Many people are aware of the toll that the winter months can take on mental health. You have probably heard of the winter blues and may even know someone with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). But did you also know that for some people the summer months can trigger feelings of anxiety and depression?
As adults, we have all heard it before: “spend time outside – doctor’s orders!” Parents say this phrase to their kids when they are in a bad mood, “get outside and take a walk.” We have a lot of antidotal evidence that suggests being outside and with nature can boost our mood. But is there science behind the great outdoors and it’s positive impact on mental health?
Turns out, the answer is yes. Research supports spending time in nature as a type of therapeutic intervention for depression and anxiety and it even has a name – ecotherapy. Ecotherapy, also known as nature therapy or green therapy, is the applied practice of ecopsychology. Ecotherapy is rooted in the idea that people are connected to and impacted by sights and sounds of our natural environment.