There's a wealth of research showing how effective ecotherapy can be. It reveals that nature connection can help you be happier, more creative, calmer, less stressed, and more compassionate. Spending time in nature can lower your pulse rates, reduce the level of the stress hormone cortisol, and boost your immune system. That means lower stress and reduced risk of severe anxiety and depression.

The mental health charity MIND funded research into whether nature improved overall mood. They took half a group of people on a nature walk while the other half walked through an indoor shopping centre. 90% of those who went on the nature walk reported improved self-esteem. However, over 40% of those who walked through the shopping centre reported reduced self-esteem. Overall, the research found that outdoor activities led to less anger, less tension and an overall improvement in mood. A more recent project found that this held true for people with clinical depression. Researchers found that walking in nature reduced depression scores in over 70% of participants. As before, a control group took a walk in a shopping centre. The shopping centre didn't do so well: Only 45% of them had reduced depression scores, and over 20% felt worse!

Some research focuses on the specific ways that nature helps our wellbeing. Several studies suggest that connecting with nature enhances our sense of vitality - feeling more fully alive and energized. Other research has found that experiences in nature can lead to a greater understanding of personal autonomy and even an improvement in how meaningful life feels. Taking time to connect with nature can also help you be more creative. Research from the US found that a four-day nature hike improved creative problem-solving by as much as 50%. Sadly, most don't have the option of taking a four-day hike in the wilderness, but even a 25-minute walk in your local park can boost your creativity. Some studies suggest that even having a house plant in the room can help you be more creative. Nature engages our senses and calms the mind. This creates the ideal environment for our imagination to let loose! Natural environments can help us feel more playful and often provide a variety that stimulates our curiosity. To get these benefits, you need to adopt an open mind and let the unexpected wonders of nature catch your attention. But this is easy, as natural environments tend to create a more mindful frame. With your mind slowed down and your senses more open, you’ll find it easy to find creative inspiration in nature. It's also worth noting that places with greater biodiversity, a variety of habitats and running water tend to be more beneficial for our mental health.

While being in nature is healing in itself, to get the full benefit, you need to be fully present. If you were to go on a woodland walk and spend most of the time chatting on your mobile, you'd lose almost all of the benefits. In fact, you'd be much better spending that time at home enjoying your garden! But sometimes, it can be hard to connect with the natural world even when surrounded by it. We’re bombarded with artificial noise and visual pollution, which can dull our senses. So try not to take your busy everyday life into nature. Put your mobile phone on silent and leave it in your pocket. Deliberately slow down your pace and allow your senses to explore your surroundings. How you relate to nature is critical: You need to have an emotional relationship with nature to benefit from it. I've devised three simple keys to nature connection:

• Slow down
• use all your senses, and
• get curious!

Mindfulness has become a valuable tool for mental health, and some intriguing crossovers with ecotherapy exist. There’s evidence that certain kinds of natural environments produce something very similar to mindfulness. Find out more about Mindfulness in Nature.

The Embodied Pathway Podcast has several interviews with leading nature connection practitioners. We explore a wide range of topics, including permaculture, rewilding, Indigenous wisdom, psychedelics, dance, and mindfulness.

As you can see, there is a huge amount of research into ecotherapy, and it's expanding all the time. It looks to me like an idea whose time has come!