You don’t need to “do” anything in the forest.
I wholeheartedly encourage you to go to the forest and wander aimlessly (stay safe, of course). But if you, like many, have been conditioned by capitalism and hustle culture to believe you must always be “productive,” here are many ideas of what you can “do” in the forest other than hiking, that will make you feel like you’re doing ‘something.’ In the same way that eating frozen vegetables is better than no vegetables at all, going to the forest even if you think you need to “be productive” will still give you the benefits of going to the forest.
Simply breathing forest air is good for you. It has higher oxygen levels, which is good for brain function, and phytoncides which are anti-microbial compounds that benefit your immune system.1
My goal with this post is to help you spend as much time in the forest as possible, not to prescribe any particular activity or suggest that you need to be “busy” in the forest. I’m just helping you find an excuse to go, in case you feel like you need one.
Before you go, make sure you’re following safety recommendations to not get lost, and be prepared in case of emergency. At the very least, tell someone where you’re going and when you plan to return, and bring extra layers, a light source, and plenty of water. You can read more about how to stay safe in the woods here. If you’re new to the forest, increase your adventure level gradually, and stick to shorter, well-travelled trails until you feel more comfortable going farther, or off trail.
Simple Pleasures & Leisures
Many people don’t actually stop in the forest. They hike to the destination – a waterfall, a summit, a view – take a short break and hike back out. There is something magically healing about spending time in the forest, and it’s a completely different experience than moving through the forest.
You’ll feel colder when you stop moving, so make sure you have extra layers, and maybe even a blanket and pillow if you plan to take a nap. Make sure you have everything you need to be nice and cozy so you’ll be enticed to stay a while. It’s good to have something waterproof to sit or lie on, like a small tarp.
Read a Book or Take a Nap
Pretty self-explanatory. In pleasant weather you might even want to bring a small hammock.
Play an Instrument
If you play a portable instrument like the tin whistle or aslatua bring it with you. How delightful to sit under a tree and play a concert for the birds and squirrels.
Arts & Crafts
Why crochet in the living room when you could crochet in the forest? Portable crafts are great to bring to the woods. Knit or crochet, needle felting, or braiding or belt weaving, are all portable crafts. An art journal or small watercolor kit could also be a lovely forest activity. You might like to keep a nature journal.
Wellness Practices to Enrich Your Forest Journey
Shaking
Do the things that might make you feel silly in public. The trees don’t judge. Shaking your body reduces stress, helps with lymphatic drainage, and improves circulation. But more than the physical benefits – we store tension and emotions in our tissues. Shaking helps break up stagnation in our body and primes us for releasing repressed emotions.
Express Repressed Feelings with a Emotional Catharsis
Being alone in the woods is the perfect place to act crazy like you can’t where people can see you. It’s a great place to do some somatic healing, like throwing a good ol’ temper tantrum, talking to yourself with chair work, or vocal healing, like toning or howling. Have a good scream or cry.
Guided Meditation
If you have limited data, or the forest has no service, you’ll want to download something in advance. Don’t forget your headphones.
Yoga or Fitness
Of course, you can also do some ‘normal’ fitness activities in the forest. They even make super-thin travel yoga mats. Next time I go to the forest, I’m finally going to open up my Movement folder in my saved TikToks, and try some new exercises.
Journal or Free Writing
Being in the forest lowers inhibitions. The forest is a non-judgemental space to be yourself and explore your true nature, making it a great place to get in touch with your subconscious. Try free writing: write continuously without filtering or editing for a pre-determined length of time or pages. Don’t stop writing until you’ve filled the time or page, even if nothing is coming. Just keep re-writing the same word until something new flows.
Nature-Based Activities
Get to know the plants around you
Do you know the plants that grow in your area? An easy way to get to know them is with a plant ID app, like Seek. You simply take a photo of the plant and the app suggests the ID.
There are many plant ID apps, but I like Seek because it is connected to iNaturalist, a global community of citizen scientists who tag and identify plants and animals. You can easily post your plant pics to your public iNaturalist, and others can verify your identification.
You can also use iNaturalist to look at the map of your area and see which plants grow there, before you head into the woods. It’s fun to make a treasure hunt of it – look up what grows in an area before you go, and see if you can find them.
Forage
Once you start identifying plants with Seek, you may be surprised how many edible and medicinal plants are in your area. If you’re allowed to forage in the area you’re going, you may want to bring a basket.
Foraging can take you off the beaten path, so make sure you know how to find your way, and stay safe in the woods.
CAUTION: Do not ingest any plant based on identification from an app alone. Apps are not 100% accurate. Before nibbling or foraging for any plant, check multiple sources to verify identification. Better yet, find an experienced local guide.
Create Nature Art
Creating simple, temporary art with leaves, sticks or stones can be a meditative and freeing process. Art made of natural materials that will naturally decay or be swallowed by the forest can be a therapeutic activity that allows you to tap into your creativity without the pressure of making something perfect or permanent. You can nourish your inner child and let yourself play. It’s up to you if you want to document the result with a photo or not.
I do have mixed feelings about this one – I tend to prefer my nature natural rather than adulterated by human hands, but I am enthralled by the works of Andy Goldsworthy. I think it’s harmless to occasionally create nature art, especially if it will quickly disappear and is off the beaten path, but please do not build cairns (rock stacks), because they have become a nuisance with so many people making them, and there are many reasons not to build them.
Blur the Line Between Work and Play
Create Content
The forest is often quite and peaceful, and if you’re coming from the city, you may find it much easier to record videos. My own yard is quite noisy, so I like taking my selfie stick to the forest, finding a nice mossy log to sit on, and recording content there.
Although the forest is usually more peaceful than the city, be aware of wind noise, and rustling sounds from your outerwear. It’s best to have a microphone when recording in the forest.
Offline Work – Use with Caution
You probably don’t really want to work in the forest, but I occasionally do a little “forest commute” and bring my laptop or iPad with some offline tasks queued up. I’ll lie on a blanket and work under the canopy. It makes a nice change of scenery from my desk, and it’s surprising how much I can get done. This only works, of course, if you have decent battery life but I even have a portable solar panel I can bring just in case.
Ultimately, you don’t have to learn, heal, create, optimize, or even relax “properly” to go to the forest. All of these ideas are simply invitations – ways to soften the inner pressure to be productive so you can say yes to going outside more often. If one of these ideas encourages you to get outside, I succeeded.
Don’t forget that once you’re there, feel free to abandon the plan. Remember that your worth is not linked to doing, and it’s ok to just be.
Gear Checklist
Make sure you have all your safety essentials like extra layers and plenty of water. Depending on what you plan to do, you might want to bring some of the following.
- small tarp or mat
- blanket and pillow or hammock
- musical instrument
- a good book
- hot beverage
- journal and pen
- basket or paper bags for foraging
- microphone and selfie stick
- guided meditation and headphones
- travel yoga mat
- solar panel
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-forest-therapy-can-be-good-for-your-body-and-mind