Hug a friendly tree, plant the flowers you love, play with your pets (they love that), go for a walk, watch the sunset, increase your connection with nature. Research consistently confirms a basic intuition people have: being closer to natural, unbuilt environments is good for us. Even if you live in a dense, built-up area, going outside means feeling the wind in your hair, seeing the blue or cloudy sky, and getting the benefit of more light to lift your mood and strengthen your physical health.
An increasing number of therapists of all persuasions are incorporating “nature” or green spaces into their therapeutic practice. This may be as simple as having a conversation while walking outside instead of sitting in the office. Or it could be an organized adventure program like rock climbing or sailing. Many institutions, like prisons, juvenile detention and long-term care facilities are using gardening as a tool for reducing anxiety and depression, teaching skills, and making that all-important intangible “connection” with the natural world. Horticulture therapy is being credited with improved social skills, better connection to the community and even better sleep. Even taking care of houseplants can help a person feel more settled and stable in their life.
Connection with nature is increasingly recognized as an important prescription for mental health in our urbanized and stressful world. This connection is a relatively simple thing, not closely defined, but people know when they have it. Staying inside, commuting by car or subway, relaxing with television or other screen time, and exercising in a gym are all lifestyle choices that limit our contact with green spaces and the outside world. Lifestyle choices that maximize connection with the natural world are not hard to find, but may require some habit change.
A recent book has come to our attention looking at the latest developments in the field of nature therapy. Published by the American Psychiatric Association, and edited by Yonatan Kaplan, M.D., and Petros Levounis, M.D., M.A., the book considers all the points we have frequently reviewed in MoodSurfing, as well as some others like hydrotherapy, forest bathing, and animal-assisted therapy. It’s more a handbook for practitioners, but also interesting for the general reader.
So, get outside. Take a walk and observe the scents and colors of the plants growing along the way, both cultivated and “weeds”. Try gardening or growing flowers and herbs in pots indoors. Take time to enjoy meals, spend time with people face to face. That’s how you give yourself nature therapy.