Today’s episode will focus on how being out in nature has some serious mental health benefits and even some physical benefits too. To stem off of last weeks episode, there is so much we can do in our every day lives to fight back against depression, anxiety, and overall poor mental health. We wanted to take a deep dive in the correlation between physiological/psychological health and being in nature. We found three studies from three different parts of the world comparing participants walking in an urban setting vs. those in a forested or grassland setting. They showed that forest walking lowered heart rate, decreased rumination (the repetitive thought of negative emotions), and lowered stress compared to those city walking. Now, if you don’t have access to a nearby park or forested area, we have an answer for that too. According Harvard Health and Scientific reports, listening to recorded nature sounds can be beneficial in reducing stress and promoting happiness. Not only do these studies say that nature is restorative and healing, but doctors are now using nature to help heal their patients with a technique called Ecotherapy. Of course, we are always trying to tie in the fact that we need to be more aware as a society of how important it is for us to take care of mother Earth through sustainable practices. As Ecotherapy becomes more mainstream as a useful practice through the medical community, we are hoping that it brings more value and attention the natural world which will lead to increased sustainable practices locally, and globally.