The "Krone" Lower Austria column

The little messenger makes an autumn wreath

(Bild: Krone kreativ/Daniela Gaigg/canva)

How I bathe in the forest, what I bring with me and what nature decorations now adorn my office. As a columnist, "Die kleine Botin" aka Daniela Gaigg writes about topics relating to life with her family. These include sustainability in everyday life, self-care and food for thought for parents.

Walks in the autumn forest among the colorful leaves and mushrooms, the low-lying cobwebs and cracking branches are wonderfully relaxing and not just good for the body. Mentally, we find better balance when we go "forest bathing" from time to time and also enjoy the silence of nature.

Forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) has been proven to have relaxing effects and can reduce stress. The sounds of the forest, the rustling of the leaves and the gentle sound of the wind calm the mind. I have the impression that the intensely colored leaves actually have a bit of a mood-lifting effect. I'm a bit prone to a mental slump in the fall, so I consciously try to counteract this.

We bring something back with us from every walk - this time it was "Bucheckerl". After some deliberation about what to do with the shells, we decided on a mini autumn wreath. Skill, care and a good hot glue gun are all you need. I shortened the stems of the beech leaves as much as possible so that nothing was sticking out and then stuck them "into each other" with the help of the hot glue. Make sure that a bend is created first and then a wreath. Now it adorns the office door and with a thin string of lights it also looks very pretty until the holidays.