Forest Bathing: UACh Botanical Garden Opens Space to Help Reduce University Stress

The Botanical Garden of the Austral University of Chile -under the Faculty of Sciences- features a "forest bathing" space where students and visitors can find a place to pause, breathe, and connect with the environment, away from the fast pace of daily life.

In 2022, the Millennium Nucleus for Improving the Mental Health of Adolescents and Young People conducted a study with students from the Austral University of Chile at the UACh Botanical Garden. It found that a 45-minute forest bathing therapy session significantly reduced anxiety levels in university students.

This study shows that contact with nature, even for short periods of time, has immediate positive effects on mental health.

The Outreach Coordinator of the UACh Botanical Garden, Rocío Jaña, stated, "the evidence is clear: contact with nature can reduce stress and improve well-being. But beyond the data, it's also about something simple and profound: learning to look, listen, and feel again."

She invited those visiting the garden to take the self-guided tour of the "forest bathing" space, to take a moment, observe the colors, listen to the sounds, and feel the air. "Perhaps that small gesture can make a big difference," she emphasized.