Forest Bathing for Fast Walkers
"Forest showering": Enjoy nature's beauty while embracing your natural rhythm.
Posted June 1, 2026 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader
Forest bathing ? I get it. Enter the forest. Move like a sloth. Soak up the sights, sounds, and smells. Give yourself a break from speed. A kind of mini vacation surrounded by nature.
Sounds marvelous, but my metabolism runs fast. I walk fast. Ideas pop into my head like a pot of water at rolling boil. Sauntering through the forest may be a lovely option for many, but my body clock and pinball brain just don’t seem to obey.
Most mornings I walk several miles through an urban forest near my home. It extends almost forever in every direction, full of conifers and deciduous trees, with a lush understory and trails galore. This is my happy place, a place where I’ve concocted my best ideas and worked through some of my most important life decisions.
I refuse to listen to podcasts or audiobooks when I walk. I want to hear the birds chirp, the wind rustle leaves, and squirrels disturb the underbrush. With every twist and turn of the trail, I notice tiny shifts in how the light highlights hillside greenery. When raindrops pepper my glasses, I take them off and enjoy the slight blur that remains. I also notice the thoughts that gallop across my brain and the feelings that touch my heart.
Forest bathing has been practiced around the world, probably for eons. It was officially recognized by the Japanese government in 1982 as shinrin-yoku. Studies tout the health benefits of being out in nature to ease anxiety , depression , and a host of other afflictions.
As I learned more about forest bathing, it got me thinking I should probably slow myself down a bit. Do it right. Do not speed. I've tried this approach on multiple occasions but soon noticed a spike in anxiety that always made me feel cranky. I felt like I was rejecting my true self, the one who moves quickly through the world.
Now I’m as fond of a good bath or hot tub soak as anyone, especially when I’m cold. Nothing soothes the shivers like sinking into hot water. But showers are also delightful. They’re productive, often energizing, and leave my skin feeling silky soft.
So, I’ve christened my process of moving through the woods as forest showering. Forest showering honors my temperament and embraces my natural biorhythms. I go as fast as I want and take notice of whatever I encounter. I always come home refreshed. Every time.
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Kate Kaufmann is the author of Do You Have Kids? Life When the Answer Is No. Her work has been featured in the Washington Post , on NBC, and CBC Radio.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.