Social distancing is something the whole world is dealing with today.
These are indeed hard and challenging times for humanity, so the Icelandic Forestry Service has some pretty useful advice to share with us.
Namely, they’re encouraging people to hug trees while hugging humans isn’t recommendable.
The forest rangers from the Hallormsstadur National Forest in the east of Iceland have been working hard on clearing the paths from snow to help people have clear access to nature.
The visitors will be able to take different routes so that they never be too close to other people. Hugging trees seems to be very important, no matter if the tree is big or small, says the service.
When You Can’t Hug a Human, Hug a Tree?
One of the forest rangers who works there explains that when you hug a tree, you’ll first feel it in the toes and in the legs and then in the chest and head.
He added that hugging trees offers an amazing relaxation and helps you get ready for a new day and new challenges.
Even though there’s need of more research on the link between nature and mental health, there are some findings that indicate the hugging of trees may be helpful for stress reduction and will also better our mental health.
Hence, in times like these when close contact is being looked down on due to the higher risk of spreading the coronavirus, getting as much mental health boost as possible is pivotal.
When enjoyed in the right way, nature can help us reduce stress and while we’re staying back from hugging people, we can still hug trees- we should walk deeper into the forest and spend time in greenery more often, without doubt!
Enjoy Nature & Practice Social Distance Simultaneously
The Icelandic rangers have also set intervals of 2 meters in the forest to ensure visitors can enjoy nature without fearing close contact with other people.
One of the assistant forest rangers explains that people should be able to enjoy in the forest and hug a tree and get some of the beautiful energy from the wonderful place.
To have the best experience in hugging trees and to be able to find the best tree to do this, close your eyes and lean your cheek up against the trunk.
Feel the warmth and the currents flowing from the tree into you-be there and enjoy it.
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