Courage and surfing are inseparable. To improve at surfing, you need courage. But fear and surfing also go hand in hand, like pitch and brimstone. To grow as a surfer, you must learn to face your fear in the water—easier said than done.
There are countless exercises online on how to overcome fear. But what if your fear response overwhelms you to the point where you can’t think straight? You freeze at the sight of a wave rolling toward you—or perhaps even panic. When taking off on a steep wave, do you cling to your board instead of standing up? A nosedive is guaranteed in that case.
I believe the first step is to understand what happens in your brain and body when you’re faced with a threat. That’s why the first part of this blog post provides key insights into this process. In the second part, you’ll find practical tips to help you manage fear.
- Overview of the nervous system
- The fear response: fight, flight, freeze
- How to calm your nervous system and change your fear response
- Exercises to overcome fear in surfing and break the freeze response
Overview of the nervous system
Our central nervous system (CNS) consists of the brain and spinal cord and serves as the body’s processing center. Its three main tasks are: receiving information from our five senses, processing it, and sending motor instructions to the body.
Then there’s the peripheral nervous system (PNS), which includes all the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. Its primary role is to transmit information to the brain and execute brain commands. Within the PNS, we’re particularly interested in the autonomic nervous system, which consists of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. But why is it called the “autonomic nervous system”? Because it controls unconscious processes in the body, such as digestion, heartbeat, and more.
Why does this matter? Because these two systems play a key role in our anxiety and fear while surfing—and, importantly, they are systems we can learn to influence.
The sympathetic nervous system:
The sympathetic nervous system is the performance-enhancing system that prepares your body for mental and physical exertion. Your heartbeat becomes faster and stronger, your breathing quickens, and your focus sharpens. Meanwhile, functions that aren’t immediately necessary—such as digestion—are temporarily inhibited. This is the “fight or flight” branch of the autonomic nervous system.
The parasympathetic nervous system:
The parasympathetic nervous system is the antagonist of the sympathetic nervous system. As the “rest and digest” branch of the autonomic nervous system, it regulates bodily functions when we are at rest. It promotes relaxation, activates digestion, and stimulates various metabolic processes.
When we feel nervous or anxious while surfing, it makes sense to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system to help calm the sympathetic nervous system.
But why does the sympathetic nervous system become so active when we experience fear? Where does this response come from? This is where the brain comes into play.
Our brain and the fear responses Flight, Fight, Freeze
All the information we perceive through our senses is passed on to the brain—first to the thalamus, which acts as our gatekeeper or filter. This part of the brain decides which information is important and should be passed on, and which can be ignored.
If something is perceived as dangerous, it is immediately flagged as important and sent to the amygdala—our inner alarm system. When the amygdala detects danger, it triggers a series of reactions, including our fear response: Flight, Fight, Freeze, Fawn, or Flop.
Flight: Can I escape the danger by fleeing?
Fight: Can I overpower or fight the danger?
Freeze: Can I avoid danger by staying still (e.g., does a lion lose interest in an antelope that appears dead)?
Our brain instinctively selects the response it believes is best for the situation and activates the sympathetic nervous system, which then triggers the physical reactions described earlier. All of this happens unconsciously and in an instant—because it has to.
However, in some situations, this reaction can be disproportionately strong compared to the actual danger. That’s why it’s crucial to retrain our brain and nervous system to assess threats more realistically and respond appropriately.
What can you do to calm your nervous system and transform your fear when surfing?
Reframing: What scares you scares you because of the meaning you attach to it—you perceive the situation as dangerous. To change your fear response, you need to change the meaning you give to that situation. This process is called reframing. In simple terms, reframing means looking at a situations from a different perspective and giving it a new meaning. If a situation is no longer perceived as highly dangerous, the amygdala won’t react as intensely—like a bee sting setting off an alarm—and the sympathetic nervous system will remain calmer.
Activate the parasympathetic nervous system: Engage in activities that support the parasympathetic nervous system. This helps calm the sympathetic nervous system, allowing your entire nervous system to settle and become less agitated.
Habituation / Desensitization: The more we expose ourselves to situations we fear, the more we become accustomed to them—as long as they remain within our skill level. For example, if we want to surf bigger waves, we progress gradually, increasing wave size step by step and only moving to the next level once we feel reasonably comfortable with the current one.
Exercises to Overcome Your Fear of Surfing and Freeze Response
First things first: there’s no single exercise that you can do once to eliminate fear or stop your freeze response instantly. Retraining your brain and nervous system takes time, patience, and consistency—you have to put in the work!
Here are some exercises you can do:
Exercise #1 – The “The-Instead-Visualization” (Reframing):
Choose a situation that scares you and write it down on a piece of paper.
Reflect on your thoughts and feelings in that situation—what came up for you?
Reimagine the situation: How could you perceive or approach it differently?
Decide what thoughts and feelings you’d like to have instead. How would the situation change if you experienced it with this new mindset, thoughts and feelings? Write down this new version of the situation, incorporating the thoughts and feelings you want to cultivate.
Finally, Let’s Get Creative! Now, take it a step further—make the situation fun and absurd. Imagine a rainbow-colored wave with a big smile, cotton-soft water, or that you can breathe underwater like a fish. Maybe there are funny fish making jokes around you—whatever makes it lighthearted and playful!
For the next few weeks, visualize both versions of the situation every day:
The new, empowered version with your desired thoughts and feelings. And the funny, absurd version to break the fear cycle.
Why does this work? Your goal is to teach your brain that the situation isn’t as dangerous as it thinks. By repeatedly layering positive experiences over the negative one, the old fear-based thoughts and feelings start to fade. Over time, the new thoughts and emotions become stronger and more natural. This works because your brain doesn’t distinguish between real experiences and vividly imagined ones. When you visualize intensely, your brain treats it as a real experience — rewiring your response and shaping a new reality.
Exercise #2 – Breathing (acitvate the parasympathetic nervous system):
Do regular calming breathing exercises. For example, box breathing or “breathe out longer than you breathe in” (count to 4 on the inhale and 7 on the exhale, repeat 11 times). I explained the technique in this box breathing instagram video . Why breathing exercises? Calming breathing has a direct influence on the parasympathetic nervous system. You always have your breath with you 😉. And if you want to do guided breathing exercises, you can find lots of videos on YouTube. Or take a look at my sister’s homepage. You can find three guided breathing exercises in her online store. HERE you can find three guided breathing exercises in her online store.
Exercise #3 – Being in the present moment using your senses (acitvate the parasympathetic nervous system):
When you feel anxious, your thoughts are usually stuck in the past or future. To calm yourself, bring your focus back to the present by engaging your five senses:
See: Describe three things you can see around you.
Hear: Identify three sounds you can hear.
Touch: Notice the texture of your clothes or the feeling of your skin.
Smell: What scents can you detect in the air?
Taste: Stick out your tongue—can you taste anything? Or, if you have gum or a piece of candy, focus on its flavor.
While you’re in the water, play with your surroundings:
Feel the temperature of the water. Run your hands through the waves. Splash water on your face. Taste the saltiness of the ocean. Jump off your board, dive underwater, and let go for a moment. Relax your body and allow yourself to float.
By fully immersing yourself in the present moment, fear fades, and you reconnect with the joy of being in the ocean.
Exercise #4 – music to calm you down (acitvate the parasympathetic nervous system):
Listen to music that soothes and calms you. As you listen, visualize a beautiful memory or a peaceful, calming landscape. While in the water, you can mentally play a calming song to help you relax. If you feel comfortable and no one is nearby, you might even hum the tune softly to reinforce the sense of calm.
Exercise #5 – Grounding (acitvate the parasympathetic nervous system):
Shift your attention to your feet and feel your connection to the ground. Notice how you’re standing: Are you stable or slightly swaying? Is the surface uneven or flat? Cold or warm? Imagine strengthening energy flowing up from the ground into your body. In the water, ground yourself through your board. Feel it as your safe and solid platform, guiding you wherever you want to go.
Exercise #6 – Being mentally and physically fit (acitvate the parasympathetic nervous system):
Fitness for body and lungs: When your body is strong and fit, you naturally feel safer in the water. Ramona from Surf Fitness Online offers a great 6-week Surf-Fit course to help build your strength and endurance. You’ll find the link further below. Additionally, training your lungs can boost your confidence. When you know you can hold your breath longer underwater and breathe efficiently while paddling, your nervous system will feel more at ease. Taking a surf apnea course is another great way to improve your breath control and overall water confidence.
Exercise #7 – Stressmanagement:
If you are constantly stressed, sleep too little, work too much, or always keep yourself busy, your nervous system never truly gets a chance to calm down—it stays in a constant state of high alert. Take a step back and see where you can bring more calmness into your life. Give yourself permission to slow down and take intentional breaks to relax. Also, reflect on whether you feel genuinely happy in your life or if there are areas that need change.
As I mentioned, repetition over time is key. I find that the easiest place to start is with the breath. Make it a habit to practice calming breathing techniques regularly over several months and integrate conscious breathing into your daily life. Just 10 minutes a day
Your Personal Online Coaching and Mental Training
Would you like online coaching to create a personalized mental training plan? Or do you have a mental block, such as fear or low self-confidence, that’s holding you back in surfing?
Book your session directly through my Calendly calendar, or learn more about my offerings HERE.
You want to practice right by and in the sea? Then take a look at our SURF COACHING and MENTAL TRAINING RETREATS.
Do you want to become surf fit?
Courage and self-confidence also come from physical fitness. The fitter you are, the more confident you’ll feel in the water. I’d like to introduce you to two surf fitness programs that I have personally completed and fully stand behind. I am an affiliate for both programs, which means I receive a small commission if you purchase through my link. However, this does not affect the price—you won’t pay a cent more!
SURFFIT IN 6 WEEKS – Ramona Beyer (in German)
Ramona is the founder of surf-fitness-online.de and a surf fitness trainer. I have worked with her several times and know her as a competent, supportive, and highly motivated coach. She’s a hands-on person, which I particularly admire.
Her 6-week program is in German and is perfect for women, as she understands exactly what we need to feel strong and confident in the water.
👉 SURF-FITNESS-ONLINE
SURF STRENGTH COACH – CRIS MILLS
Cris Mills is one of the best surf fitness coaches out there, fully dedicated to training surfers. He offers a wide range of online workouts, from pop-up drills to full 12-week surf fitness programs.
👉 CRIS MILLS – SURF STRENGTH COACH
More exciting blog articles on overcoming fear while surfing:
- Surfing accident or bad experience? 4 Steps to resolve fear.
- Overcoming fear during take-off – I also posted about this topic on Instagram: Fear during take-off Instagram
- Fear when surfing? Not necessary. Tips to overcome your fear.
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