Forest bathing, a way to decrease your stress levels.

As the exam period is upon us. Exams can be viewed as stressful times for many people and it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Exam stress occurs when you feel an increased sense of panic or anxiety in the days, weeks or months before, during or after an assessment or test of some sort. Exam stress is most frequently short-lived – as soon as it is finished and you realise that you are free from studying for a few months, your stress levels usually diminish. So why not begin to try new techniques and activities to reduce this as Excess stress can play a role in headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis and many more.

In recent years, particularly in Japan, spending time in forests has become the wellness trend. Forest bathing — a translation of the Japanese term shinrin yoku — is not a new idea, of course; ramblers have enjoyed forest walks for generations. The act goes beyond walking through nature, according to experts who explain that shinrin yoku "can be defined as making contact with and taking in the atmosphere of the forest." The primary benefit of it is being able to lower stress levels.

The idea is simple: if a person simply visits a natural area and walks in a relaxed way there are calming, rejuvenating and restorative benefits to be achieved. Physical activity in the from of a 40 minute walk in the forest was associated with improved mood and feelings of health and robustness. Levels of the stress hormone cortisol decreased in test subjects after a walk in the forest, when compared with a control group of subjects who walked within a laboratory setting.

The scientifically-proven benefits of Shinrin-yoku include:

- Boosted immune system functioning, with an increase in the count of the body's Natural Killer(NK) cells

- Reduced blood pressure

- Reduced stress

- Improved mood

- Increased ability to focus, even in children with ADHD

- Accelerated recovery from surgery or illness

- Increased energy level

- Improved sleep

The authors of ‘International Journal of Biometeorology’ have said "Forest bathing is considered an anti-stress practice, and planning to visit a forest seems to positively influence cortisol levels, even before physically interacting with it; therefore, watching a forest, and possibly even the sole mental visualization of a forest, may have a role in triggering anticipated placebo effects." Although scientists do not fully understand the placebo effect, they know that it is powerful.

For my science behind this checkout: https://www.natureandforesttherapy.org/about/science

Thank you for reading, try not let stress override you :)

Written by Meghana

Sources:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325060.php

http://www.shinrin-yoku.org/shinrin-yoku.html

http://time.com/5259602/japanese-forest-bathing/

https://www.avogel.co.uk/health/stress-anxiety-low-mood/stress/exam-stress/

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