North Carolina Residents Turn to ‘Forest Bathing’ to Escape News Stress

A growing number of people in Raleigh, North Carolina are participating in forest bathing sessions to find relief from daily stress and overwhelming news cycles. The Japanese-inspired wellness practice involves guided meditation and nature connection exercises that have been shown to reduce anxiety and improve overall health.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Claire Jefferies sought a two-hour escape from overwhelming headlines about international conflicts and economic pressures, finding solace through an increasingly popular wellness activity called forest bathing.

“When I’m here, it’s almost like a protective bubble around me,” the human resources director explained while standing among oak trees and blooming magnolias at Raleigh’s J.C. Raulston Arboretum. “It provides a shield.”

During the Sunday morning gathering, certified forest therapy guide Shawn Ramsey used a small brass bell to bring together approximately twelve participants for guided meditation, breathing techniques, and natural connection activities.

“I invite you to really spend the next 10 minutes just exploring this area,” Ramsey instructed with her eyes closed. “Really focusing on your breath, on your footsteps. All the natural sounds around you. Maybe the manmade sounds, too. Thinking about the forest’s natural rhythm and how are part of that here in this urban, forested environment.”

This wellness approach draws from Shinrin-yoku, a Japanese practice that research shows can decrease stress levels, enhance mood, reduce blood pressure, and strengthen immune system function.

Despite the arboretum’s location within a bustling metropolitan area, Ramsey emphasized that disconnecting from daily pressures and reconnecting with natural environments offers identical therapeutic benefits. She guided participants through different garden areas, encouraging them to crush evergreen branches between their hands to experience the scent, or simply make physical contact with tree bark.

“You know, in this day and age, there’s a lot of stress and anxiety and chaos,” she observed. “And people are searching for ways to kind of cope with that.”

Transportation safety researcher Alan Mintz attended with a companion and needed gentle reminders to avoid discussing current events during the session.

“I think it’s important for people to take the opportunity to exist in natural spaces, both to unwind and relax, so that it can be easier to interact with other people,” Mintz reflected while standing beneath filtered sunlight streaming through the tree canopy. “And to take a moment to appreciate beautiful things. That way, hopefully, they can carry that forward and have more of an appreciation for other people and other cultures that they might be less experienced with.”

Jefferies also had to gently redirect a friend who began discussing news topics while walking under the swaying branches overhead.

“That focus back into spending time in nature and the healing power of that, and just remembering that we’re part of something bigger, that we’re all connected,” said the mother of a 9-year-old son. “And that what we do in our actions that we take really matter to the rest of the world. And so there’s no better place to see that than here, where you can see all of the interconnectedness and the ways that this plant life naturally supports one another. Doesn’t take more than they need.”