Important book. Not as good as “Last Child in the Woods,” but still very informative and interesting. ( )

Good info, good research. I think I can do 5 hours a month of nature, in the summer. If it's not too hot. Easy listen. Able to look up more information afterward about forest bathing and the nature pyramid. ( )

If you enjoy the outdoors, you’ve probably heard that being in nature can do wonders for your stress levels and overall health.

This books addresses practices such as forest bathing in South Korea and Japan, wilderness schools in the US for troubled teenagers as well as ADHD therapy. It also discusses scientific studies.

There are huge benefits to being outdoors. Stress related cortisol levels drop and increase brain waves that lead to better focus, calmness, and creativity. Our brains react positively to fractals found in the leaves of trees and the ripples in water. Being in a place where you use all five senses at once can help with brain trauma. In addition, being in nature can recharge our sense of awe – which many researchers believe is essential for humans.

The author suggests outdoor walks every day; a longer outdoor engagement once a week and an occasional or periodic outdoor several day immersion.

This is an interesting summary of the benefits of being outdoors in nature. Most of the material I was familiar with, although it was nice to have it all in one place.

I wish the author had addressed working in the outdoors doing such tasks as gardening and animal care. I suspect there are many of the same benefits as relaxing or recreating in nature. ( )

Liked this for how it got me to think about my relationship with nature, but I frequently found the author a bit smug, and the science--while I am all for this topic--seemed to need to be a little stronger. It is all couched in privilege as well, which Williams only acknowledges briefly at the very end. Also, it really pissed me off how dismissive she was of anti-depressants throughout the book. While I think getting out in nature is amazing and can be transformative (if it's your thing), I also think it is --O.K.-- to manage mood disorders with medication. Enough with this shaming already. Jeez. ( )

The first copy I got was misprinted with several chapters printed twice and several missing. AMZN replaced it. My problem seems to be isolated.

Williams is friendly, approachable, engaging writer. I think I will go grab her previous work. ( )