Psychoterratica is a serious illness that can ruin mental health.

Important! The term psychoterratica was coined in 2000 by Glenn Albracht, a professor of sustainable development from Australia.

How important is communing with nature

The closer we are to nature, not only physically but also mentally, the more comfortable our body and mind feel. We have been adapted to live in natural conditions (enjoying nature's gifts and persevering in a changing environment).

Important! Contact with nature is strengthening and soothing. Breathing in fresh air, listening to birds singing and admiring beautiful landscapes makes us break away from everyday life - we relax.

Nature is fuel for the spirit. According to research published in the Journal of Envinronmental Psychology, it is mainly communing with nature that gives us vitality, energy and strengthens our immunity.

Studies have shown that even seemingly ordinary potted plants or the green landscape outside the window have an invaluable effect on our mood.

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we very often forget something as ordinary as a walk in the park or the forest. After a while, we get depressed, tired and anxious when we are trapped within our own four walls.

A walk in the forest

In her book The Healing Magic of Forest Bathing, Julia Plevin described how her longing for greenery and constantly being among buildings began to trigger her anxiety and depression. In her search for answers to the cause of her mood, she came across a condition called psychoterratica. She decided to investigate the relationship between space, nature and health. Her health problems only went away when she started taking regular walks in the forest - without thinking about anything else at the time and giving the walk her full attention. Plevin is convinced that communing with nature has healed her. She decided to popularise this kind of therapy and founded the San Francisco Forest Bathing Club - a forest bathing club. Within a few months, several hundred people had signed up for the club and Plevin was recognised as an expert on the subject of forest bathing.

Forest bathing

It turns out that Julia Plevin is not the forerunner of forest bathing. In 1982, the Japanese authorities recognised forest bathing as a form of therapy, actively promoting the project to citizens as part of the government's 'Shinrin Yoku' programme. As studies conducted by local scientists have shown, the most important thing about forest walks is the contact with essential oils (phytoncides). Trees secrete oils to protect themselves from germs. As it turns out, phytoncides have a positive effect on human health, they improve:

well-being,
immune system function,
sleep quality,
creativity,
reduce blood pressure, heart rate, stress levels.

How to use forest baths

If you want to get the most out of your contact with nature and a walk in the forest, you need to prepare yourself accordingly - the idea is to take a few tens of minutes walk in the forest in full concentration. Breathing exercises, listening to the sounds of the forest, becoming familiar with the textures of different plants and looking at the forest as a whole are also important. When we can work out the whole, a break from the hustle and bustle of the city will be complete.

Summary

A relationship with nature directly affects the quality of daily life, health, wellbeing, satisfaction. Contemplating the natural landscape allows us to relax and influences health and reduces illness. It also reduces stress levels.

Important! Nothing can replace genuine, profound and beneficial contact with nature.

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