Nature Therapy, Ecotherapy, Horticulture Therapy or Green Therapy are all names given to something we have known in our hearts for a long time. Nature plays a big role in our lives.
Trees, plants, and green grass remove toxins from the air, improve air quality, regulate environmental temperatures, and are instrumental in reducing stress and improving people’s moods. Plant therapy is for real, and it is about more than talking to plants or eating vegetables.
Couch potato friends will think you are nuts when you invite them to join you for a walk, but hopefully you will persevere. Even the most reluctant will admit, eventually, that they feel better after spending time outdoors with you. Good company, fresh air, beautiful scenery and the sense of being a part of something bigger than yourself. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Multiple studies report that exposure to nature is good for you, and as far as therapy goes, it is accessible to everybody. Human therapists are in short supply, but Mother Nature will always be there for you (except in this instance you need to get off the coach).
Exposure to nature is said to soothe and refresh overstimulated brains. Identify your own connection to nature. Some people like to walk or play outdoors, some create beautiful pictures, some garden, and others like to walk in the rain.
Use what is nearby. Green place may not be accessible everywhere, but you don’t have to walk in a forest to connect with nature. Activities like tending to houseplants or petting a dog count. Do what you can to connect, even if it is as simple as taking a picture of a flower and sending it to a friend.
Try gardening; it has been named the number one mood boosting activity of all time. You can work in a garden plot, grow vegetables or flowers in a container on your balcony, or have an herb garden in your window box.
Nature is healing. Horticultural therapy can include everything from growing plants to arranging flowers. It is anything that brings nature into your life. Nature is calming when everything else is stressful.