Our Ocean Engagement Manager, Freyja, tells us all about the theory of Blue Mind and how we embed it into our ethos at the OCT!
When you think of the Ocean, how does it make you feel? The sound of the waves lapping on the shore may make you feel calm, or the blues and greens that make up the colour of the Ocean may make you feel relaxed. The thought of the swell from a winter storm might make you feel excited, or invigorated. The feelings we have when we think about the Ocean (and other blue spaces) is known as ‘Blue Mind Theory’, a term coined by Wallace J Nichols, and is also used to describe the psychological and physiological impacts that being in these blue spaces can have.
The Blue Mind ethos is something that all at the Ocean Conservation Trust relate to immensely. Our team sees the effects first-hand on individuals every time we take someone on a boat, to the beach, or to sit quietly at the huge viewing windows in our Aquarium. By encouraging people to feel empathy towards the Ocean, we know that people will feel inspired to help protect our blue planet more.
How do we use the Blue Mind theory?
We incorporate both the Blue Mind theory and ethos into our community wellbeing project, Blue Mind Hub, designed to support people experiencing poor mental health by getting them into Ocean spaces. Through activities such as snorkelling, visits to the National Marine Aquarium, rockpooling and boat trips, small groups of people are able to be immersed in blue spaces, and experience blue mind theory first hand.
Since 2023, we have been able to work with nearly 30 people from Plymouth, and meet professionals from all over the city working in health, wellbeing and social care. Two-thirds of participants to date said that they experienced a positive improvement in their wellbeing, and 94% of participants think that interacting with the Ocean is important for their wellbeing after taking part in our Blue Mind Hub.
We’ve also been able to engage professionals across Plymouth with each other, to encourage more joined up thinking across community based services. In 2025, we took Blue Monday (the third Monday in January, and coined as the most depressing day of the year) as an opportunity to share our stories of awe, wonder and inspiration that come from our Ocean planet, in our first Blue Health Networking event. Practitioners learned more about our Blue Mind Hub activities, community based initiatives from a local CIC Moondogz, and gave feedback about barriers that exist to accessing the Ocean for those living with poor mental health.
To learn more about our Blue Mind Hub activities, click on the button below!