[INFORMATIVE] Eco-therapy in Urban Areas

Eco-therapy in Urban Areas

By: Leora Kissoon

Have you ever taken a walk outside and suddenly felt refreshed? Do you ever wonder why people hug trees or say to touch grass when you need to feel grounded? These are all examples of ecotherapy which has been heavily interconnected with our mental well-being as humans.

What is eco-therapy?
The basic principles of nature therapy or eco-therapy are that human well-being is vitally linked to our natural surroundings and that preserving our connection to the earth is essential to our mental health. Spending time in nature has been proven to promote growth and healing.

Surprisingly, while many people use eco-therapy unknowingly, it is not as widely addressed as a large contributing factor to better mental and physical health. Eco-therapy has been used throughout the millennia, and although the industrial revolution caused a decrease in nature therapy with the rising levels of stress within society as well as the wide urbanization spread, it is still a highly efficient method to improve your mental health.

Why is eco-therapy in urban areas important?
While urbanization has many advantages, it is common that with high levels of urbanization follows increased levels of stress and depression follow. Studies show that the color gray and urbanization can be linked to increased aggression and anger. However, the most notably researched impacts of “urban disease” observe physical health.

This depression, stress, and anger caused by urbanization can be easily remedied by implementing more depaving and green spaces in urban areas to foster relationships with nature and make eco-therapy more easily accessible. The WHO (World Health Organization) stated: “Urban green spaces, such as parks, playgrounds, and residential greenery, can promote mental and physical health and reduce morbidity and mortality in urban residents by providing psychological relaxation and stress alleviation, stimulating social cohesion, supporting physical activity and reducing exposure to air pollutants, noise, and excessive heat.”

Additionally, with the skyrocketing rate of the use of technology and the decrease in overall social interaction and recreation outside of the home, it is crucial to ensure we get enough exercise, sunlight, and time in nature. Doing so fosters a healthy balance in one’s life.

What are the benefits of eco-therapy?
Did you know hugging trees has many health benefits? Although it is often used as a joke, its benefits can be very impactful. Some include an immune system boost caused by the chemicals (phytoncides) released, lower stress levels, higher levels of feel-good hormones, especially oxytocin, and many more helpful perks. Not only does it physically connect you to nature but as your body releases the chemical oxytocin known as the bonding hormone you have a chemical feeling of connection with the earth.

Based on findings, being around the color green might have an uplifting impact on our mental health and general well-being. Eco-therapy has been proven to lower cortisol (the stress hormone), blood pressure, and heart rate and increase serotonin (the “natural mood booster” hormone) and oxytocin (the “love/bonding hormone”), also known as “feel good hormones” and can be stimulated by spending time in the sunshine.

As many professional eco-therapy sessions are done in groups, these gatherings reduce social isolation. Other benefits are heightened self-worth and confidence, improved focus, fostered creativity, increased motivation to exercise, boosted coping, improved relaxation and mindfulness and finally, it can reduce the risk/symptoms of depression, anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, mental fatigue, emotional distress and many other mental health issues.

What are some types of eco-therapy?
Here are examples of eco-therapy:

• Gardening/ horticultural therapy
• Going on a walk in your neighborhood/park
• Hiking
• Going to a beach/river/lake/pond
• Spending time with animals
• Animal-assisted exercise, like goat yoga
• Meditating in nature
• Tree hugging
• Spending time in fields, like cherry-picking
• A picnic
• Camping
• A nature retreat
• Adventure therapy, like rock climbing
• Running around barefoot in grass
• Simply trying to observe nature in urban spaces
• Take some of your regular activities outside, like reading, journaling, running etc.
• Implementing more plants in your environment/ home (houseplants)

Sources:
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Raypole, C. (2020, August 31). Ecotherapy and the Healing Power of Nature. Healthline. Retrieved August 11, 2024, from https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/ecotherapy

What Is EcoTherapy? Explore the History and Benefits of the Practice. (2021, September 25). EcoTherapy Heals. Retrieved August 11, 2024, from https://www.ecotherapyheals.com/what-is-ecotherapy/

Coomer, S. H. (2023, September 4). Ecotherapy: What Is It And Does It Work? Forbes Health. https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/what-is-ecotherapy/#:~:text=The%20World%20Health%20Organization%20%28WHO%29%20looks%20at%20the,exposure%20to%20air%20pollutants%2C%20noise%20and%20excessive%20heat.%E2%80%9D

Bratman, G. N., Hamilton, J. P., Hahn, K. S., Daily, G. C., & Gross, J. J. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(28), 8567–8572. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1510459112

Summers, J. K., & Vivian, D. N. (2018). Ecotherapy – A Forgotten Ecosystem Service: A Review. Frontiers in Psychology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01389

Zhang, Z., Zhao, M., Zhang, Y., & Feng, Y. (2023). How does urbanization affect public health? New evidence from 175 countries worldwide. Frontiers in Public Health, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1096964

Austin, D. (2023, August 11). How to get high on your own hormones—naturally
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/happy-hormones-dopamine-serotnin-endorphins-natural#:~:text=Spending%20time%20in%20the%20sunshine%2C%20exercising%2C%20and%20meditating%2C,trigger%20a%20release%20of%20serotonin%E2%80%94a%20natural%20mood%20booster.

Urban green spaces and health. (2016). https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/345751

Curtis, D. (2024, April 20). What is Ecotherapy? Understanding the Healing Power of Nature. Wild Breathe. https://wildbreathe.com/what-is-ecotherapy/#h-ecotherapy-in-urban-settings

Leo. (2023, October 8). The Psychology Behind the Color Green: What Does it Mean? - Psychologily. Psychologily. https://psychologily.com/color-green-in-psychology/#The_Color_Green_in_Psychology

Saieg, E. (2024, April 22). Can Tree Hugging Reduce Stress? Exploring the Science Behind It - Everybody Ground! Everybody Ground! https://everybodyground.com/can-tree-hugging-reduce-stress-exploring-the-science-behind-it/#:~:text=Science%20has%20our%20backs%20here%2C%20showing%20that%20it,also%20kicks%20off%20this%20awesome%20release%20of%20oxytocin.