Yassi Pressman likens surfing in the water and braving the waves to taking care of her own mental health.

Pressman explained why this is so in her Instagram page yesterday, Oct. 11, where she showed a short surfing video.

“In Siargao I realized that my first couple of surfing lessons were very similar to the way I take care of my mental health,” she said.

At that time, what Pressman needed was “some time to get away.”

“I spontaneously planned a trip to the beach with no itinerary/schedule and ended up trying to learn how to surf,” she said. “To find some of the best surf spots in Siargao a boat has to drop you off in the middle of the ocean, then you got to paddle to get to the waves, and on some days you got to paddle really FAAAAAAR.”

For her, it was very difficult, as she was not used to using her upper body, much more to “go against the current to get to the starting point.”

She noted how the whole exercise requires patience because the surfer waits for waves

“The actual wait for the wave makes me nervous,” she said. “There is a lot of suspense and build up,” she noted.

“You have to time when to push up and keep your form. When I finally did it, the next thing I thought about was trying to balance in the rush of it all and stand up steady on my board. Or else I’ll fall,” she recalled.

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“When you actually fall, you must think fast, don’t panic (which was hard considering you are actually being pulled by the waves under the water, right?) anyway, STAY RELAXED,” she advised. “You have to get some air then paddle for your life so that the next couple of waves do not come at you hard, and you won’t get in the way of any other person possibly surfing your way.”

Falling is okay, says Pressman, and all that one needs is to just “breathe” and “paddle out of the chaos.”

“Take a couple of breaths in a spot where the waves are calmer, and when you are ready start paddling back. Get back to the beginning, no matter how well you do, take the risk,” she added. “Magawa mo man in the beginning o hindi, don’t give up. Kaya mo yan. Try again.”

(Whether you get to accomplish it right from the beginning or not, don’t give up. You can do it. Try again.)

Aside from surfing, Pressman has also engaged in other fitness and sporting activities such as boxing. JB

WATCH: Yassi Pressman in good boxing form, recalls ‘dark time’ when the sport saved her