Forest Bathing

What do you do to help improve your well-being?

 

One of our main philosophies as a company is the use of design to help improve the well-being and mental health of our clients in their everyday lives. Simple changes within their home can often spur on a whole new outlook on how they live their lives and create positive change. We spend an average of 85% of our lives indoors and in our homes, so why would you not want to create your perfect oasis.

Often when I tell people this fact it surprises them at the sheer amount of time that it amounts to. Some almost start to list everything they then do outdoors to try and prove it otherwise. But it’s a good way to get you to start to think about how much time you spend indoors and what are you doing whilst your there. If you spend the majority of your life in a home, office, or store that you aren’t happy with or doesn’t have a positive effect on your well-being then you might want to begin to question it and how to make that change.

One of the main factors that can instantly have an effect on your mood is colour, many people are aware of this, and designers and architects have spent countless hours trying, testing and theorizing over the best colours to achieve the best result. I could go on for hours about colours and probably will within its own blog, but for now, this is a great website to break down how people perceive different colours and how they can link to your mental health.

https://www.urbandesignmentalhealth.com/blog/the-links-between-colour-architecture-and-mental-health

However, in this blog, I wanted to share with you one of my favourite ways to help improve my well-being. The art of Forest Bathing. ‘This Japanese practice is a process of relaxation; known in Japan as shinrin yoku. The simple method of being calm and quiet amongst the trees, observing nature around you whilst breathing deeply can help both adults and children de-stress and boost health and wellbeing in a natural way.’ If it is only 15% of our lives we spend outside then be sure to spend it in the right environments. This is one way I particularly enjoy doing this, completely switching off, putting on my walking boots and just going. Never any need for direction or a sense of getting somewhere, just walking, taking in the surroundings, and taking a minute to yourself. This is something that can then be applied within your home, every time you walk through the door you should be able to stand, take in your surroundings and take a minute.

There’s something very calming about being within the tree’s hearing the sway of the wind and seeing all the greens. Which leads me to my fun fact that the human eye can see more shades of green than any other colour. And where better to test this theory than a forest. It’s not just about getting some fresh air either, trees emit certain oils that can act as protection from germs and insects which help our immune system. Studies have also found that forests lower blood and heart pressure and reduce stress hormones. Regular contact really can improve your mental health and well-being and I would highly encourage anyone to go out and do it.  

And if you know of any spots be sure to let us know as we’re always on the lookout for places.

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