Get Back to Nature
Ecotherapy is a successful way to reduce anxiety by immersing yourself in nature. Many people who suffer from anxiety or depression prefer not to seek medical assistance such as therapy or medication, they turn to the therapeutic value of nature instead.
Our prefrontal cortex is that part of the brain where we let our negative thoughts go round and round in our heads. Research has shown that walking in nature for 90 minutes, compared with walking in an urban environment for the same amount of time, significantly reduces activity in this part of the brain.
Everything we see, hear or experience affects our body and mind. Living, working or even passing through an environment which we find unpleasant can make us feel anxious or sad, making our blood pressure and heart rate increase and suppressing our immune system. By contrast, being in nature helps reduce our blood pressure and heart rate and encourages feelings of calm and contentment. Listening to the sound of the wind and the birds, feeling the sun, wind or rain on our skin, looking at everything around us and taking in the different smells, combine to produce a therapeutic and calming effect.
