In a society where we love a quick fix, it’s easy to overlook the need to stop and just be. However, can you truly find peace or relaxation in a short break from your routine? The answer is yes, but not in as meaningful a way as a longer respite.
As indoor activities and screens take over our lives, we get less time in the fresh air and natural greenery. They are more restorative than you think, with more benefits for every minute you invest in your time there.
Even a respite to your backyard gives you a sense of relief. The sight of the colors and textures of the outdoor environment tap into our instincts as nature-loving creatures. We are delighted by the surprise visits of birds or other creatures who spark our curiosity.
Take that up a notch and disappear into the forest for a few hours and you’ll have an even richer experience. You’ll see more colors and breathe in more scents that trigger memories or other sensations related to relaxation. Even the patterns of the sun coming through the trees treat your brain to a new connection to the earth.
Without distractions, you can retreat into your thoughts and just take in the scene around you. Touch the stones; listen to the babbling creek; feel how your feet sink into the forest floor.
Now you are truly coming to life.
Don’t rush your way through the woods. This is not a race, but an experience. Look for something new at every step. Marvel at the veins in a leaf. Cock your ears to hear the whisper of the wind in the trees.
Slow your thoughts. Slow your breathing.
If you are skeptical, consider The Physiological Effects of Shinrin-yoku (Forest Bathing) by the Center for Environment, Health and Field Sciences, at Chiba University in Japan.
They invited 12 people to visit 24 forests and various city settings, testing their blood pressure, pulse rate, heart-rate variability, and cortisol levels in their saliva beforehand, during, and afterward. They discovered people who walked in or even looked at the forests had “lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, lower blood pressure, greater parasympathetic nerve activity, and lower sympathetic nerve activity” compared to exposure to city environments.
“The results of the physiological measurements suggest that Shinrin-yoku can aid in effectively relaxing the human body, and the psychological effects of forest areas have been correlated with the various physical environmental factors of forest,” they added. “The studies of Shinrin-yoku provide valuable insights into the relationship between forests and human health.”
As a result, they recommended that forest bathing be used as a preventative health measure to promote the effective use of forest resources in stress management, health promotion, rehabilitation, and the prevention of disease.
If you loved playing outside as a kid, returning to a rural setting would trigger happy memories, but the connection goes much deeper than that. By deliberately slowing down and exposing your senses to all the forest stimuli, you reach a deep level of relaxation.
You can go out on your own, bring someone else who loves nature, or enlist a forest therapy guide to make your experience even richer. Aim to spend close to an hour in this space or longer, for maximum rewards. A forest bath is a balm for your central nervous system, disrupting our worries and boosting our moods.
Just opening yourself up to an awareness to yourself puts you more in touch with what is happening within you. You may feel an emotional response, ranging from joy to dealing with a long-buried grief. Without the distractions and expectations of the busy world, you check in with yourself at a new level.
Soon, you will realize how mindlessly you walk through life without really listening, tasting, or testing what is unfolding around you.
In the meantime, enjoy the silence or the subtle sounds that slip into it. Soak up the smells of the plants and rich earth.
Here are some tips to enhance your experience:
- Drop in and tune out. No screens or devices that play music. Turn off your phone.
- Avoid conversation so you can engage your other senses. If you’re with a companion and want to show them something, use gestures.
- Lean in. Kneel to see or smell what is on the forest floor. Sit with your back against a tree or press a hand into the soil. Really connect.
- Listen for breezes or buzzing. Let the sounds come to you.
- Leave fear behind. You’re in a safe space. Wild animals don’t want to interact with humans, so they are not a threat to you.
- Walk slowly. Explore with all your senses.
- Await ‘invitations’ from your setting that open up questions or thoughts as your mind meanders, rather than racing as it usually does.
- Hug a tree to feel its power and history. Admire its rugged features as you look at it from bottom to top. Talk to it gently if you wish to engage that way, not about your problems but about what it means to you.
- Treat yourself to a picnic with soothing foods and nice dishes and cutlery. Eat slowly as you look around, savoring every moment. Add any berries or other edible items you find during your travels.
- Journal about your experience to reflect on what you have learned during your journey.
- Enjoy a deep sleep arising from your relaxed state.
- Try to incorporate the peacefulness of your forest visit to other moments, whether in a local park or another outdoor setting. Consider it a mini-vacation.
- Commit to return for another dose of forest therapy. Soon.
Resources:
The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan, https://environhealthprevmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1007/s12199-009-0086-9
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/forest-therapy#A-quieted-mind
