Hitting Mung: Could This South Korean Wellness Fad Help You?

As offices creak back to life, many of us are dreading the return to the fast-paced juggling, bustle culture, and the multitasking that seemed “normal” before the pandemic.

Experts tell us not to forget to take care of ourselves. And, in the midst of all the chaos, building self-care into our busy schedules can be stressful in and of itself. Enter the latest South Korean wellness fad called “hitting mung.”

“Hitting mung” is a slang phrase that roughly translates to “spacing out” in Korean. Comparable to the Zen Buddhist principles of reaching a state of blissful blankness in the mind, it's another take on meditation or mindfulness.

Quieting the mind is a helpful practice. It reduces the ruminative thought processes that fuel anxiety, depression, and toxic stress. Turning your mental focus towards something easily controlled and emotionally neutral—like (meditative) breathing or concentrating on a calm image can induce a relaxed focus.

"Hitting mung" marries those concepts to instant gratification and convenience in a way that makes accessing a calm state of nothingness easy to build into your daily routine. In big cities like Seoul, and other busy urban settings, stress relief comes in the form of cafes, mini theaters, video screens, and designated public spaces designed to cultivate this relaxation vibe. Those in need of relief are willing to pay for the experience which, by the way, can be similarly achieved for free in nature (more on that later).

Here's how it works. You come to deliberately unwind for a few minutes by staring at images of nature, listening to relaxing sounds, scribbling in journals, or sipping on tea. After a brief respite, you return to the grind, hopefully at least, feeling somewhat refreshed.

In 1971, my parents emigrated to the states from South Korea. When I asked my mother what she knew about “mung,” she told me there were several subtypes of “mung”. "Fire mung" for example, induces a calm state by staring at flames burning in a fireplace. Staring at clouds or foliage, at ocean waves or serene bodies of water can also help achieve “mung” states.

In the past decade, South Korea has become known as a global trendsetter. Known the world over for its K-pop stars like BTS, provocative movies and television shows—Parasite and _Squid Game—_and the popularity of its spicy cuisine and condiments like kimchi and gochujang, South Korea is on the map in a new way.

The country’s rapid economic and capitalistic development has also brought its own perils and anxieties. Worries about income polarization and an increased cost of living, and societal pressures to look successful at all costs seem to come hand in hand with a hypercompetitive culture and value clashes between generations and greater feelings of community breakdown and isolation.

In addition to these rapid sociocultural and financial changes, a longstanding stigma against discussing or acknowledging mental health issues in Korean society may also contribute to increased stress and psychiatric problems.

Most disturbingly, suicide rates in South Korea are among the highest of all developed nations. Young women, in particular. From 1986 to 2005 (according to an article in BMC Public Health by Jin-Won Kwon et al), suicides increased by 282% in young women and 244% in men.

There are early signs of inroads into increasing mental health awareness and promoting self-care in South Korea. The article “South Korean’s Mental Health Problems—That Koreans Don’t Admit” (Ozy, 2018) notes that the Korean government only recently formed a government agency devoted to suicide prevention, and rates of Koreans seeking professional mental health assistance have been on the rise (although low overall at 20%).

On a cultural level, wellness initiatives have seeped into the commercial sphere as well. The growth of designated fitness studios and social media influencers (featured recently on the Netflix dating show Singles Inferno) tout the benefits of “hitting mung.”

One positive aspect of the “hitting mung” trend that may be in part responsible for its wider acceptance in Korean society is the deep roots in old tenets of Korean Buddhist culture. Korean Buddhism reportedly developed in the country after arriving from India via Silk Road traders in the first century and became an essential part of the culture and religion of the ancient Three Kingdoms in Korea in the coming millennia.

Many historic Buddhist temples and artifacts remain throughout the country and have become coveted tourist destinations. Some are set beautifully in the middle of the mountainous countryside; others can be found in the heart of bustling downtowns.

During a 2017 visit to the mountains of Gangwon-do, the birthplace of my father’s ancestors, my family and I stayed at a temple and enjoyed the temple’s combination of rustic asceticism with raw natural beauty.

We dressed in plain grey cotton clothes of the monk-wear variety and slept on simple floor cots. We ate all-vegan food provided in the temple cafeteria. Vegetables were grown on the grounds with mountain spring water and flavored with umami-loaded soybean paste fermented on the premises in large clay jars.

We forest bathed (an ancient Japanese process of relaxation also known as shinrin yoku) via quiet trails by the mountain creeks and met cheerful chipmunks along the way. I attempted to join one meditation ceremony at the temple, but my stiff 40-something knees couldn’t handle the yoga-like repetitive standing and sitting accompanying the chanted prayers, so I left politely.

Overall, the experience gave me an appreciation for what I missed in my modern daily life (like a queen-size padded mattress), but also provided valuable time to brain-cleanse and reconnect with that peaceful state of “mung”—to focus only on the essentials of what gave me purpose and comfort.

“Hitting mung” likely can provide similar benefits to meditative and nature-based practices like forest bathing. A review article in the International Journal of Environmental Research on Public Health from August 2016 by Chorong Song et al. noted data indicating positive physiological changes from experiencing nature, including the calming of autonomic nervous activity, endocrine activity, and even immune activity.

Blood pressure and pulse rate decreases were noted, as well as increases in natural killer immune cell activity: all signs of decreased stress responses and reducing their potential negative impact on one’s overall health.

Interestingly, I was already following some of the tenets of “hitting mung” in my hectic career-driven life before the pandemic hit. I had a hybrid work-at-home schedule with a very mentally intense job, and on my days at home, I got into the habit of taking lunch breaks at a lovely historic mill town 10 minutes away. Although not billed as a "mung" destination (I've yet to find one in the states!), eating at the small Japanese tea café was "mung" for me. (Japanese culture is also heavily influenced by Zen Buddhism.)

Set beside a trickling creek, in a quaint 19th-century stone house, the café serves perfectly brewed genmaicha (brown rice tea) in elegantly-decorated pots. As I sipped the soothing brew, I indulged in salmon onigiri (Japanese rice balls) and steaming sides of udon or ramen. It was my "happy place" and I looked forward to every visit.

I also recall one hotel in Japan that had a channel specifically devoted to gorgeous scenes of nature, which I remember staring at happily for half an hour while jet-lagged. Similarly, I enjoy the dramatic screensaver photos from around the world on my work computer preloaded by Microsoft. These quick virtual visits seem the closest to an instant “hitting mung” fix that we could have.

I myself went on a lot of nature walks after the pandemic hit and tried like many to focus on domestic rituals of coziness to cope. As our schedules ramp up again, it will be helpful to remember the relative ease with which we can return to those cozy spaces and even use our most placid memories to restore those states of “mung” at any point in the day.

Perhaps that is the best advantage of this “hitting mung” concept...it’s a simple, low-key, and easily accessible way to learn how to practice self-soothing and try to take control of so much that seems out of control in the world right now.