Rooted in Science: Forest Therapy and Grounding for Stress Management
Two things (you’ve probably never heard of) that go beyond yoga and meditation
The healing power of nature has been either largely underestimated or relegated to woo-woo territory. For me personally, there are many times throughout the year I feel a visceral pull to nature … specifically, the redwoods here in Northern CA.
There’s something simultaneously soothing and energizing being in the presence of these old giants. Their sheer size, the coolness from the shade, the moisture in the air, the sounds of the forest, and, maybe, the best part of all: The smell of the redwoods. It’s unreal. Or, maybe surreal.
I often make efforts to physically make contact with the trees. Whether simply touching a tree trunk and taking a few deep breaths or finding a really large tree or tree trunk to sit in or on, close my eyes, and tune-in to the sounds of forest around me.
Turns out – and this is far from surprising – being in nature is an evidenced-based way to reduce stress, improve mood, encourage physical activity, and enhance wellbeing. Forest therapy and earthing/grounding are two options you may not have heard of to consider for your stress management tool box.
Stress Management beyond Yoga, Meditation and Breath Work
Before we dig in, I’ll just say here that I believe food can be one of the most effective (and is one of the most under-utilized) ways to proactively manage stress – whether physiological or mental/emotional. But, it works best when it’s used in partnership with other lifestyle tools and resources.
Stress management doesn’t always have to look like yoga, meditation, and deep breathing. Granted, they are go-tos for a reason: They’re well-validated and they work.
But for some individuals, yoga, meditation and breath work just aren’t their thing. And, I get it. I’m a firm believer that the only effective plan is the one that’s actually used/implemented. It doesn’t really matter how good something looks on paper, if 1) it doesn’t work for you (which means it needs to meet you where you are right now) and 2) if you don’t use it. I can help you with one … the other is up to you.
Being open to trying new things is important – not only for finding the right combination of stress management tools for your toolbox but for also maintaining neuroplasticity as we age. What works for you to manage, reduce, and, hopefully, eliminate chronic stress – and the effects of it on your body – may be entirely context/situation dependent, varied, numerous and a combination of things that are as unique to you as your fingerprint. You can only figure out what works, by being willing to try new things. A curiosity mindset can be such a wonderful thing in these moments. Let’s get to it.
Forest Therapy
Spending time in a forest for the purpose of improving health is called “forest therapy;” it’s a common enough practice in Japan (called Shinrin-Yoku or “forest bathing”) that there are 60 official forest therapy trails.
The practice of forest therapy, for which there’s no unified definition but generally includes walking in the forest, really isn’t new. There’s been more studies than you would think – enough that there have been several review papers that aggregate the data from existing studies to find overall effectiveness and trends, like these ones from 2020, 2022, and 2023. They tend to agree that while physiological effects are inconclusive (like no statistically significant changes to blood pressure), there are very meaningful improvements to stress, mood, and depression and anxiety symptoms.
The newest paper to review multiple studies (15 of them from countries across the globe) hasn’t been published quite yet, but the results were presented at a recent American Psychiatry Association conference. The researchers found that walking in the forest – whether as little as 10 minutes or as long as 3 hours, for 1.5 miles or 2.5 miles, or for a few weeks to several months – produced positive results to participants’ mental health and perceived stress. Some of the studies included in the review even found improvements to heart health, the immune system, inflammation, and antioxidant activity.
While forest therapy is not a substitute for counseling or pharmaceutical intervention when they’re needed, it can be an effective companion lifestyle intervention to support stress management and mental health. If you find your stress high and your wellbeing low, forest therapy may be helpful for you.
If you have access to a forest – even if it’s a bit of a drive and may take some planning – it may be worth it to give it a shot. If you live in an area where there are no forests to be found, there are still plenty of benefits to being outside and moving. In fact, being near water, especially hearing the sounds of moving water, can be therapeutic, not to mention the benefits from sunshine (hello, vitamin D) and physical activity.
Earthing/Grounding
Another option to try is earthing or grounding, which is sustained direct skin contact with earth, most often being barefoot in grass or sand (like at a park or the beach). Earthing/grounding has been found to improve the immune response and reduce pain; interestingly (maybe only interesting to me, haha) delayed onset muscle soreness is often used as a way to test the effectiveness of grounding.
While it’s still not widely utilized, it’s a concept that has been studied through research for at least the past 10 years. The studies have been fairly small but consistently promising.
Your Stress Management Toolbox
There’s a whole world of stress management tools beyond yoga and meditation that have (varying levels) of science behind them that you can try to help proactively manage your stress and reduce the impacts of stress on your body and mind. Many of them are low risk, relatively accessible, and inexpensive.
There is no one size fits all. Give something a try. If you like it, use it. If you don’t, let it go and try something else. The exact combination of tools in your stress management toolbox will likely vary greatly, be context dependent (something we don’t talk about often), and will be unique to you.
Be sure to check with your healthcare provider to see if these types of activities are a fit for your current state of health.
References
Growing Evidence for the Healing Power of “Forest Therapy”
The physiological and psychosocial effects of forest therapy: A Systematic Review
The Impact of Forest Therapy Programs on Stress Reduction: A Systematic Review
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