Forest Bathing Revives the Lost Art of Daydreaming
Forest Bathing Revives the Lost Art of Daydreaming: Why You Need to Wander with Your Mind Again
Do you remember the last time you let yourself truly daydream? I’m not talking about zoning out in a meeting or scrolling your phone while your thoughts scatter—I mean the kind of delicious, wandering daydreams you used to fall into as a child. Hours would pass as you stared at the sky, watched clouds shape-shift into animals, or let your imagination create entire worlds.
Most of us lost that gift somewhere along the way. Life became too full of responsibilities, deadlines, and to-do lists. Daydreaming started to feel frivolous, even lazy. But here’s the truth I’ve learned again and again, both personally and while guiding others on forest bathing walks: daydreaming isn’t just important, it’s healing. And the forest is the perfect place to revive it.
Let me take you into the woods with me, and show you how Forest Bathing awakens this forgotten art.
The Forgotten Art of Daydreaming
There’s a secret every poet, inventor, and philosopher has known: the mind needs open space to wander. Einstein credited his breakthroughs to imagination, not logic. Children use daydreams as natural play and self-discovery. Yet, as adults, we tend to stamp out these wandering thoughts.
When was the last time you felt guilty for “doing nothing”? That’s how far our culture has drifted from daydreaming. We’ve equated stillness with laziness or being less productive. But science tells another story—studies show that daydreaming fosters problem-solving, emotional regulation, and creativity.
I see this especially in people adults on my walks. As adults, our responsibilities pile high—raising children, supporting family, building careers, planning for retirement. Our days are scheduled to the minute. Who has time to simply stare at clouds anymore?
The forest, thankfully, doesn’t keep time.
How Forest Bathing Creates Space for the Mind to Wander
The Pause Button in Nature
One of the first things participants tell me after a guided forest bathing walk is, “I didn’t realize how much I needed to stop.” In the forest, there’s no urgency to accomplish anything. The trees don’t hurry. The stream doesn’t ask for a productivity report. Instead, the natural rhythm of the woods presses pause on our overworked nervous systems.
When that happens, your mind begins to loosen its grip. You stop trying to control thoughts—and they start drifting. That drift is daydreaming, gently returning.
The Soft Fascination of the Forest
Psychologists call it “soft fascination.” The forest engages us with gentle stimuli—bird songs, rustling leaves, the glimmer of sunlight through branches. Unlike screens, which demand sharp, hard focus, nature holds us lightly. That light touch frees mental space for imagination.
I remember sitting by a pond during one of my own walks. I wasn’t “trying” to do anything. I was watching dragonflies skim the surface, and suddenly, I was a kid again, remembering the hours I spent imagining whole stories about magical creatures living in ponds. I didn’t decide to think of it—it simply floated up. That’s the beauty of daydreaming: it arrives uninvited, yet exactly on time.
An Invitation to Let Go
In Forest Bathing, we use “invitations.” These are gentle prompts to help people notice the world around them. Often, the invitations themselves become springboards for daydreaming. An example of this might be, “find a place in the meadow to sit and stare at the clouds.” When you’re not forcing on productivity, the mind happily wanders. In that wandering, deep healing can occur.
The Healing Power of Daydreaming in the Forest
Creativity Rekindled
So many participants tell me, “I had an idea” while connecting to one of the invitations.” One woman, an artist in her 40’s, had been creatively blocked for weeks. During a forest bathing walk, she lay on her back and watched the sky through branches. Later, she told me she saw colors in her imagination she hadn’t explored since childhood. That week, she emailed me to report that she began painting again.
Daydreaming reawakens creativity, not by pushing, but by softening. It’s like loosening the soil so new seeds can sprout.
Emotional Clarity
I’ve experienced this myself. I once went into the forest overwhelmed by a personal career decision I couldn’t seem to sort out. Instead of analyzing, I just walked and noticed. My thoughts drifted—memories surfaced, connections formed. By the time I left, clarity had emerged, not from effort but from allowing space.
Daydreaming in nature often works like that: emotions bubble up gently, then settle, leaving you grounded.
Stress Dissolving Into Stillness
Both Forest Bathing and daydreaming are proven to reduce cortisol, the stress hormone. Together, they form a potent antidote to burnout. Think of it as giving your nervous system a hammock in the woods—a chance to sway gently, without expectation.
Simple Forest Bathing Invitations to Awaken Daydreaming
Want to try it yourself? Book a guided Forest Bathing walk with an ANFT certified Forest Therapy Guide. Here are a few invitations we might explore on your walk:
Cloud Watching Between Trees – Lie back on a blanket and watch clouds move.
Sit Spot Wandering – Choose one spot and stay there for 15 minutes. Notice the details.
Listening Walk – Close your eyes and follow sounds.
Leaf Journeys – Watch a single leaf float from a tree. where does it go?
The goal isn’t to “do it right,” but to allow the mind to unfurl naturally.
Conclusion: Rediscovering Wonder Through Forest Bathing
Forest Bathing revives something our fast-paced world nearly erased—the gentle, healing act of daydreaming. When you step into the forest, you’re not just breathing cleaner air or calming your body. You’re giving your imagination permission to stretch again.
I invite you to try it. BOOK a guided walk with us today to pause and let yourself drift. Follow the path of a leaf, listen to the rustle of branches, or simply stare at the sky until a daydream takes hold.
Because here’s the truth: when you let the forest hold you, your mind becomes free to dream again. In those dreams, you just might find the clarity, creativity, and calm you’ve been missing.
