Forest Bathing for Grief and Divorce Recovery: How Nature Helps You Heal

Later, when I was grieving the end of my marriage, which was marked by abuse and high conflict, I turned back to the forest. What I had once offered others, I now needed for myself.

During my studies, I explored the practice of forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, a Japanese approach to healing that invites us to immerse ourselves in the sights, smells, and sounds of the forest. It’s not a hike. It’s not exercise. It’s about being, not doing. And many years later, in the wake of my own profound grief, I knew instinctively: it was time to go back to the forest.