Icelanders recommended to Hug Trees to Overcome Loneliness in Coronavirus Isolation

The dynamic country of Iceland, popularly known as ‘the land of fire and ice’, has yet come up with a witty and unique way to cope with covid 19. The forest department of Iceland has asked its citizens to come out and give a hug to the trees. This was announced for the pure intention of spreading positivity and extracting unpolluted energy from nature. It has been experienced that closing the eyes and pressing the cheeks against a tree can produce a calming effect to the person hugging the tree by feeling the warmth and cooling currents flowing into the hugger. Hence, the idea has been declared psychologically effective by the forestry service of Iceland and has been promoted by the department by posting certain photos of many ways to hug a tree on their website. This is a fantastic notion and is believed on the possibility for Iceland to beat isolation by tree-hugging.

The activity has been informed to be an adequate way of practicing social distancing amongst the people. The request has also been made with a warning along with it as it is important to avoid hugging the same tree repeatedly. Therefore, people have been warned not to hug the first tree they see and instead go further into the woods to hug the perfect untouched tree. This is because the novel coronavirus has been tested on its ability to stay on different surfaces, including wood for certain periods of time. This activity has been proved to be persuasive by the forest rangers from their own experiences. One of them has said that hugging a tree can give you a feeling of relaxation starting from the toes, rolling up to your legs, goes up to your chest and finally to your head which is efficient to relieve your mental distress.

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The forest department has urged the citizens of Iceland to step out of their home and practice this distinctive activity for the betterment of their psychological health. Certain paths leading to the woods have also been cleared to give proper access to the people. This initiative can be compelling for the citizens too as people have been staying inside their homes for several weeks and are expectedly restless to leave their homes. Many people have been feeling the negative effect of isolation due to the lockdown and are eager to step out.

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There have been certain reports all over the world on how much the lockdown has led to psychological distress and people have been experiencing a number of mental issues such as depression, anxiety, stress, etc. The tree-hugging idea proposed by the authorities of Iceland have been proved to be helpful for mental health and it could be suggested to be practiced in other countries too. The forest ranger also added that hugging a tree can give you a positive vibe to start the day on a happy mode. Hence, nature has once again proved its usefulness during this pandemic and we should be encouraged like Iceland to beat isolation by tree-hugging.