AKA Relax, Destress, Unwind, Recharge. Instructions here.

A holiday weekend is a good time to contemplate how you relax, de-stress, unwind, recharge or forest bathe. Say what?

Shinrin-yoku, or ‘forest bathing,’ was officially named by the Japanese government and the Forest Agency of Japan (the Japanese know how to get their zen on) in 1982 as a healthy means of improving the quality of your life. It is a slow, contemplative walk through the forest, ambling at a pace no more than three miles per four hours. That’s right–slowly taking it in, pausing, sitting, sipping your green tea, and noticing the bark of the trees. I’m told by my forest bathing husband that you can tell a lot about a tree from its bark.

There are so many ways to relax! And this weekend is a good time to carve out some guilt-free time to do just that. My favorite method is to hang at a cozy cafe and drink my latte at about the same pace you would forest bathe. I find for utter decompression that having an amount of time that is not pressured on either end to be helpful. You don’t have to arrive at a certain time, and you don’t have to leave at a certain time. Just knowing that helps me to uncoil.

Sometimes people need to experiment to find their best path towards relaxation, so here are lists upon lists upon lists to help you learn yours. And click these if you want to learn more about positive stress, or a different way to treat your moods.

And I do highly recommend a bath in the woods! Have a safe and relaxing Memorial Day weekend.

More resources:

Lifehacker: how to relax.

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