Ecotherapy is the name given to a wide range of treatments that involve outdoor activities aimed at enhancing mental and physical well being. This includes anything from spending time in a park to trekking up a mountain.
Spending time with nature can help alleviate your illnesses. A 2011 paper shows how children with ADHD who regularly play in places with more greenery, such as parks, have milder symptoms than those who spend more time indoors.
Helps manage pain
Dr Dharmesh Agarwal, pain management specialist at Apollo Hospital, advises patients to spend time outdoors.
“Pain is subjective, and many a time it is influenced by your mental well-being. Going out in nature, even just enjoying the sights and sounds, can help calm you,” he says. Focusing on nature also takes your attention away from pain, he says.
“Swimming and running are great ways to recuperate from pain. Swimming is meditative as you are concentrating on your breathing and movement and running can release endorphins which give your body a good high,” he explains.
Not just for patients
Dr Roshan Jain, senior consultant psychiatrist at Apollo Hospital, says everyone should go out into nature. “It’s surprising that the things we’re supposed to be doing all the time have to be prescribed to people. It speaks of how much our lifestyles have degraded,” he says.
He adds that it’s not just patients, but everyone who should be adopting these practices. “I tell everyone that there should be a gap of at least an hour or two between waking up and going to work. This is when you should try and exercise and jog or walk in the park; or do anything outdoors, in nature,” he says.
While exercising anywhere is good for your body, studies suggests taking it outdoors is even better.
Researchers in the United Kingdom have found that when people did physical activities in natural settings instead of synthetic environments such as gyms, they experienced less anger, fatigue, and sadness.
Monthly sessions for children
The Bangalore Environment Trust (BET) has been organising monthly ecotherapy sessions for the past five years. Aimed at children with disabilities, sessions are usually held on the third Saturday of every month at a city park or garden.
Dr Sadananda Hegde is in charge of the programme. He has conducted sessions for nearly three lakh children. The monthly meetings draw about 60 children on average. Charaka Vana, the bio-park on the Bangalore University campus, is a favoured destination as it offers distinct aromas.
The Bangalore Environment Trust (BET) has been organising monthly ecotherapy sessions for the past five years. Aimed at children with disabilities, sessions are usually held on the third Saturday of every month at a city park or garden.
Dr Sadananda Hegde is in charge of the programme. He has conducted sessions for nearly three lakh children. The monthly meetings draw about 60 children on average. Charaka Vana, the bio-park on the Bangalore University campus, is a favoured destination as it offers distinct aromas.
Types of ecotherapy
Adventure therapy
This involves fairly strenuous activities with some aspect of psychological exercise. Rafting, rock climbing and caving are common adventure therapy activities. They are usually done in a group.
Animal therapy
Playing with animals is proven to reduce stress. If you don’t have a pet of your own, make a trip to the zoo or even an animal adoption centre in the city
Horticulture therapy
Gardening or working on farms is something recommended by doctors. This is an activity prescribed to retired folk so they don’t feel the lack of a routine.
Conservation
Anxiety about climate change is best dealt with by throwing yourself into conservation. It’s a healthy way to channel your stress for the greater good
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