Nature therapy also known as ecotherapy is a type of therapy that takes place in nature that has been proven to improve overall mental health. From the far times before facing the pandemic, we have been exposing ourselves and spending most of our time with gadgets and social media which is why nature therapy is needed now more than ever.

Nature therapy does not only include green spaces but also oceans and lakes as these places can help us enjoy the beauty of fresh air, and hear the sounds of the wilderness. 

Benefits of Nature Therapy

• Improved Happiness

There are various forms of happiness and one of them is nature. It has been proven that being in nature decreases anger, fear, stress, and sadness and increases pleasurable emotions. This means that exposing ourselves to nature will not only give us a better feeling but will also provide advantages to our physical well-being – normal blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and stress hormones. In addition to that, Dr. Gregory Bratman has proposed in his research to incorporate nature setting in the city for nature has been proven to be one of the best sources of one’s happiness and built meaningful life.

• Reduced Anxiety, Depression, and Stress

Situating yourself with nature has been proven to be a great help with mental health illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Further, some research about ecotherapy discussed the effects of formal treatment in nature wherein they have manifested its help with mild to moderate depression. The findings showed that nature therapy indisputably helped reduce mental distress. Research that centered on the anxiety, stress and depression of U.S. College Students stated that spending 10 minutes in a wide range of nature settings can be very beneficial to mental health – both psychological and physiological.

• Boosts Cognitive Benefits   

Nature therapy has been found to have great benefits for our cognitive development. It has been proven that being in nature refines your working memory, cognitive flexibility, and attentional control whereas being exposed to urban areas has been associated with attention deficits (Current Directions in Psychological Science, Vol. 28, No. 5, 2019). Our minds will naturally become calm when we are in nature which leads us to have better focus and cognition.

These days when we are in isolation, we can incorporate nature at home by planting greens and flowers, displaying paintings and drawings about nature, and listening to nature sounds and waves on our gadgets.