My happy place has always been by the water. Growing up in North Carolina, I am lucky to have been able to visit many of our beautiful beaches. I have also been to Cape Cod (MA), Myrtle Beach (SC), Virginia Beach (VA), and Daytona Beach (FL). I love being by the ocean, kayaking, swimming, and just floating in the water.

When I watched "The Little Mermaid" as a child, I questioned why Ariel wanted to leave her life as a mermaid for life on land. I love the sea and have always felt its pull. What is it that draws so many people to the sea? Water is a such a big force in our lives. It sustains us and we need it to survive.

The first human civilizations flourished along rivers, using bodies of water to grow crops, travel, and obtain food and other resources. Take any history class and you will learn the importance of access to water throughout human history. But is our draw to water simply for survival?

Marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols has been researching this fundamental link between humans and the ocean for years. His theory is that humans are intrinsically connected with the sea and that when in harmony with it, we experience psychological benefits that can elevate mood, reduce stress and improve faculties such as concentration, clear thinking, and memory. He calls this "Blue Mind."

The more complex theory is that our brains can tune in to the frequencies of the ocean waves and when they do, it changes the patterns of our brainwaves, inducing a meditative state. There are a variety of studies available that show significant drops in stress hormones when exposed to the sounds of the sea.

Water is also beneficial for our bodies. Both the earth and our bodies are made of about 70% water. When we physically enter the water, our body can rest the muscles it uses every day, and work others that are used far less frequently.

After having had multiple knee injuries throughout my life, water has become a refuge for me; a place where I can move around freely with less pain. In water, we give up gravity, something that’s somatically a break for your brain.

Human civilizations used to depend on proximity to water in order to survive. Now we have moved more inland, but many of us still are drawn to bodies of water. At its simplest, being around water takes our busy minds off the endless sensory overload of modern life, allowing our brains the chance to escape from the endless onslaught. But it also moves in harmony with our minds and bodies. Water pulls on me the way the moon pulls on it. It's just in my blood and bones. And in a deep, calm way it makes me feel alive.