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Forest Bathing for Anxiety

Forest bathing for anxiety

*Portions of Forest Bathing for Anxiety were originally published on ForestTherapyToday.com, which no longer exists.

 

 

I don’t know about you, but I can feel the collective anxiety right now.

As an empath and already anxious person, it seems to viscerally seep in through my pores.

I tend to internalize it.

So, I’ve had to learn how to manage the nervousness in natural ways.

Forest bathing is one of my favorite ways to combat stress. And it’s so effective!

 

Studies have established the therapeutic benefits of nature for mental health, which I’ll share with you below.

 

Forest bathing is the perfect marriage of nature therapy and mindfulness for anxiety.

 

So, let’s look at how forest bathing can help you if you have anxiety, based on science and personal experience.

 

The Science of Forest Bathing for Anxiety

If you’re familiar with forest bathing, you know the practice of forest bathing involves awareness of the forest using all the senses.

So, at least two major known therapeutic elements come into play when you forest bathe: mindfulness and nature exposure.

 

Mindfulness

First, the element of mindfulness is built into forest bathing. Mindfulness is about tuning into only the present moment as you take the environment in with each sense.

By paying close attention to what’s going on around you, you stop the vicious cycle of negative and ruminative thought patterns that perpetuate anxiety. There’s not much room left over for brooding when you’re concentrating on the details surrounding you. 

Key findings from research: A review of 39 studies and 1,140 participants found that “mindfulness-based therapy is a promising intervention for treating anxiety and mood problems.” 

Therapists often incorporate mindfulness practice into their treatment protocol for anxiety. Since forest bathing involves the benefits of mindfulness, it also provides relief from stress and worry.  

 

Nature exposure

Second, exposure to nature, greenery, and forests, enhances mood and lowers markers of stress. It relaxes the vicious rumination cycle, has a pronounced relaxing effect, and increases a bunch of positive emotions.

Key findings from the research: Participants who went forest bathing in 24 forests across Japan enjoyed lowered cortisol levels, lowered blood pressure, slower heart rates, and lower sympathetic nervous system activity–all physiological signs of anxiety!

Just the sight of the color green, the smell of tree essential oils, or the sounds of nature can calm the nervous system. You put all these effects together, and you have a great source of stress relief.

I mean, the entire field of ecotherapy is built around the therapeutic benefits of being in nature. Forest bathing is a form of ecotherapy that provides emotional and mental health benefits.

 

Forest bathing is the perfect therapeutic mixture of nature exposure and mindfulness.

 

[Related reading: Check out this page for all the studies about the benefits of forest bathing.]

 

 

Personal experience

I’ve had my own lifelong relationship with anxiety. I’d describe it as a long-lost cousin that’s related to me and co-exists in the world with me, but doesn’t interact with me very often and I forget he’s there most of the time. 

Part of the reason it’s not prevalent most of the time is because I take daily actions to keep it suppressed and manageable. One of those things? Ah, you guessed it. Forest bathing.

Now, first off, let me just say, forest bathing isn’t a “cure” for anxiety. Anxiety requires daily ongoing maintenance and forest bathing is one tool that can be incorporated into the repertoire. (Along with pharmaceuticals, CBD, meditation, relaxation, and more).

I’m no doctor or therapist. I’m just a girl who has a distant cousin named Anxiety that knocks at the front door unexpectedly from time to time.

I can spout out all the different studies and measurable effects of forest bathing like above, but it doesn’t fully explain the feelings shinrin-yoku invokes, does it?

Think about how you feel after spending time outdoors.

We might not know how all the science works at a fundamental level, but you can feel it, right?

It relaxes, yes, but not just the muscles. It relaxes the mind, body, and thought patterns. It captures attention and releases you in a way that TV, reading, and other engrossing indoor activities can’t.

I can tell you that forest bathing makes me “feel” different. I can be tied in knots at home or work. But, the moment I step into the woods, some other mechanism takes over and smothers the anxiety.

I see the same in my kids. Even when they were tiny newborns, they could be crying all day, and the moment we stepped outside with them, they were fine. Instantly.

That response to nature is likely buried in our DNA from our ancestors.

I can tell you that a routine forest bathing practice is far more powerful than simply meditation or mindfulness alone. The addition of nature exposure takes the benefits of meditation and mindfulness up a notch, or six.

I usually return home from a forest bathing experience changed. As in, my disposition changes, my feelings about my troubles changes, my sense of livelihood changes. 

As though an entirely new sense of tranquility and okay-ness has washed over me.

Do you feel that too?

I don’t always have the right words for it.

 

And that’s probably the best place to leave you. With your own thoughts. With your own considerations, where the words end…

 

I hope this article has given you a new appreciation for forest bathing as an anti-anxiety tool. If you have anxiety, you too know that anxiety management is an ongoing process and requires you to be kind to yourself daily.

 

How about you?

Do you use forest bathing for anxiety? How has it helped?

Cacao Ceremony + Forest Bathing

cacao ceremony and forest bathing

 

Cacao Ceremony and Forest Bathing fit together like the perfect united couple.

The cacao ceremony involves savoring and appreciating raw cacao in a certain way to experience its special effects (we’ll talk more about those shortly).

Those effects can enrich your forest bathing sessions far beyond your “normal” experience. It’s a really potent way to uplevel your practice.

You can get more life out of your time in the forest! (And I’m all about getting more life out of everything!)

 

And hey, cacao comes from a tree. How much more closely aligned with the forest can you get?

 

So, let’s get into the nitty gritty about cacao, how to perform a cacao ceremony, and how cacao fits with forest bathing.

 

 

Watch the video of the cacao ceremony

A little overview of cacao

What is cacao?

First of all, what we’re talking about here is raw ceremonial-grade cacao (pronounced cuck-cow), not hot cocoa (pronounced coh-coh). These two things fall on completely different ends of the spectrum.

Both come from the cacao tree, but cacao maintains its full original properties and fats while cocoa and chocolate are highly processed and refined, stripped of their full benefits.

Ok so, cacao comes from the beans inside cacao tree seed pods. The cacao beans undergo minimal processing to preserve the nutritional profile and nothing gets added in. Some companies lightly roast them, grind them, and shape the melted into discs while others mold them into large blocks.

Cocoa powder and chocolate, on the other hand, get heated to higher temperatures, stripped of their fats, and mixed with additives and preservatives to soften the flavor and increase shelf life.

Now, even deeper considerations go into “ceremonial grade” cacao, such as ethical sourcing and how the traditions are honored. While there isn’t an industry standard for “ceremonial grade,” you can certainly assess how well a company honors the process by reading about their processes.

[Read the extensive preservation process Firefly goes through here]

If you go to the store and buy 100% cocoa powder or chocolate, you’re not getting the right thing. It’s not widely available. In fact, most of your standard grocery stores don’t carry raw cacao. You have to purchase it online or at a special health food store, and the cost should be higher to account for the judicious process behind making it.

When I was looking for ceremonial-grade cacao, I chose Firefly because of their superior standards and the heart behind their products. I also prefer my cacao in disc form. Here’s a referral link for a 5% discount. And while you’re there, check out the fabulous resources they have on their site.

 

Benefits of Cacao

With all of its natural properties intact, raw cacao has the nutritional benefits worthy of a superfood.

The rich, dark fruit has an abundance of minerals like iron, potassium, magnesium, and flavanols which support brain and heart health. (If you think dark chocolate is good for you, you should compare how much better raw cacao is.)

One of the most notable benefits of cacao is its heart-opening effect. The compounds in cacao can increase blood flow up to 30%. Blood literally flows through your body better and makes you feel more expansive energy. You might feel what might be described as a “rush” like a caffeine high without the jittery effect.

Raw cacao can also have a mood-boosting effect, impacting serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain. It promotes feelings of bliss without altering your perceptions like a drug (it’s not a drug!)

Not only that, but cacao has a fantastic fat, fiber, and protein profile.

 

How to Prepare Cacao

Once you get your cacao, and you’re ready to try it, you need to prepare it right to get the most out of it. The cacao I got came with a pamphlet about how to prepare it.

If your cacao comes in disc form, you’re ready to go. If it comes in block form, you need to shave or grate a portion of cacao from the block.

  1. Measure out the proper portion of cacao discs or shaved cacao. A good place to start is with 0.5 oz cacao for a normal dose and 1.5 oz for a ceremonial dose. Use a kitchen scale to measure out the cacao.
  2. Heat 1/2 C (thick) – 1 C (thinner) water or nut milk to the desired temperature (less than boiling) in the microwave or on the stove.
  3. Combine the cacao with the water and blend.
  4. Pour the cacao into your favorite mug. Appreciate the sound and texture of the pour (it’s like ASMR).
  5. If you prefer your drink sweetened, stir in a natural sweetener like raw honey or maple syrup.

From there, you can experiment with spices, doses, and thicknesses until you find your soul match.

Now, before you take a drink, let’s talk about how to fully enjoy that rich cup of cacao.

 

Elements of Cacao Ceremony

The cacao ceremony is an opportunity to fully enjoy and feel the effects of cacao–as opposed to just slugging it down without a second thought or care.

I like to compare the cacao ceremony to a writer delineating their writing time from the rest of their day by lighting a candle. You can use the cacao ceremony to distinguish your forest bathing practice from everyday life. Cacao has a ritualistic quality to it because it’s a pretty special drink.

Now, you don’t have to make an entire ceremony out of this, but there is an opportunity for one here. Your religious beliefs may dictate that rituals can detract from your worship, if you’re not careful. Others, on the other hand, get even more eccentric with their rituals than this. So, I just want to talk about some foundational elements of the cacao ceremony, and you can make it your own from there.

Prayer

The first step of the cacao ceremony involves showing appreciation for this gift in some way, whether that’s through prayer or gratitude. Just take a few moments to say “thank you.”

Savor

Like with a wine tasting, this step involves experiencing your cacao with your senses. You might swirl the drink and take in all the qualities of the cacao, such as the color, thickness, and aroma.

First sip

The first sip is the most important. No sip tastes quite as potent or new as that first swallow. So, savor it. Take a slow, careful sip, with your eyes closed, and appreciate everything about the flavor. You might even think about how you might describe the flavor.

Appreciation

After your first sip, you want to keep savoring the drink. You don’t want to chug it or ignore it. You want to sip on it, appreciate it, and pay attention to the effect it has on your body. Let it play out through your piqued energy.

 

How to Incorporate Cacao Ceremony with Forest Bathing

You can integrate the ceremony into your sit spot or designate it as your “opening ceremony” for forest bathing. Then, continue on with your invitations and let the effect bring more life to your shinrin-yoku practice.

Traditionally, forest bathing culminates in a tea ceremony.

Now, it’s up to you whether you swap the tea ceremony for the cacao ceremony, incorporate both, or do neither. Make your practice your own.

I will say the heart-opening effect of cacao has a better fit at the beginning of your practice. It carries on through your session to make it more open and energetic. So, you can open with cacao and close with tea. I just wouldn’t close with cacao and miss out on the amazing benefits it provides for your practice.

I’m of the camp of belief that forest bathing should be nourishing and unhindered. Practice the way that makes you happy and works for you.

 

A word of caution: there are some contraindications to drinking cacao, particularly if you’re on antidepressants or blood thinners. Make sure to do your research and talk to your doctor if you have any questions concerns. I am not a healthcare professional or cacao expert, by any means, so nothing I say supersedes the advice of your doctor.

 

I want to hear from you:

Tell me about your experiences with cacao. Has this piqued your interest in the cacao ceremony? Do you plan on incorporating cacao ceremony into your forest bathing practice?

Forest Bathe Without the Trees: 7 Ways to Try NOW

Forest Bathing Without Trees

The traditional way to forest bathe involves an actual forest, of course. However, I’d be remiss to dismiss the benefits of being in nature, even when you don’t have access to an actual forest. 

And winter is a difficult time to make it to the forest for some. [Learn ways to embrace winter forest bathing anyway.]

If you’re not inside the forest, you may not be exposed to the specific phytoncides that trees give off, but you can still get therapeutic value from the other elements of nature, and probably many scientists haven’t identified yet. 

Science shows the act of grounding, or standing on the ground barefoot, for example, produces antioxidant effects in the body and getting some vitamin D from sunlight provides all kinds of preventative benefits.

So we know we benefit from nature, scientifically and intuitively, whether under a dense stand of trees or not. Plus, nature offers relief from modern overload and mental nourishment in any of its forms.

 

Let’s explore several ways to receive the benefits of forest bathing without the dense canopy of forest.

 

7 Ways to Forest Bathe Without Trees

    1. Practice garden medicine: gardening isn’t just a way to make your environment prettier, it’s also a real way to improve your wellbeing. First, gardening is a physical activity that can give you a pretty good workout. Also, when you work in the soil, you’re exposed to the beneficial microbiome that exists there. Finally, the colors of living growth, the exposure to the sun, the grounding effects of having your hands in the earth: these all provide profound mood-boosting effects right in your backyard.
    2. Visit a botanical garden or greenhouse: most cities have a green oasis awaiting you somewhere inside their concrete bustle. Like gardening, botanical gardens and greenhouses offer exposure to life-giving natural elements. You can feel the positive effects the minute you step into the glass building. The temperature and sunlight invite you in, the quality of the air expands your breath, and the rawness of the green beauty there leaves you with a sense of balance and vitality.
    3. Find one tree: most people aren’t far from a single tree, and that one tree can be a significant source of retreat. One single tree is enough to oxygenize and relax you, if you let it. Prop your spine against its trunk. Rest your ear against its bark. Hold its leaves in your hand. Climb into it if you’re nimble. Five minutes in a natural landscape like this can enhance mood and reduce stress, which we can all use. Pull up a tree and stay awhile!
    4. Head to the meadow: think about the sounds that reverberate from the meadow in deep summer. The crickets, grasshoppers, katydids, toads, and other wildlife create a pleasing cacophony. Even in the absence of trees, that reverberations alone gives you a healing experience. The tranquility of a meadow environment is optimal for your mindfulness practice, so feel free to practice any of your invitations there. My own sit spot is more meadow than trees, but it isn’t any less replenishing than a certified therapy forest.
    5. Take a sound bath: the idea of a sound bath shouldn’t be foreign if you understand the concept of a forest bath. Just like immersing yourself in the forest atmosphere, a sound bath is about surrounding yourself with pleasing sound. Scientists say the sounds of nature are ideal for sound baths, such as the meadow in the above example. If you don’t have access to a meadow or similar wild space, the next best thing is to listen to a recording of it. You can use sites like myNoise to give yourself a healing sound bath.
    6. Use authentic aromas: Pure essential oils and infused oils literally encapsulate the essence of the forest in a bottle. In fact, Dr. Qing Li discovered Hinoki Cypress essential oil contains the healing phytoncides you get exposed to when forest bathing. You can purchase or make your own oils and incorporate them into your meditative practices to access some of the forest’s healing elements when the forest is inaccessible.
    7. Pepper your space with indoor plants: Studies show the mere view of greenery has mood-enhancing effects for employees, cancer patients, post-op patients, and you. But you have to lift your eyes long enough to appreciate it. Start by adding green plants, even indoor trees, to your home or work environments. You may even incorporate a breathing room or Skogluft into your space. Then, set aside a sit spot inside your house next to your greenery to meditate and absorb the benefits.

 

Treeless Forest Bathing Tear Sheet

Grab your Treeless Forest Bathing Tear Sheet Here

[Find a list of all our Tear Sheets here]

 

Now that you have several forest-less to forest bathe, let’s go over how to actually practice shinrin-yoku without the trees.

 

Forest Bathe Without the Forest Exercise:

  • Choose a natural space from above to have your session. Find a comfortable spot to sit or stand.
  • Set an intention. Think about what you’re doing this for, what you hope to get out of your practice. Do you need to relax? Get reprieve from the noise of your life or brain? Appreciate nature? The reason helps you connect to your practice in a more meaningful way.
  • Unplug. The overarching purpose of your practice is to eliminate distraction, so turn off all devices and get as far away from mechanical noises as possible. You won’t get much out of this if you look at your phone or wander a million miles away in thought.
  • Get grounded. Wiggle your bare feet into the grass or place your hands on top of the soil to ground into the earth.
  • Breathe deeply and slowly. Bring your focus to your breath as you lengthen and deepen your breathing. You may even close your eyes. The point is to switch from running on your overactive sympathetic nervous system to your relaxed parasympathetic nervous system.
  • Be mindful. Open your eyes and take in your environment with each of your five senses separately and then all at once. Where you direct your attention is important. Pay attention to what’s going on around you in nature rather than the ruminations of your mind.
  • Spend as much time enjoying your environment as you’d like. When you’re done, close your eyes and take a few grounding breaths before returning to your regular routine.

 

Nature provides so many potent benefits, with or without trees. It’s important to spend more time outdoors, whether you have direct access to a forest or not. Leverage what is available to you at any given moment and find respite in those quiet pockets of nature around you.

Annual Forest Bathing Calibration

Annual forest bathing calibration

What is an annual forest bathing calibration?

An annual forest bathing calibration is an opportunity to realign with your values and your purpose, in life or just as it pertains to forest bathing.

Basically, you go to a quiet, natural landscape on a set yearly date and perform a mental audit of the year past and the year ahead. It’s kinda like an annual business review, where you analyze your progress and make adjustments for the year ahead.

I decided to start this annual forest bathing tradition on my last birthday, and thought I’d share the process with you.

My birthday falls in mid-June, so I can generally expect decent weather.

I also think birthdays or New Year’s Day are prime opportunities to recalibrate.

So, I headed to the forest with a pen, paper, and water and found a sit spot. Then, I went to work…

 

 

Watch the video here:

 

 

How to perform an annual forest bathing calibration

To perform your annual calibration, start by setting a date. Think of a day with special meaning, or that will acquire special meaning from this practice.

Decide on a date for your forest bathing calibration:

Consider what the weather may be like on your chosen day. A day in the middle of February in the northern hemisphere might be frigid. A day in April may be unpredictable. A day in June might be just right.

My birthday falls in mid-June, so I’m using that as my yearly calibration trip.

Here are some more ideas for your calibration date:

  • Your birthday
  • New Year’s day
  • Winter and/or spring solstice
  • A day with special meaning
  • The day after Independence Day or another holiday (because you usually take off)
  • Any day, really;)

Once you have your date set, it’s time to do a little planning.

 

Prepare Your Agenda

Before you head to the forest, prepare yourself with an “agenda.” Now, I use that term loosely. Your agenda could simply be to go in with one simple intention or with pages of worksheets to fill out. Find an agenda that fits your personality and aligns with this exercise.

Your agenda should relate to an annual check-in, similar to a yearly physical or an annual employee review to see where you’re at and make a plan going forward.

So, that could look like an annual review that a business might perform.

It might be a few pages in your journal exploring the past year and the year going forward.

Or, you might just head into the forest with a simple intention to discover an approach for the year ahead.

 

The four criteria below will be the basis of your agenda:

  1. Define your purpose. Decide what the purpose of your forest bathing calibration trip is. Do you want to do a deep dive into the outlook of your entire life? Do you want to assess what your year of forest bathing has taught you? Or, do you want to simply listen to see what message is waiting for you?
  2. Plot your tasks. Now that you’ve defined your purpose, decide what tasks you’ll do to fulfill your purpose and how you want this calibration to look. You might start with a meditation and a gratitude list and then move onto a yearly audit. After that, you can make goals for the year and finish up with a solitary tea ceremony.
  3. Decide how long you expect to need for your agenda. A workbook of deep-dive questions may take hours or an entire day. A simpler intention may require only an hour. Decide what you’re going to do with your time, how much you’ll allot to each task. Make sure you block this time in your schedule and make proper arrangements at home/work.
  4. Gather the materials you want to bring along with you for the process. If you want to do some journaling, bring your journal and your journal questions. If you have workbook questions you want to fill in, bring them along. You don’t need any materials, but if you want them, gather them together before you go.

 

You can find goal worksheets online, design your own, or just wing it. However, I recommend bringing a list of relevant questions to guide your calibration.

 

A few example questions for your annual calibration exercise:

*Use questions like these during your annual calibration to define your experience. You may simply “think” about them, journal through them, or use a more formal review.

Again, you can come at these questions from the perspective of your whole lifestyle or just your forest bathing experience. For example, you can make life goals for the next year or just forest bathing goals for the next year.

Past year

  1. How do I feel my appreciation for nature has grown over the past year?
  2. In what ways has the forest/nature made my life better in the last year?
  3. What would I say the “theme” for the last year was?
  4. Have I been true to my values this past year?
  5. How did I do on my goals for this past year?

Year ahead

  1. What do I want to focus on this next year?
  2. How can I bring more nature focus into my life this year?
  3. What do I want the “theme” for this upcoming year to be?
  4. What are my values and how can I honor them this year?
  5. What are my goals for this next year?

Print these questions up on some pretty paper with spare room to write.

Once you’ve planned your forest bathing calibration, the only thing left to do is to actually DO it. You can design your calibration however you’d like. Make sure it feels right to you. I’m just here to give you some ideas.

 

Sample calibration agenda:

  1. Perform a threshold exercise before entering the forest.
  2. Find a quiet sit spot, a prime place to ponder (how’s that for alliteration?)
  3. Perform a few grounding exercises (i.e. take off your shoes and put your feet in the grass, do a little mindfulness breathing, try some brain catharsis, tune in to your senses).
  4. Once you feel like you’ve gotten to a place of mindful calm, take out your journal, workbook, or questions and ponder them for awhile. Write down or just think about your answers to each. Take as long as you’d like, but try to write down what comes to mind first. Often your gut instinct is on the ball.
  5. Let your mind wander. You finally have this wide open physical and mind space to let your thoughts expand. How often do you get time like this to think things through? Let your thoughts and writing take on a stream-of-consciousness flow.
  6. Come back to where you are and ground yourself again. Take a few minutes to feel into the culmination of this exercise.
  7. Prepare a tea ceremony or exit exercise for yourself to celebrate what you accomplished and denote the end of your excursion.
  8. Return to your regularly scheduled programming.

 

Forest Bathing tear sheet

Here’s your annual forest bathing tear sheet!

 

Where to go from here

When you’re done with your calibration, adjust your sails for the intentions you’ve set. If you want to make changes in the upcoming year, make sure you implement them when you get home. Create new routines and habits that bring your goals to fruition.

Some of the best ways I’ve found to incorporate new habits is to:

  1. Track your new habits and shoot for long “streaks,” or the number of days in a row you perform your new habit. Once you’ve got a good streak going (15 days in a row), you won’t want to break it.
  2. Remind yourself of your goals every day. Either keep a daily checklist and cross your habits off as you go or journal your goals every morning to keep them top-of-mind.
  3. Incorporate them into your established routine

For example, say you decide you want to get out into nature every day. Build outdoor time into your already-established morning routine. Brush your hair while you do your grounding practice or take your morning coffee under a tree, so you don’t have to sacrifice any additional time. Over the course of several weeks, you can rewire your brain to follow this new pattern automatically.

Remember, you don’t want to watch the year pass with your goals crumpled up in the bottom of a bag somewhere. You want to show up next year completely changed.

 

 

I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Let me know how this article has inspired you to do a yearly calibration session and when you plan to do it.