How Cavemen Survive in the City
The Japanese have a concept of Shinrin-Yoku, or “forest bathing.”
It’s the idea of spending time with trees to revitalize the soul and the mind. New research is showing that spending time in woodlands can help revitalize the body, and has been linked to reduced blood pressure and improved immune and cognitive function.* In other words, if you want to be smarter and healthier, you city slicker you, try spending some quality time with some trees.
At every job that I’ve had over the last half-decade, I’ve found a place to tree-bathe. Whether a secluded garden in Central Park or a quiet cemetery in FiDi, intuitively I’ve searched for Shinrin-Yoku. Now that I’ve transitioned to a new job, as I acclimate, a top priority is to find a secluded area and hang out with some shrubs.
Lesson here is, wherever you spend a lot of your time, find a little patch peace for both body and mind.
Speaking of improved immune function in forests, here’s something stupid that I’ve tried (and I don’t suggest you trying it). Instead of “forest bathing” I engage in “forest eating.” Not eating in the forest, but eating the forest.
When I get out of town to a wooded patch of land, miles from human habitat, I’ll take a little soil and just eat it. The idea is to introduce diverse bacteria from unpolluted environments, for both hormetic stress (making the body a little more resilient) and to give my digestive system the option of a few new bacterial species.
This is risky, I don’t suggest trying it, and while Dirt Probiotics are a real thing, I’m not a doctor to give any health advice.
*http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02225.x
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3393816/
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