“Forest bathing” is scientifically proven to improve your health.

What is “Forest bathing” ?

You’re probably imagining yourself bathing in a body of water in the middle of the forest when you think of “forest bathing”. That’s what I thought too. Yes, you can bathe in the Forest, but I am going to explain a newly discovered version of “forest bathing”.

Forest bathing recently emerged and became discovered in Japan in the early 1980’s. In Japan they call it”shinrin-yoku”. In the 1990’s ,scientists started proving how forest bathing has an effect on the mind and body. ( nationalgeographic.com )

Forest bathing is defined by the time that is spent in the wilderness regularly, and as a consequence, improving your health. You heard that right. Spending time in the woods and with your tree friends can be good for your health. This isn’t just for the hippie tree huggers, this is for everyone.

What are the benefits?

Don’t you think that it’s so true that so many people are depressed, anxious, and just unhappy? A big part of that has to do with the fact that the average American spends 93% of their time indoors. (greatergood.berkeley.edu) How depressing is that?

Spending time in the forest can reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and anger. It can strengthen your immune system, improve cardiovascular and metabolic health; and boost your overall well-being. How is that do you say? There are 2 main reasons how these things occur when spending more time in the forest.

Fact #1

Reason 1 being that there is a higher concentration of oxygen in the air when you are surrounded by trees. If you did not know, humans breathe in oxygen and breath out CO2. So when you spend a lot of time indoors,(when it is not ventilated enough), you can suffer from high amounts of CO2. This can lead to asthma, inflammation, short-term sickness, headaches, dizziness, respiratory symptoms, and much more. If you are thinking, “well, I have really good airflow in my home, so I don’t need to be outside”, you need to hear why you can’t get the full “forest bathing” effect while being inside.

Fact #2

Reason 2 being that you are exposed to plant chemicals called phytoncides when forest bathing. And I know what you’re thinking… no, your houseplants do not come close to the experience your body gets from phytoncides in the forest, but they can still definitely help increase oxygen! Evergreens like pine, cedar, spruce, and conifers are among the biggest producers of phytoncides, so finding a forest with these specific trees will help you to have the greatest health benefits. “Phytoncides have antibacterial and antifungal qualities which help plants fight diseases. When people breath in these chemicals, our bodies respond by increasing the number and activity of a type of white blood cell called natural killer cells. These cells kill tumor (and virus) cells in our bodies.” (www.dec.ny.gov/lands)

How to Forest Bathe

There is no “right” way to forest bathe, but studies show that participants could see positive changes when going on a forest bathing trip once a month. But I would say that you should try to go once a week if you can. Every day would be ever better! When you forest bathe, just try to take it all in. Turn the sound off on your phone. Close your eyes. Listen to the beards chirping above you. Feel the wind move through your hair. Take a deep breath. Sometimes you can feel the difference in your chest just from taking a deep breath out in the forest. The oxygen is so pure and healing. Feel the moss on the trees or lay down in a pile of leaves. Take a nap in a hammock. Lay down a blanket and write in your journal, read a book… the possibilities are endless with what you can do while you forest bathe.

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If you have any questions at all about forest bathing, please feel free to leave a comment. If you want to learn more about forest bathing, I highly recommend the book “Forest Bathing” by Dr. Cyndi Gilbert.