Urge surfing with One Wave
Fluro, urges and freeing the funk
One Wave is All it Takes is a non-profit surf community tackling mental health issues with a simple recipe: saltwater therapy, surfing and Fluro.
Hello Sunday Morning caught up with founder Grant Trebilco over a coffee at his local in Bondi, to find out what ‘freeing the funk’ is all about.
“If you are doing it tough, going through anxiety, depression or just having a shit day, freeing the funk is what you do to make yourself feel better and get rid of all those negative thoughts.”
One Wave encourages people to free their funk by getting in the water, catching a wave and washing it all off. Grant refers to this as salt water therapy:
“As soon as you dive under a wave, you feel that little bit lighter. It’s about getting as many people in the ocean as we can so they can experience that feeling.”
Grant suffered ups and downs in his 20s, and when he was diagnosed with bipolar, he found surfing to be a great outlet for getting through tough times: it was a passion that got him out of bed in the morning.
“When I got out of hospital I went surfing and caught this one wave, and I remember it because I was smiling and I hadn’t smiled in so long.
“The thing about the ocean and swimming or surfing is that you never regret it, you will always feel better after a swim than before you got in.”
Surfing for many is an important time to find some peace, reconnect with nature and to connect with the locals and the community. It can also be a place to open up a conversation when you’re sitting out the back waiting for a wave, which is how One Wave really got started.
One Wave organises weekly community events on the beach called Fluro Fridays, where anyone can come along to share a story and join a yoga session or a group surf. People are encouraged to wear fluro colours to the meet ups, as bright colours tend to make people happy and play as a kind of ‘bad vibes suit’. The outrageous outfits also often lead to a conversation about what’s going on down at the beach, and can open up a safe space for people to share their own stories around mental health.
One Wave now runs Fluro Fridays at over 100 beaches in 20 countries.
“It makes an often invisible issue (mental health) visible.”
Urge Surfing for mindfulness
Whether you are feeling shitty, or you’re about to lash out, or you’re craving a drink or a cigarette, or you just need a minute of peace, urge surfing is a mindfulness tool featured on Hello Sunday Morning’s Daybreak app to help you step back from the urge and surf it rather than react to the situation.
This technique is all about observing your physical sensations and acknowledge the urges, rather than fighting them. Fighting an urge can feed it, so learning to acknowledge it and letting it go can be a helpful habit to get into.
How to practice urge surfing:
- Sit
Find a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down, and close your eyes for five seconds when you feel an urge.
2. Breathe
Concentrate on your breathing and your body. Notice your breath, slow it down and take smooth, deep breaths.
3. Recognise
Recognise your thoughts or urges, and picture them as a wave that will rise and fall.
4. Step back
Rather than worrying about whether the urge will become too strong to resist, imagine yourself taking a step back. Observe the urge with curiosity and notice how it feels in your body.
5. Understand it
The urge is a result of years of learning and is a chemical response, so it can only last so long. Like any wave, it will come back down to the shore.
6. Surf it
So, ride out the wave and picture yourself surfing it to the shore. Then, let it go and watch the water wash back out to sea.
7. Welcome thoughts
You may notice that new thoughts come by, like things you need to do. Let them pass by; they are just thoughts.
Give time for your body and mind to come back when you feel ready. Don’t rush it. Urge surfing is a tool that you can use just about anywhere and is effective at any time you feel you need to just stop and let it go.
Hello Sunday Morning is a movement towards a better drinking culture. Our vision is a world where drinking is an individual choice, not a cultural expectation. How do you feel about your relationship with alcohol?
Download Daybreak, for iOS or Android to change your drinking habits today. Alternatively, join our online community of over 100,000 like-minded individuals.
