We’ve all heard that nature is nurturing to humans, but what does that mean and how can we use it to our advantage?
The term ‘ecotherapy’ is the practice of being in nature to boost mental and physical health. Studies have repeatedly shown that walking through a city park, hiking in mountains or forest preserves, strolling along a lakeside or oceanside, or walking your dog around the block, will have positive mental and physical effects. A little outdoor break is better than none. If you can’t go outside, sit near a window and feel the sunshine on your face. To add more light to your day, buy a happy light. The light delivered through sun lamps is often particularly effective for people suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), according to family medicine practitioner Robert Cain, MD. “Long periods of dark and a lack of sun exposure gets your sleep-wake rhythm thrown off and sun lamps help reset it.” Any of us living in the Midwest experience SAD this to some extent.
‘Ecotherapy’ is just one example of a coping skill. Sometimes a walk on your lunch break is not enough, even though it feels good at the time. I have coined the term “stacking” to verbalize using many coping skills throughout a day and even back-to-back, to get a more desired mental and physical effect. For example, one can take their dog for a walk around the block and come home to listen to music as they are making dinner or folding laundry (if you enjoy music and use it as a coping skill).
WHAT ARE SOME COPING SKILLS THAT YOU CAN STACK TO HELP YOUR MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH?
Another term I’ve coined is “buffer”. I had a client that hated doing her billing at the end of the week, so she purposefully drove to Starbucks, ordered her favorite drink that she only gets this one day a week, and used her special Starbucks drink as her “buffer”. Billing wasn’t as miserable. I had another client that traveled in his car for work so he would intentionally park at forest preserves in between clients to take calls, do work, and eat lunch.
WHAT ARE SOME SITUATIONS IN WHICH YOU WISH YOU HAD A “BUFFER” FOR YOURSELF?
‘Ecotherapy’ is especially important to prioritize enduring Midwest winters. Studies have also proven that watching nature videos or YouTube videos of travel destinations has profound positive mental and physical effects. It’s second to the real thing of course, but trying is important. Where do you want to travel? No time? Too expensive? We have healthy and positive ways of using technology, such as using YouTube, to travel and escape.
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