Olga Terebenina and Gary Evans, co-founders of The Forest Bathing Institute, discuss the many health benefits, physical and psychological, and the research behind them that has caused the activity to be increasingly practised by the public and endorsed by clinicians around the world
While many technological advances promise improved standards of living, they often come with potential risks, including to our wellbeing.
One of the significant downsides is that progress usually triggers a corresponding uptick in the pace of life. While it accelerates at an ever-increasing rate, our bodies still operate with biological systems we have used since millennia. This dissonance creates tension in our bodies and minds, which often manifests as increased levels of stress and anxiety, and unprecedented levels of burnout leading to physical and mental illness.
How the fast pace of life affects our stress levels
So why does our biology seem unable to cope with this fast-paced, technologically advanced world? For nearly all of human history – until roughly 12,000 years ago with the advent of agriculture – it is thought that our ancestors lived as hunter-gatherers. Although the Industrial Revolution began only in the late 18th century, the undeniable catalyst for modern infrastructure and cities, it is clear that humanity spent most of its existence intimately connected with the natural world. Therefore, despite the rapid modernisation, technological advances and urbanisation of recent centuries, our physiology remains fundamentally adapted to thrive in natural environments, rather than the industrialised world we inhabit today.
Our innate connection to Nature explains why access to green space is linked to better physical and mental health, with research showing that individuals in greener urban environments experience less mental distress and greater well-being.
Sympathetic vs parasympathetic system
One way to examine our bodies’ reactions to external and internal stimuli is to consider the way our autonomic nervous system operates. The latter, which regulates involuntary, physiological processes including heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and reproductive functions, consists of two branches: a sympathetic nervous system (SNS), or ‘fight-flight-or-freeze’, and a parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), or ‘rest-and-digest’.
While the SNS helps us deal with daily activities and protects us from imminent danger, when it is in overdrive, it can lead to stress, anxiety and even burnout. The PNS, by contrast, is responsible for calming us down. It has a crucial role in helping our bodies recover after a period of stress or intense activity and plays vital functions in digesting food, reproduction, healing of internal organs and facilitating quality sleep.While, in the past, our nervous system functioned to ensure our survival, including protecting us from dangers and ensuring we cope with everyday tasks, in the present conditions of modern life, in fast-paced, urban environments, our bodies are often struggling to reach a desired balance between primarily remaining in a restful, contented state, dominated by PNS activity, while at the same time being able to carry out basic activities and efficiently deal with dangers as required, characterised by SNS activation.
Read the complete article in issue 114.