Mother nature is the mother of all healers.

The U.N. reports that 55% of the world’s population lives in cities, and that number is expected to climb to 68% by 2050. Human history was mostly spent in nature, and researchers in Japan maintain that this separation from nature plays a role in our mental wellbeing. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 1.1 billion people (15% of the population) struggle with mental health, whether it’s anxiety, depression, focus, or experiential avoidances that run the gamut from substances to TikTok. Ironically, our pursuit of a higher standard of living burned up a key element for our wellbeing.

As folksy as it sounds, time spent in nature could boost a wide range of health outcomes. Research indicates that exposure to nature enhances stress recovery times versus time spent in urban environments. Plants emit phytoncides — antimicrobial volatile organic compounds — which enhance immune function; air in mountains or near bodies of water hold negative air ions, which are shown to reduce depression; and nature’s sights, sounds and smells activate the parasympathetic nervous system, thus calming the body and reducing symptoms of depression, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), eating disorders, and anxiety.

Some studies show women who live closer to greenspace have a 12% lower mortality rate than their city-dwelling counterparts. Granted, these studies need to be continued and replicated, but to anyone who has spent time in nature, this will come as no surprise.
Japanese clinicians felt similarly and created a simple intervention to help us help ourselves. It’s called Shinrin-yoku, and it’s premised on the therapeutic benefits of mindful immersion in nature. All it takes is 15-60 minutes in nature per week to mollify stress, depression, anxiety, and anger.

Although founded in 1982, qualitative studies did not begin until the 1990s, and in 2002 clinicians began studying biometrics such as cortisol levels, white blood cell counts, and granulysin, an anti-cancer protein. The results showed decreases in cortisol and spikes in white blood cells by 50% and granulysin by 39%. These findings are being replicated in the U.S. with similar results and indicate improvements in psycho-social outcomes.

Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, is a Japanese practice of spending time in a natural setting to relax and connect with nature through the senses. It involves quiet, calm observation of nature. It’s not exercise, hiking, or jogging. Rather, it’s a way to take in the forest through your senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Like mindfulness, you also focus on your breathing without judgment.

Shinrin-yoku can be done in a forest or an urban park if there are plenty of trees and plants. Practitioners walk slowly, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the environment. Some practices include yoga, meditation, and foraging designed to focus the senses on nature. In this way, Shinrin-yoku is very much a mindfulness exercise.

A meta-analysis of twenty studies by Kotera, Richardson, and Sheffield, consisting of 2,257 participants (M =1478, F= 779; age range 18-79 years old) showed significant improvements in anger, anxiety and a reduction of stress levels using the Stress Reduction Theory. Reductions in depression were less significant but more impactful than time spent in urban environments.

Nature has been used in the U.S. as an intervention with at-risk youth struggling with self-efficacy in wilderness programs such as Outward Bound. Academic studies began in the 1990s and have shown that wilderness therapy, an intervention that includes group work, mindfulness, CBT, and narrative therapy, has a lasting positive effect. A longitudinal study of 147 participants showed that wilderness therapy had improvements in intrapersonal interaction, somatic symptoms, interpersonal distress, social problems, and behavioral dysfunction, which lasted one year after completion and were 2.75 times stronger than the comparison group.

So how can you enjoy the benefits of Shinrin-yoku? Western North Carolina is home to a lot of open space, accounting for part of the regions’ appeal. Even urban Charlotte has parks and access to green-space. The following are some ideas and tips for engaging in Shinrin-yoku:

Total immersion in nature: more than 30 minutes

Let’s say you have a morning, an afternoon, or an entire day. You can find a secluded trail via AllTrails, an app that allows you to download the map in case you find yourself offline. However, if you want to go fully analogue (highly encouraged), you could also find an actual trail map (yes, those still exist). If you’re planning to use your phone, you will want to set your phone to Do Not Disturb or Focus because the whole point of getting away is to drop into nature unimpeded by modernity’s distractions. Here are the directions for what to do once out there:

  • Try walking the trail as slowly as possible. This will let you sink into your senses.
  • Focus on what the ground feels like. Is it soft? Hard? Rooty?
  • Pull all of your awareness to the sensations of touch, smell, sight, and hearing.
  • If there are people nearby, don’t worry. Let their sounds ring like the sounds of nature. Your brain will categorize the sensations automatically; you just want to observe without judgment as you would take in a symphony.
  • How do you feel when you’re taking all of this in?
  • If there’s a field, try doing some yoga stretches.
  • Find a pleasant place to sit and observe nature and let your thoughts go.
  • Naturally, thoughts will arise. Simply observe them, without judgment, as you would the sights, sounds, and smells of nature.
  • Don’t forget to bring plenty of water, snacks, and sun protection.

Forget afternoon coffee; try a shinrin-yoku micro-break: 10-20 minutes

Our days can get very busy, and full of distractions. Sustained focus, screen-time, and a barrage of distractions a la notifications will inevitably wear us down. To recharge, use a 10-20 minute shinrin-yoku break. It’s very simple. Perhaps there’s a park or greenspace near your office. Go there and do this:

  • Focus first on your breathing, inhaling for four seconds, holding at the top for four seconds, exhaling for four seconds, and holding at the bottom for four seconds. Rinse and repeat for a few minutes.
  • Shift your attention to five plants you can see. Don’t focus too much, just let your mind go; it’ll naturally categorize.
  • Shift your attention to four sounds you can hear (hopefully some birds and bugs). Don’t focus too much, just let your mind go; it’ll naturally categorize.
  • Shift your attention to three things you can feel with your hands and skin. Perhaps this is the air on your skin, the temperature, and the feel of the grass or gravel.
  • Shift your attention to your sense of smell. Notice two things.
  • Shift your attention to your sense of taste. Notice one thing.
  • Shift your attention to the interior of your body. How does it feel? Observe without judgment.
  • Shift your attention to your mental activities. Observe without judgment the content of your thoughts or emotions. Just see them as thoughts, noting that you’re not your thoughts, you just think them.
  • Shift your attention to your sense of interconnectedness by observing that you are sitting outside and connected to the earth and this moment in time.
  • If you need a timer, you can use your phone or your watch, but be mindful to set it to Do Not Disturb. You deserve 10-20 minutes of uninterrupted time. And don’t worry, the world can do its own spinning.

Perhaps you don’t have access to green space during the day. No worries. You can recreate one in your workspace with pictures, plants, infusion sticks, or candles (if permissible). In fact, the University of Michigan did a study that showed people’s concentration improved simply by looking at pictures of nature, and NASA has backed this study up, adding that sounds of nature also reduce stress.

  • You can use the OneSquareInch (https://onesquareinch.org/) for some sounds of nature.
  • You can find a window or a picture.
  • You can bring indoor plants for your desk, such as succulent plants, ferns, or pieces of hinoki wood.
  • You can use a diffuser, as smells of hinoki, sage, pine, and lavender will all help ease your senses.
  • Use the above for this, too.

Around the Home

Our homes can be sanctuaries for peace. This counts for both indoors and outdoors. Perhaps you have a yard where you can create a space for shinrin-yoku. I’ve actually done this with virtual clients, where we find a place to sit on the grass and use the five senses to ground and become present with nature. Using the above steps, we include removing the shoes and letting the bare feet feel the earth. The only limits to house plants are space and budget. But you can also add pictures and the sort of natural diffusers listed above.


Article by: Reuben Brody, LCSW – Asheville, NC

Rubin Brody - I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate (LCSWA),

Reuben Brody – Reuben is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate (LCSWA), and received his Master of Social Work from the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work. His modalities include cognitive approaches like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), mindfulness, narrative therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I).

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