Let's talk about Ecotherapy

let’s

ta l k

about

ecotherapy

What is ecotherapy?

Ecotherapy is a type of therapeutic treatment that involves spending time outside in the natural environment, focusing on outdoor activities rather than health to improve mental wellbeing.

The ideas behind this sort of therapy are certainly nothing new. In the 6th century BC, Cyrus the Great planted a garden in the newly-founded Persian Empire to benefit human health.

Fast-forward to the 1950s, researchers begun to study why people chose to spend time in nature. The term ‘Shinrin-yoku’, which translates literally to ‘forest bathing’, originated in Japan in the 1980s. In 1996, the term ‘ecotherapy’ was coined.

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Anyone can suffer from mental health problems but some people are more likely than others These groups tend (but are not always) minority groups that face discrimination and bullying, which impacts their mental health. Younger people are also increasingly more likely to report common mental health issues. Those who have overlapping problems such as homelessness, substance misuse and contact with the criminal justice system are also 40% more likely to experience decreased mental wellbeing at any given time.

Those who identify as LGBTQ+ are almost 3x more likely than heterosexual people to suffer from mental issues.

About 23% of black and black British people experience problems in any given week.*

Over 25% of young women aged between 16-24 report having mental problems in any given week.

Source: mind.org.uk *Compared with 17% of white British people

Men are 3x more likely to take their own lives due to mental illness than women.

Resets your circadian rhythms Gets you active

Helps lower stress and clear the mind

Tops up your vitamin D levels

Increases your intake of fresh air

five reasons why camping is good for you

Gets you active Walking and other activities raise the heart rate and stimulate metabolism, helping us shed calories and give our muscles, heart and lungs a workout.

Resets your circadian rhythms Camping holidays mean we are more exposed to natural light and less electric light, improving sleep and readjusting internal functions.

Increases your intake of fresh air Spending time in fresh air cleans our lungs, helping us breathe more deeply, ensuring more oxygen is delivered to our cells.

Helps lower stress Being physically and mentally removed from everyday life can help us put things into perspective.

Tops up vitamin D levels Sunlight promotes the production of vitamin D in the skin, which supports calcium absorption to keep our bones strong.

“Spending just two hours a week in a natural environment can be enough to boost our health” Studies have also shown that daily contact with nature can also have a positive impact on diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

Exeter University

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