Creative Coping Skills for Teens and Tweens by Bonnie Thomas

Author:Bonnie Thomas
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781784508883
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Published: 2019-04-26T16:00:00+00:00

You can practice earthing and grounding by doing the following:

• Sit on the ground under a tree.

• Swim in the ocean, a pond, or a lake.

• Walk barefoot on the beach, in the woods, or anywhere outdoors (be mindful of where you step—avoid stepping on unsafe or unsanitary objects as you walk).

• Lay in the grass or on a large rock.

• Sit on a concrete surface outside.

Earthing methods tend to be recommended for about 30–40 minutes at a time.

FOREST BATHING

Forest bathing refers to spending time in the forest, among trees and greenery, while taking in all the smells, sights, colors, and textures of the surroundings:

A 15-minute walk in the woods causes measurable changes in physiology. Japanese researchers led by Yoshifumi Miyazaki at Chiba University sent 84 subjects to stroll in seven different forests, while the same number of volunteers walked around city centers. The forest walkers hit a relaxation jackpot: Overall they showed a 16 percent decrease in the stress hormone cortisol, a 2 percent drop in blood pressure, and a 4 percent drop in heart rate. Miyazaki believes our bodies relax in pleasant, natural surroundings because they evolved there. Our senses are adapted to interpret information about plants and streams, he says, not traffic and high-rises. (Williams n.d.)

Numerous studies show that both exercising in forests and simply sitting looking at trees reduce blood pressure as well as the stress-related hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Looking at pictures of trees has a similar, but less dramatic, effect. Studies examining the same activities in urban, unplanted areas showed no reduction of stress-related effects. Using the Profile of Mood States test, researchers found that forest bathing trips significantly decreased the scores for anxiety, depression, anger, confusion and fatigue. And because stress inhibits the immune system, the stress-reduction benefits of forests are further magnified. (Department of Environmental Conservation n.d.)

If you’d like to try forest bathing for yourself, but are not sure where your nearest forest is, use an online search engine to locate the closest local park, public garden, botanical garden, or arboretum.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.