Jun 6, 2008 4:58 pm US/Central
Eco-Therapy Uses Nature's Rhythms To Reduce Stress
Being Outdoors Can Relieve Stress, Improve Mood
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Gardening, taking a stroll or just being outside in the fresh air can help elevate your mood and reduce stress levels, experts say.
CBS
Eco-therapy may sound a little New Age, but it's actually an approach to life that comes very deeply rooted.
As CBS 2's Anne State reports, it's a way of using nature to relieve stress.
Cheri Albright loves being outdoors, tending to her garden with her girls. She believes being in the fresh air transforms her.
"I tend to feel more relaxed and want to do more things, want to run around with the kids," Albright said.
Stress specialist Dr. Kathleen Hall, of the Stress Institute, says it's not all in Albright's head. Studies show being one with nature has positive consequences.
"We're actually seeing the body, mind and the soul actually act differently in nature than they do in urban societies, and also within a house or within a business environment," Hall said.
Hall says there are some simple steps to help you benefit from eco-therapy.
"First is walking…get your family to walk every night at 7 o'clock or pick a particular time so that every night you're out there at the same time," she said.
We all know it's good to keep the heart pumping and blood circulating, but it's also mood-altering.
"Over 70 percent of people report they have significantly decreased symptoms of depressions when they're out in nature and 88 percent of people say that their moods change immediately just after they begin a walk," Hall said.
If you can't be outside, research shows a snapshot of your favorite place can help take you there.
"Photos on your office, at home by your bed, keep a picture of where you love to be," Hall said. "What we know is the brain identifies with that and it immediately feels better."
Add a fish tank to the room, or a nature sound machine. The point is to allow your senses to take over. Experts say it's the connection to the rhythm of nature that makes all the difference.
"There's lots of sensory stimulation. Think of all of your senses…the smell, smelling the jasmine, the colors of the blue sky, flowers, fresh air, the wind hitting your face," Hall said.
Albright says there's no doubt it works for her, and she spends all the time she can outside.
"I just definitely have more energy, and more bounce," she said.
Any time spent communing with nature will help. Eco-therapists recommend a daily walk, or some time spent gardening -- anything, as long as you are outside.
Experts in the Netherlands and Norway actually prescribe eco-therapy as a treatment for mental distress.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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