Anxiety & Eco-Therapy
Anxiety can be a feeling many of us are familiar with, especially as we approach something new or engage in something that may feel out of our comfort zone. Many people can also experience anxiety that feels difficult to control, that can lead to physical symptoms like twitching, restlessness, tightness, and shortness of breath, challenges with relaxing, and that can make it difficult to engage in their daily life. If anxiety has gotten to a level that feels unmanageable in your life, there are many different supports that could be helpful for you and you are not alone! Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Exposure Therapy, and Somatic Therapies, like EMDR, can be common supports for navigating anxiety. Below are some ways that Eco-Therapy can also help with decreasing anxious symptoms.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a component of many kinds of therapy as it supports us in coming back to the present moment. With anxiety, many people can experience thoughts that focus on the past and future, with worry about things that are out of one’s control. Mindfulness is a practice that can support people in getting space from anxious thoughts, in coming back to their body, in noticing what is within and outside of their control, and in recognizing what is happening in the here and now instead of getting stuck in the past or the future. Eco-Therapy holds many opportunities for mindful practices. A few of these can be through sensory awareness, recognizing a connection to the ground and the Earth, feeling your body in the present moment, and being able to engage with elements in the world that can support you in recognizing your sense of place, something that can be very helpful for orienting to the present.
Movement
Movement can be a helpful support if anxiety is causing you to feel restless or out of control. In Eco-Therapy, movement can be prioritized as a tool to support with reconnecting to your body, moving through anxious energy, and trying out different paces and ways of moving. Sometimes, it can look like walking quickly on a trail to get to release some energy or it can look like finding a pace that allows your body to be in contact with the ground and the world around you, letting yourself slow down and be in the moment. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, Eco-Therapy can be held indoors, outdoors, or virtually and in many different settings so movement could be fostered through stretching, imagination, hiking, kayaking, gardening, engaging in tasks on a farm, the list goes on.
Improving Distress Tolerance or Facing Discomfort
As I’ve worked with people who are experiencing increased anxiety, a belief they often share is that they do not feel they are capable of facing certain things and/or they are worried about doing them imperfectly. Eco-Therapy gives an opportunity to face challenges in the moment and to improve one’s capacity to do uncomfortable things. If an Eco-Therapy session is happening outdoors, there could be opportunities to take a trail that may be slightly more technical or steep and to see how it feels to engage. There could also be an opportunity to take a flatter or less technical trail if someone feels uncomfortable with slowing down or taking a break. There could also be opportunities to engage with different weather patterns and trail conditions that could be uncomfortable. If an Eco-Therapy session is happening with animals or on a farm, there may be tasks that are brand new or may feel intimidating at first. With the guidance provided by a therapist, it can give someone the opportunity to try something new without it feeling overwhelming. If an Eco-Therapy session is happening indoors or virtually, there can be visualizations or processing of past experiences that can allow someone to practice being uncomfortable and recognizing their capacity to be with discomfort.
Recognizing the Positive or Calm
While it is useful to be able to improve one’s ability to navigate discomfort, it is also helpful to be able to recognize the pleasant, positive, or calm moments of life. Often with anxiety, negative and worried thoughts can be consuming and it can be difficult for people to recognize the parts of life that are beautiful or calm or going well. In Eco-Therapy, there are so many opportunities to recognize the positive or pleasant. Through sensory engagement, one can be encouraged to see, smell, taste, hear, or feel anything that they are interested in or that brings them a sense of peace or well-being. This can allow for people to grow their capacity to notice positive elements of their life alongside the negative and the challenging.
Connection
Anxiety can cause people to feel isolated and to fear many parts of daily life. Eco-Therapy creates space for people to begin to experiment with connection in a way that may feel accessible. If someone has heightened anxiety in social situations, they can begin to connect with a plant, a trail system, an animal, or a sense they have in the outdoors and can begin to foster a relationship there first. If someone’s anxious symptoms have created a difficult relationship with being in their body, they can begin to foster a connection with a kind of movement they enjoy or a point of sensory awareness that feels good to them. If someone’s anxiety has led to heightened fear or hyper-vigilance, they can begin to connect to a place where Eco-Therapy sessions are held, a calm place in their mind, or a space in their home where they feel connected to their body or the rest of the natural world. Once again, there are so many ways that connection can be fostered through Eco-Therapy that can begin to help someone feel more able to foster connection with themselves and in the world again.
Anxiety can be painful and difficult to navigate and my hope is that this can give you a few ideas of ways that Eco-Therapy may be a useful support and to know that you do not have to navigate anxiety alone. If you are interested in learning more about Eco-Therapy and/or in working with me as a client or consulting, please reach out!