Solo Forest Bathing

We had fabulous weather this past weekend.  It was unseasonably warm and I spent most of my weekend on our deck (pictured above).  I pretty much sat there for two days and did a little light reading.  That was it.

On Monday, I felt blah.  I had no energy and didn’t feel like doing anything.  The weather was still lovely, but I didn’t want to spend day 3 sitting.  I came across this great article in the New York Times.  The article describes this feeling as ‘languishing’. 

Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness. It feels as if you’re muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield. And it might be the dominant emotion of 2021…… You’re not functioning at full capacity. Languishing dulls your motivation, disrupts your ability to focus, and triples the odds that you’ll cut back on work.

Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist at Wharton

The article has some suggestions about some antidotes. 

But I chose my personal favorite antidote – forest bathing.

I drove to Pt Defiance Park in Tacoma for a walk in the woods.  It was quiet and I listened to nature and enjoyed the interplay of light on the path.  I met two new friends, William and Emily (corgis to die for) with their owners.  At the end of the walk, I was greeted by a deer. 

I left the park with a strong sense of well being and am determined to head back to the forest whenever I begin to ‘languish’!

Check out my travelswithallene Instagram for my forest bathing photos.

See you on Friday

Allene