Forest Baths, Antidote To Stress

Stress has become a silent enemy that lurks everywhere. Big cities produce above all that: distressed people. Urban life itself causes that sometimes there is tension by the simple fact of traveling on a street. The barrage of stimuli can be so high that anyone ends up stressed.

Our senses are also affected by stress. For example, it is more difficult for us to distinguish odors due to environmental pollution. The same is true of sounds. On any main street in a city, noise levels are so high that we have to turn up the volume to speak and pay more attention to listen.

The same happens with the other senses. We close our eyes or lower our gaze so as not to get confused. Worse still: we do not enjoy what we eat because being always in a hurry prevents us from doing so. Even lunchtime is a waste of time for some. And when it comes to touch, are we aware that we have become numb when feeling and exploring what is around us?

We give the wrong meaning to the term leisure. Many people think it is doing nothing. So when we have time to ourselves, we waste it in front of the television, a video game or the computer screen. In this way, we immerse ourselves in a reality alien to us. And without realizing it, we become prisoners of stress.

Does nature help us fight stress?

The answer to this question is definitely: yes. Among the recommendations of some doctors today is to seek contact with nature. Remember your walks to the field. You have surely noticed that  once you are out of town,  everything changes. The smell, the sounds and the scenery are different. The senses seem to wake up and we perceive what we overlook on a day-to-day basis.

But beyond returning to contact with nature, there is a very valuable technique aimed at sharing stress: forest baths. This technique was born in Japan, a country that has one of the most developed economies in the world. However, at the same time it has high rates of suicide among adolescents and diseases (including death) in the population, caused by overwork.

The technique consists of going to the reunion of nature, whether in a forest or in the open field. The idea is to relax, put aside the chaos that we immerse ourselves in on a daily basis and, in this way, lower the stress level so that we can better manage it. He thinks that walking in a natural setting implies establishing a break with several of the stimuli that generate anguish.

Benefits of forest baths

The most important benefit of forest baths is to connect with the universe through nature and get away from stress. The forest baths (whose name in Japanese is Shinrin Yoku ) offer other possibilities besides walking. You can, if you want, hug a tree and experience the benefits of exchanging your bad vibes for those that the branches and trunk of that tree give you back. Or take an infusion with aromatic plants that contribute to your relaxation.

Nature helps you look at the world from another perspective. When there is stress it is because a part of your brain is overloaded. Forest baths decrease brain activity related to decision making and problem solving. Instead, they activate the areas associated with emotions, pleasure, and creativity.

For forest baths to reduce your stress, you need to dedicate enough time to them. No rushing. Remember that you are going to take advantage of the benefits that contact with nature offers you. Benefits that can only be obtained if you pay attention to each step you take. Among other things, remember that meditation can also be done while walking: it is enough that you are alert and with your senses wide awake.

Making an effort to fill ourselves with good energy costs neither money nor effort. It is enough to open our mind and our heart. Recognize that we are part of the universe. We all play a role, we are interconnected and every decision we make affects the environment. If we want tranquility, health and spiritual growth, let’s start by getting in touch with nature again.