In my recent post about our camping trip I talked about how I always feel re-energized by being in the forest. My youngest daughter and I have shared this feeling for years. It's not just camping and nature that call to us, but specifically the forest environment itself that seems to really charge our internal batteries. Now, come to find out, it's not just us. Apparently 'forest bathing' is a real thing. The practice began in Japan. Back in the early 1990s the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries coined the term Shinrin-yoku — which translates roughly as forest bathing. It's supposed to have documented health benefits of reduced stress hormones and decreased blood pressure among other things.

The link to the article and audio report aired on NPR is below, I found it all very interesting but I still prefer to believe the explanation that it's simply due to the dryad blood in my DNA. ;-)

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Forest Bathing: A Retreat To Nature Can Boost Immunity And Mood