Stress causes health problems and hurts our relationships with friends and loved ones, and interferes with our well-being and productivity.
For most people, stress is unfortunately something we all experience from the repercussions of work, relationships, school, parenting, or any other part of life in general.
It makes us feel ‘disconnected’.
Spending too much time indoors doesn't help your stress. In fact, according to a report on epa.gov– Americans, on average, spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors.
That report explains the problem with indoor air quality, but in addition to that evidence, here are other effects spending too much time indoors has on your body:
Insomnia
Fatigue
Lost motivation
Anxiety
Depression
Weight Gain
Back aches
Sickness
Allergies
Rash
Dry Skin
Aging
Eye strain
There's many ways to relieve stress such as meditation, exercise, reading, hobbies or traveling for example. But our primal connection with nature is the most reliable.
Nature is always here for us. We feel the connection when we breathe in the clean air, admire the sun flickering through the trees, and hear the sounds of birds singing or water flowing over rocks.
Shinrin-yoku is a phrase used in Japan in reference to what we would call forest bathing. In Japanese, Shinrin means “forest,” and yoku means “bath.” So shinrin-yoku means bathing in the forest, or connecting with the forest through our senses.
My favorite way to relieve stress is spending time outdoors, in the forest.
The image above is a photo of a decaying tree. Even though the tree is decaying it still serves a purpose. It’s a home for feeder insects which supply birds and other wildlife nutrition, Shelter and protection for wildlife, fertilizer for the soil, and an overall representation of the cycle of life.
The day I took this photo, I was feeling stressed. I walked out in the forest and felt comforted in all that nature gives to us. I found this tree and felt my stress dissolving.
Make it a priority to spend time outdoors. Take a walk and observe nature, hike in the forest, breath in the air and meditate under a tree. You’ll feel more calm, happy, fulfilled and inspired.
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