You may not know this, but I’m a tree farmer!
Well, I married into a family of tree farmers, so that makes me officially one too. My husband is a 5th generation co-owner with his Aunt Martha of his family’s farm near Pinehurst, North Carolina. It’s where his mother grew up and it’s beautiful, peaceful land that used to be a tobacco farm and now we grow pine trees there.
Walking through the pines on the Currie Farm is one of the most peaceful experiences in the world. Shoulders relax, tensions melt away and you forget about any day-to-day responsibilities you might have as you hike deeper and deeper into the woods.
My husband and his college friends and their families have been gathering at the farm every Memorial Day for almost a decade now. It’s in the middle of nowhere but everyone groks the healing power of unplugging and spending as much time outside as we can.
Spending time in nature not only feels good but it has positive and long-lasting effects on your health, your happiness and your productivity.
In fact, in Japan, it is all the rage to go “forest bathing” or shinrin-yoku.
(Cool! I guess that’s what we do at the farm… just didn’t know it had a name!)
Considered standard preventative medicine in Japan, people who live and work in the city head to the woods to commune with nature and destress mind, body and spirit. They even have official “Forest Therapy Trails” designated by the government! Learn more in this informative article from Outside Magazine.
We know intuitively that nature restores us, balances us and heals us, right?
However, many of us spend our days going from one box (our home) to another box (our car) to another box (an office) and back again.
Which is why, when we plan a getaway, we trust our instincts to guide us to a place of healing, rest and order – camping in the woods, swimming in the ocean, hiking in the mountains, boating on a lake or picnicking in a park. We have experienced time and time again the healing power of nature.
So until you can schedule your next “forest bathing” trip, there are a lot of ways you can be more intentional about incorporating nature into your life. Here are a few suggestions to prime the pump:
At Home
- Exercise outdoors. If you typically exercise in a gym this is a great time of year to move your workout routine outdoors. You can walk, run, bike or hike outside. Feel the breeze through your hair and the sunshine on your skin.
- Be mindful in nature. If you incorporate prayer, meditation, yoga or some other spiritual and mindfulness activity into your daily routine consider taking it outside. Your yoga mat will go anywhere. You can sit on the grass or choose your favorite patio chair to do your morning devotionals
- Eat outside! In Houston, it is starting to get dark earlier, however we light candles and sit on the back patio at dusk and enjoy our family dinner. We say grace together as a family every night and we share special prayers for our loved ones who need our extra love and good juju. Sharing that by candlelight makes it a little more magical and as we listen to our resident owl and the copious tree frogs serenading us at dinner.
At Work
- You can eat and exercise outdoors at work too! Whether you work in a professional building or work from a home office, take yourself outside on your lunch break. I have to brag on my husband because he’s mastered this since moving to Texas. While he spends many days consulting at huge chemical plants all around the country, on the days he is based in his office, he will often pack his lunch and then go walk around the lake that is right outside his office building. Even doing that once or twice a week is a great way to reset your focus and creativity half way through the day.
- If you have a staff meeting or staff retreat, move it outdoors! Everyone will love the change of scenery and you will find that creativity is easier to access for all.
- Work outside. If you are working on a project that requires a lot of concentration (maybe you are writing a book or designing a new program) take it outside. If you need to be on a conference call, you can participate just as well on a sunny park bench (or better yet, walking through the park while you talk!) as you can in your stuffy office.
Let the sights and smells and sounds stimulate your senses. You will be amazed at how much more efficient and productive you can be when surrounded by nature’s inspiration!
Lastly, be sure to plan your next (or first!) “forest bathing” trip. I want to hear all about it!
Here’s to forest bathing (or whatever way you love to engage with Mother Nature)!
Elizabeth