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| Me, "bathing" in some birch trees in a boreal forest. |
This past weekend, I was feeling exhausted. I had had a busy week and was tired. I felt like I needed rest, but I didn't want to stay home, either. On Saturday morning, despite waking up to an overcast day, I insisted that we go for a drive outside of the city to breathe some fresh, country air. I wanted to walk in the woods, and so I found a hiking trail that had been rated fairly highly. So we got into the car and I drove away from the busy city, out into an endless expanse of farmland, trees, and hills. The quiet, somber, cloudy day didn't dampen my mood: indeed, I started to feel better as soon as I got out of the car an hour later, in the countryside, and we began to explore. Although it's mid-October, an unusually warm year with ample rain has meant that the grass has stayed green well past its usual expiry date, and some of the maple trees were only just starting to put on their fall colors.
About a year ago, I watched this video on the concept of "Forest Bathing," known as Shinrin-yoku in Japanese. The concept is fascinating: the idea is that simply going into the forest for a walk, spending time amongst the trees, can have a profound impact on your health and well-being. What's more, the affects of such an excursion can last for up to a month after taking the "forest bath." As this article on Quartz summed it up,
From 2004 to 2012, Japanese officials spent about $4 million dollars studying the physiological and psychological effects of forest bathing, designating 48 therapy trails based on the results. Qing Li, a professor at Nippon Medical School in Tokyo, measured the activity of human natural killer (NK) cells in the immune system before and after exposure to the woods. These cells provide rapid responses to viral-infected cells and respond to tumor formation, and are associated with immune system health and cancer prevention. In a 2009 study Li’s subjects showed significant increases in NK cell activity in the week after a forest visit, and positive effects lasted a month following each weekend in the woods.
This concept really resounds with me. I find I crave the forest and periodically need to dwell in it in order to "recharge" my batteries for life in the city. I may be a little bit biased, but I do find that my body desires this natural experience of "bathing" in wooded areas every once in a while.
I grew up in a rural area, and it wasn't until I was 17 years old that I lived in a city. At first, I lived in a city only part time as a student, returning to my family's country home every summer and in December for the Christmas holidays. But eventually, as I got older, got a job, got a boyfriend (turned husband), I traveled to the country less and less.
And I have to say, I think my body - and possibly my mental well-being - has suffered for it.
I am in love with the sounds, scents and feel of the natural world: the leaves rustling leaves and branches, the tap of rain on the forest leaves, birds chirping in the branches and creatures rustling around on the forest floor. I love the scent of pines and the smooth, elegant touch of birch bark. I like feeling moss under my feet, and climbing rocks and sitting next to lakes, ponds and rivers.
It's not just nostalgia. Every time I go into the woods, I feel a little less anxious. I breathe easier, and my body feels freer. There has to be something real to that sensation. So the work of Japanese scientists really seems to back up this sensation I notice. Scientifically speaking, a lot of the healing properties they found were due to the essential oils emitted by the trees and plants in the forest. They are beneficial for people to breathe in and can have a positive impact on our health.
By the time we returned home last Saturday, late in the afternoon, I felt like a new person. The positive effects lasted at least several days. I felt lighter, happier, and my mood was greatly improved. Even without the science backing up its benefits, I know that there is nothing quite like a walk in the forest to lift my mood.
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