Find peace in green spaces, even in urban environments
The Japanese trend of forest bathing is nothing new for most Swedes, and many of us already use nature as a source of relaxation and recovery. But it is also possible to relax in nature in the middle of town – as long as you take the time.
"Nature is the great restorer," says Bosse Rosén, trained physiotherapist and founder of Utemaningen. "Research from the University of Massachusetts found that when people stayed still for at least 10 minutes in some form of nature, their stress hormones decreased by an average of 25%! I can agree to that. But my quiet moments in nature also give me undisturbed time to think and let creative ideas come. At best, I also get a sense of context."
But Bosse says you don't have to sit still, and you don't even need a whole forest.
"Other ways I extract energy in nature are through running, walking and, in the summer, lots of morning dips. But if I'm in town, I can stand and stare closely at a tree trunk, observe the clouds or look out over water. These are things that we can easily find, and that also work great!"
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