What is Ecotherapy?

Many of us have most likely been doing ecotherapy from the time we were born. Being taken out as a baby for fresh air. Playing in the mud as a small child - or an adult if you're lucky! Climbing trees and playing in the woods. Feeling the sun on your face and the wind in your hair. Listening to the sounds of the birds in the trees and the sound of a stream. They’re all great examples of natural, informal ecotherapy.

But maybe we stopped doing what came naturally as a child. Today, many of us spend most of our time indoors for different reasons. We go from home to school or work, trapped in an urban jungle. Life throws us curve balls and stress, anxiety and illnesses.

What do you choose to do when you’re feeling anxious? Perhaps you do some gardening or go for a walk? Plan weekend hikes and camping trips? If so, keep doing what you're doing and grab your family and friends to come along too. You’re absolutely right, nature helps you feel better. It promotes mindfulness and being in the ‘here and now’ will make you feel happier and revitalised.

In its simplest form, ecotherapy means taking a nature and nurture approach to life. And losing that deep connection to your environment can affect your overall well-being and mental health.

What are the different types of Ecotherapy?

Ecotherapy can be as simple as taking a walk to the nearest park or woodland area. A walk on the beach listening to the waves as they roll in and out. Sitting by a stream or river with a book or a journal. Just taking the time to absorb the natural environment. If this doesn’t come naturally to you then you may benefit from a more formal approach with the guidance of a therapist.

In a guided programme you might find yourself doing one or more of the following:

• Community gardening: Looking after a shared plot and growing your own produce; planning and cultivating a horticultural project such as a mindfulness garden and maybe even learning the basics of crop farming or looking after small animals like chickens.
• Animal-assisted therapy: Petting or playing with animals such as dogs, goats or horses outdoors, perhaps even learning to take responsibility for their welfare, is another way to build connections and trust with another person and manage stress and anxiety.
• Bushcraft: Also known as adventure therapy, this encourages teens and young adults to learn leadership and communication skills; working as a team and on their own as they camp and hike in the wilderness with their peers and learn survival skills.
• Outdoor meditation and yoga: Yoga and meditation offer well-established benefits, but they can be even more rewarding and challenging when practised outside. This aids concentration for the mind and body.
• Forest bathing: Develop the mindful use of your five senses as you ramble through woods and forests, immersing yourself in the environment, drinking in the atmosphere and noticing and learning about the changes happening around you.

Many ecotherapy practices also build a two-way relationship with nature by giving something back to the area. That could be planting trees or clearing your local stream or river of pollution. Even small efforts to reduce your carbon footprint, such as recycling, composting, and limiting the amount of driving you do, can benefit you and our planet.

What are the key advantages?

Apart from being fairly inexpensive and the fact that it is relatively easy to access nature, here are just a few more benefits of an ecotherapy approach:

• Opportunities for social connection and building relationships.
• It can reduce loneliness and help you meet new people
• Many ecotherapy practices will get you out of the house and moving, providing the motivation to exercise perhaps without even realising it.
• Greater activity and spending time outdoors can improve sleep and other aspects of physical and mental health.
• Spending time in the fresh air and natural sunlight can help alleviate feelings of depression or anxiety.
• Experiencing the calming sights and sounds of the natural environment can help you detach from the everyday stresses of normal life.