“Forest Bathing” or “Bathing yourself in the forest atmosphere” is a Japanese term describing how taking a walk in the forest and connecting with nature is extremely good for your physical and mental health.
So how good would it be if you could help promote your own happiness and mental and physical health in simple pleasurable ways like Forest Bathing? Walking in nature helps generate a cascade of feel good chemicals in our brain such as serotonin dopamine and endorphins.
Of course we can choose to get serotonin from a pill and doctors regularly prescribe anti depressants which help boost serotonin, not just for depression but also for other issues such as IBS, PTSD, Stress and ME. These issues and others can leave patients low on serotonin and serotonin is one of the “happy” brain chemicals that help support our sense of well being on a daily basis. However pills do not always work for everyone and what better than being able to manufacture our own positive brain chemicals.
We have all learned, especially over the last couple of years how important getting out and walking is. Walking in a natural environment such as the forest, helps us relax, releases stress and promotes these “happy” chemicals Serotonin, Endorphins, Dopamine and Oxytocin. Walking in a meditative state, listening to the birds, smelling the pine needles and gently soaking in the atmosphere all unconsciously direct the brain and body towards more relaxed, safer, connected and peaceful experiences in our daily life. And regular daily walking has been proven to increase cardio fitness, strengthen the body, and increase endurance levels plus many other important benefits.
There are many simple and powerfully effective ways that I use with clients to help release stress and anxiety. Hypnosis is also another extremely empowering and beneficial way to learn how to relax and EFT to help clear past issues that have been holding us back.
But how amazing it is that we can learn to change our own brain chemistry for the better on a daily basis by taking a simple walk. Body and mind are designed to work together in promoting our healthiest mental and physical experiences.
We were born with our own set of instructions and with the tools to unlock those instructions we can use and help build a better life of satisfaction and pleasure. Enjoy it.
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