Making Tree Time Part of Your Life

The practice of nature connection isn’t reserved for weekends or wild places. It’s something that can be folded into daily life without too much effort. A moment at the window, a breath of fresh air on the walk to the shops. The sound of birdsong while the kettle boils.

Our to-do lists are already full and finding time seems impossible, so this chapter is more about shifting the way you use your time to focus on what’s around you and bring a small piece of green into each day.

The key here is to be consistent, to make it a new habit. I once read somewhere that if you do something for 30 days in a row it becomes a habit – so that’s what you’re aiming for. (I’ve tried testing this theory a number of times by brushing my teeth in chair pose, but have yet to make it to 30 days, so I can’t say if it works or not!)

One foot in the world, one foot on the earth

We all have routines. The commute. The lunch break. The post-dinner scroll. It’s easy for these parts of the day to blur past unnoticed. But what if one of them became a standing date with a tree, a stretch of sky, or a quiet patch of grass? You don’t need a whole hour. Two or three minutes of presence, real presence, can shift your state more than half an hour of distracted scrolling ever could.

Ideas:

• Step outside before checking your phone in the morning. Breathe to the very edges of your lungs a few times.
• Commute: Noticing clouds, trees, or even just the sky from a bus or train window. Walk or cycle part of your journey instead of driving.
• Workday: Looking out a window at a tree, keeping a plant on the desk, or taking a minute to step outside for a specific sensory observation (e.g., listening for birds during a break, or finding a new patch of green).
• Evenings: A brief moment of stargazing before bed, or listening to the sounds of the night. Watch the moon each night for a week and notice how it changes.

Building a habit without making it a chore

The goal isn’t perfection. It’s not about ticking boxes. It’s about making nature feel like a normal part of your day, not something you have to “go do,” but something you fall into naturally, like a favourite jumper.

The more these moments happen, the easier they become. You start to notice the birdsong before the traffic. You pause under the same tree each day. You catch yourself smiling at the precise and impressive flight path of a hoverfly. That’s when you know it’s working.

What starts as a conscious effort, over time, almost imperceptibly, begins to change you. Each time you step outside, even for just a moment, or bring a sliver of the natural world into your routine, you’re allowing your life to find its natural rhythm again.

The cumulative power of these small, consistent doses of green cannot be overstated. They quietly rewire your senses, soothe your hurried thoughts, and gently remind you that you are part of something vast and ancient. Before you know it, forest bathing moves beyond an activity; it becomes a way of life. Your days become richer, your perspective widens, and the quiet magic of the natural world becomes a constant, comforting presence, part of your everyday.