Forest Bathing
In 1982, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries created the term shinrin-yoku, which translates to “forest bathing” or “absorbing the forest atmosphere.” The practice encourages people to simply spend time in nature — no actual bathing required. It’s also very low impact, which means you don’t have to go for intense trail runs or hikes. The goal of forest bathing is to live in the present moment while immersing your senses in the sights and sounds of a natural setting.
Forest bathing has been found to lower blood pressure, heart rate, and levels of harmful hormones — like cortisol, which your body produces when it’s stressed. This can help put you in a more calm and relaxed state. In addition, studies have found that simply spending 10 to 20 minutes a day outdoors can lead to increased well-being and happiness — and decreased amounts of stress.
While the word “forest” is in the name of this practice, don’t worry — heading out to a heavily wooded area isn’t required. You could take a trip to a nearby park, your favorite local trail, the beach, or any natural setting. Just be sure to turn off or silence your phone or other devices. The key is to practice mindfulness. That means being present and fully in the moment.
Once you’ve arrived at your destination, take a few deep breaths and center yourself. Focus on what your senses are taking in — whether it’s the scent of clean ocean air or a chorus of chirping birds.
Spend a few moments simply looking at your surroundings. Sit and watch how the trees sway in the wind or simply walk around. If you decide to walk, go at an easy pace and without a specific destination in mind. It’s important to let your mind and senses explore and enjoy the environment.
Nature Grounding
There are many types of grounding. All of them focus on reconnecting yourself to the earth. This can be done through either direct or indirect contact with the earth.
~ Walking Barefoot
Have you ever been outside on a warm summer day and felt the urge to run barefoot in the grass? One of the easiest ways to ground yourself to the earth is to walk barefoot. Whether this is on grass, sand, or even mud, allowing your skin to touch the natural ground can provide you with grounding energy.
~Lying on the Ground
You can increase your skin-to-earth contact by lying on the ground. You can do it in the grass by the park or on the sand at the beach.
~Submerging in Water
Water may be used to ground in the same way the physical earth is used for grounding. Simply wading in a clear lake or swimming in the ocean is a way to ground yourself.
5 Senses Grounding Activity
One popular grounding technique is the 5-4-3-2-1 method. Here’s how to practice your five senses grounding. First, you may want to start with a simple deep breathing exercise called the 5-5-5 method. To do this, you breathe in for 5 seconds, hold your breath for 5 seconds, and then breathe out for 5 seconds. You can continue this process until your thoughts slow down or you notice some relief. When you can find your breath, try practicing the 5-4-3-2-1 technique. For that, you want to look around and focus on:
5 things you see
4 things you feel
3 things you hear
2 things you smell
1 thing you taste
The idea is that the 5-4-3-2-1 technique helps you shift your focus to what’s currently happening around you instead of what’s making you feel anxious.
If you don’t have access to green space at all— or if you just can’t get enough of that forest feeling — try bringing the outside in. Spruce up your space by:
~Opening up your windows. Pull back the curtains and let some fresh air in.
~Getting a few potted plants.
~Burning a woodsy-scented candle or using an oil diffuser to fill your room with the smell of trees. (A 2009 study showed that simply being immersed in the scents of the forest may have a positive impact on your health.)
~Adding a few rocks, shells, pinecones, or crystals to your décor.
~Listening to recordings of forest or nature sounds.
~Walk outside barefoot, and physically connect with the earth.
Written by: Crystal Jones
National Certified School Psychologist, Licensed Educational Psychologist
References: Kaiserpermanente.org, Healthline.com, Psychcentral.com, and Clevelandclinic.org