My kids were fighting again.
First, they argued about who was sitting too close to who on the couch… then they argued about whether the correct grammar was “who” or “whom.”
No one argues about direct objects outside of an English class. But you might fight because you’re bored and sublimate it with grammar.
Have you noticed that your kids are grouchier than their baseline lately? (I almost said “grouchier than normal” but I know enough about kids to never bother with the word “normal.”)
There’s a lot of reasons their emotional kettles could be boiling. They might be stir crazy after a long, cold winter. They might be dragging because they’re entering the school year’s homestretch.
Incidentally, did you know the school year used to be shorter? It’s stretched from 120 to 180 days in a little more than a century.
Your kids might also be picking up on free-floating anxiety from… literally anywhere around them. Life can seem like one long doom-scroll.
And when my kids feel that way, I kick them out of the house.
Not in the “and don’t come back” sense. I make them spend time outside.
Because nobody argues about grammar while smelling wildflowers. And nobody complains that you’re standing too close when you have the whole outdoors to explore.
Our parents and their parents knew that intuitively — hence that whole “don’t come home until the streetlights come on” thing. But this isn’t just grandma wisdom, either. Scientists and doctors have studied the effects of nature on our health and well-being. It’s been linked to lower stress levels, improved moods and a boosted immune system.
The Japanese have a term for nature as therapy — shinrin-yoku — and, if there’s any culture who knows about stress, it’s the Japanese. They also have a word for death by overwork — karoshi — and their school calendar averages 220 days per year.
Of course, the Japanese didn’t invent walking in the park or stopping to smell the flowers. But they’ve encouraged shinrin-yoku as an antidote for overwork for more than 40 years. It’s caught on stateside more recently.
By the way, shinrin-yoku translates literally to forest bathing. But, don’t worry, the term isn’t literal. You don’t immerse yourself in a creek, and you can leave your clothes on. (Please leave your clothes on.) You don’t even need an actual forest.
But forest bathing does involve immersing yourself in nature. And then… relax. Notice how the outside world stimulates your senses: the feel of the breeze, the sound of birdsong, the texture of beech bark, the wildflowers’ scent.
And it’s best enjoyed slowly. This isn’t cardio. It’s called forest bathing, after all — not forest swimming.
So the next time you and the kids are feeling stressed or grouchy — and there will be a next time — go outside. Northeast Ohio is awash in lovely city, county, state and national parks. Feel the splash from the waves in Lake Erie, listen to the water cascade down Brandywine Falls, or surround yourself with the daffodils at Lake View Cemetery.
If you or your child prefer something more organized, check out your local parks programs. They offer everything from guided amphibian hikes to nature art camps.
The journalist Julia Hotz tried birdwatching when she needed a dose of nature, and Ohio is filled with brilliant birdwatching sites. My personal favorite is the Mentor Lagoons, but you can find your perfect perch closer to home. (By the way, Hotz wrote “The Connection Cure” about the healing power of nature, art, service and more. Her book introduced me to the concept of forest bathing.)
But you don’t need to visit the nearest park, arboretum or garden with a set agenda. If anything, “too much agenda” can be the cause of our stress. Let the lack of one be your solution.
What’s the worst that could happen? It’s not like there’s a Japanese word for “death by stopping to smell the roses.”
