How spending time in nature can help anxiety, stress & sleep.
Our journey with Forest Bathing and why it matters to you.
If I said to you, my wife Olga and I have wholeheartedly dedicated our lives to the Japanese concept of Forest Bathing (FB), you might wonder why. I wanted to share the beautiful journey we have taken, and some of the amazing feedback we have received from guests and academics at our events. FB constantly fills our hearts with joy and guest feedback propels us forwards because we know we are making a difference to others.
In 2014 Olga and I were living in Farringdon, London, we regularly took trips into nature to help relieve stress. This period coincided with our growing interest in FB. Over the course of 2014 – 2016, we spent a lot of time visiting different forest environments in a mindful way. We would visit a forest, find a nice spot and sit down to be in the present moment. We found these trips to be deeply rewarding, healing and moving.
After this period of development, we wanted to see if we could share the deep relaxation we had enjoyed with others. We launched our FB events in the middle of 2016, it didn’t take long for us to start receiving strong confirmation that we had something of value to share with others. At one of our early events, after an hour in the forest, a guest said: “I usually suffer from constant dark and troubling thoughts, they have stopped!”
As our confidence in FB grew, we reached out to leading academics in the field of nature and health. By this point we knew we really had something worth sharing with the world, now we wanted the expert opinions. A professor flew over from America, and her colleague flew down from Scotland. Within an hour or two of being in the forest, the Scottish researcher had tears of joy in her eyes (to understand why you can read some of the guest feedback below). Based on the results of the demonstration we entered a research agreement.
We also invited experts from the University of Essex to join us at Newlands Corner. One of the people accompanying the experts was suffering from stress, unbeknownst to us, she had been experiencing a knot of stress in her stomach for two months. Around halfway through our FB session, she suddenly announced that her stomach felt normal for the first time in two months. This session led to a research agreement with the University of Essex.
As a result of our connection to Essex, we were invited to give a trial FB session to the mental health team at Lexden hospital in Essex. We received glowing reviews from the NHS department in charge of mental health. You can see some of their reviews below.
The above sessions acted as a springboard for us to connect with major landowners and wildlife charities, at the time of writing we are working with the RSPB, Woodland Trust, National Trust, Surrey Wildlife Trust, Forestry Commission and The Forestry Commission research division. We have also connected to various other Universities and have a series of agreements in place, we are also acting as advisors from time to time.
We now have a team of FB guides in training and are in discussions at local and national governmental level, we have been selected for two innovation awards, and have a nationwide programme of FB rolling out across the UK in 2019. The future looks very encouraging.
How Forest Bathing can help you
As you are reading this, you might be thinking, why does all of this matter to me? The article heading was about anxiety, stress and sleep! I will use the below quote to bring us back to the heading.
” I realised how out of touch we are with nature from the walk and I want to be able to carry on experiencing a part of myself which is just present when I am going out for walks in nature and appreciating the natural beauty/ecosystem around me”. Kate Goodge (Trainee Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner)
The main point above is “a part of myself which is just present”, this is how we were naturally as children before the stresses and adult responsibilities arrived. We all carry this place within us but very rarely is it nurtured. I suggest you think of FB as a way to nurture this quiet and calm place within because if you do nurture that place, I guarantee you will thank yourself for it.
By stepping outside of our head, we give ourselves the opportunity to let stress and anxiety simply fade away. When we return home feeling relaxed, sleep quality often improves. Sleep quality improvements have been documented by the Japanese Nippon medical school, as well as numerous other physical and mental benefits, including a boost to the immune system.
If you suffer from stress, we strongly encourage you to try Forest Bathing. You can print out our self-led guides for children and adults from the Forestry Commission website below or you can join one of our events. Please let us know how you get on!
Sample feedback
Liz Harrington (NHS Deputy Clinical Lead)
“I felt really uplifted and reflected on this on the drive home, I truly could not believe the impact it had on me. If I had not been and experienced it for myself I would not have believed how transforming it was. Thank you.”
Selected paraphrased guest feedback
I have never looked at nature or experienced nature in this way before.
Nobody has ever shown nature to me like this.
I feel I have entered a magical land of beauty. Everything is so beautiful.
Before I was scared of the forest and now I feel that I am safe, the trees are my friends, and we are one.
I was exhausted and anxious before arriving; now I feel awake, energised and so alive‘.
I took nature for granted, now I can see how much it has to offer me, and I want to protect it.
More information
Our Forestry Commission Forest Bathing guides are available here
“Step by step guides to help you relax, reset and practice mindfulness in the great outdoors.”
https://www.forestryengland.uk/blog/forest-bathing
A review of our corporate work featured in the Woodland Trust’s magazine. http://holistichealingtherapy.co.uk/2018/11/28/woodland-trust-review/
