The delicate, silvery strand caught a splinter of light, momentarily shimmering and glistening in the early summer sun.  As the wind began to roil and swirl, the spider’s silk became untethered, taking flight upon the breeze.  A bit of a metaphor for the slowed and freer pace Summer offers many of us.

With Memorial Day behind us, Summer is just a few short weeks away.  In addition to the health benefits of green spaces, recent studies have found that exposure to trees, and woods/forests is important to our overall health.  Forest bathing or tree bathing has proven to reduce depression, and the reliance on medication, while reducing stress and anxiety and improving cognitive function.

Further still, some doctors and therapists are recommending more outdoor time whereby patients immerse themselves in nature by taking a trip into the woods/forest. This type of therapy is known as tree or forest bathing.

Tree or forest bathing is the act by which you immerse yourself in nature, by slowly walking through the woods while engaging all your senses.  This can lead to reduced stress, anxiety, depression, and anger while strengthening the immune system, improving cardiovascular and metabolic health, and overall wellbeing.

And you need not walk far or go far.  Look to local parks, forest preserves or any green spaces.  Engage your senses, don’t rush, appreciate the silence, and try different activities, like reading a book, having a picnic, meditating, or simply jotting down your thoughts.

Skip the sunbathing, and head out to the woods!  After all, your health and wellbeing are of upmost importance!  Reach out to Sweeney’s for additional tips or ideas on creating your own healthful, green spaces.   We proudly serve the communities of Villa Park, Elmhurst, Oakbrook, Oakbrook Terrace, Glen Ellyn, Lombard, Wood Dale, Itasca, and more!

Sweeney’s:  A Plant Based Company

Plant of the Week

Variegated Japanese Forest Grass

Gracefully arching yellow foliage with thin green stripes grows in clumps.  Prefers shade to partial shade, and moist, well-drained soil.  Grows 12-18″ tall and 12-18″ wide.  In Fall, the foliage blushes with faint pink highlights.  Deer resistant.

“But indeed, it is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of the air, that emanation from the old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.”

~Robert Louis Stevenson

Best wishes,

Kim Sweeney