to the scene.
Over the next 12 months, Andrew and Alizee worked tirelessly writing down, testing, adapting, studying, and testing again, to come up with the most advanced full face mask on the market.
And that’s how Ninja Shark can offer you the numerous improvements made to the special v2.0 Full Face Mask Model.
“If you thought we’re just here to sell you products, think again. You’re part of the Ninja Shark family, and your feedback matters! We’re constantly working to improve our products and deliver the full face snorkel mask that exists only in our dreams!”
What customers are saying about us…
“Makes snorkelling easier and more fun
Just in the middle of a trip to the Maldives. Have already used my full face mask 4 times. So easy to put on. Great to be able to breath normally all the time. If water does get in it disappears through the valve at the bottom so you don’t have to worry about it. Fantastic view through the mask. I have not had to stop once to adjust it in the water even after a rush jump in job to view the whale sharks. Well worth purchasing even if you don’t snorkel often.” – Fiona
What customers are saying about us…
“Makes snorkelling easier and more fun
Just in the middle of a trip to the Maldives. Have already used my full face mask 4 times. So easy to put on. Great to be able to breath normally all the time. If water does get in it disappears through the valve at the bottom so you don’t have to worry about it. Fantastic view through the mask. I have not had to stop once to adjust it in the water even after a rush jump in job to view the whale sharks. Well worth purchasing even if you don’t snorkel often.” – Fiona
All Ninja Shark Products are tailor-made with medical silicone.
We care about making our products safe and healthy for you—and our planet.
That’s why the Ninja Shark Full Face Snorkelling Masks are made from a non-toxic and environmentally friendly anti-allergic medical grade silicone, that’s not only safer for your kids but safer for you too.