How Belonging Connects to Well-Being: An Eco-Therapy Perspective.
Belonging. This word can carry a charge for many people. Maybe it feels comforting to you, maybe it feels inaccessible or scary, maybe you’ve been told or made to feel like you don’t belong, maybe you’ve been told or made to feel like you only belong if you look, act, dress, or show up a certain way.
The truth is, we all belong to one another and to the Earth but we have lost touch of our connection to knowing and remembering this. Many of us spend much of our time indoors, on screens, and in societies that prioritize productivity over humanity & ecological well-being. Many of us have not been taught or gotten to know our wild kin (plants & animals). Many people have been judged, mistreated, oppressed, and harmed for being who they are. It makes a lot of sense that we could have a complicated relationship with belonging due to all of this. It is also possible to truly get to live into it again.
The Greek origin of the word “Eco” translates to house or home. Eco-therapy then can be recognized as therapy that supports us in coming home, to ourselves and to our connection and belonging in the world. Here are a few questions and practices that may help with beginning to open the door back to remembering that you belong and you are not separate from the rest of Nature.
How present are you when you are outdoors and/or connecting to Nature indoors? How often do you go outside?
It can be easy to hop on a phone call, put in our headphones, or go outdoors for a purpose, such as commuting, running errands, or engaging in recreational activities. Depending on how we engage with these activities, our sense of belonging may be severed as we may not be aware of the present moment or how we are interacting with the world around us. Being present and aware of the current moment is a predictor of positive outcomes for emotional and psychological health (Kiken, Lundberg, & Fredrickson, 2017). There is also a great deal of research that details the wide array of positive benefits for humans and the planet when we connect with the outdoors and Nature (Jordan, 2022; Yang, Kim, Kang, et. al., 2023; Twohig-Bennett & Jones, 2018; UC Davis Health, 2024; Weir, 2020).
Even if it is just for a few minutes each day, see if you could begin to spend time outdoors unplugged from devices and from outcomes of activities and see if you could really notice the world around you.
Who lives around you that you may not know?
We may have lived in the same area for many years and may have no idea who lives around us. Who lives in your apartment complex or your neighborhood? What is the name of the tree in your front yard? Whose birdsong do you hear each morning? What beings are around you on the street on your commute to work? Who scurries across the street each night? Many of us have been taught to believe that humans are above all other life and we have not been taught to learn about the other life that is around us every day. We also have become more isolated from other human beings. This can sever our relationship to knowing we belong with the rest of the world.
See if you could be curious about someone (human or more than human) who lives near you or who you encounter often where you live in the world. What is their name? What do you want to know about them? What could you learn from them?
What do you know about the history of the land you live on?
Our sense of place has a strong influence on our mental health (Williams & Kitchen, 2012). Many of us who live in the United States and in other colonized nations live on stolen land that many of our ancestors did not inhabit. There is a great deal wrapped up in this so I want to acknowledge that I am only beginning to scratch the surface with this question and invitation. When we feel separate or removed from the place that we live and when we do not know the history of the place we live, there is an impact on our mental health and our sense of belonging to a place.
In order to remember our belonging to the Earth and to a place, we need to be curious about the history of how we got here, what it means to inhabit the land we live on now, and what steps we can take towards right relationship with the place we live and the people/beings who have lived there, who live there now, and who will live there in the future (Native Land Digital and the National Wildlife Federation can be great resources to get started).
What senses or activities connect you to your body?
Our bodies are the vessels in which we get to experience the world around us. Unfortunately, there are so many ways that many of us have been taught to disconnect from or dislike our bodies due to gender norms, cultural body standards, trauma and abuse, racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia just to name a few. The relationship back into right relationship with our bodies can be one that takes time and is not always a straightforward journey. This invitation is in no way saying that healing will simply happen by accessing time outdoors or engaging in an activity you like and this can be a very helpful way to begin.
Is there something you enjoy about being outdoors? Maybe birdwatching, learning the names of plants and animals around you, hiking, walking, running, exploring, sitting somewhere where you feel calm, being near or in the water, walking through a forest, gardening, petting an animal? Maybe smelling a flower or the rain, seeing a beautiful view, feeling yourself move in an activity, listening to a creek, tasting a fruit you enjoy? These are just a few examples to spark your curiosity but there are so many ways that you may be able to feel a sense of connection, pleasure, or ease when connecting to your body and nature, even if just for a moment.
Knowing that we belong can be an essential part of feeling well and meaningfully connected and engaged in our lives. Knowing that we belong to each other and to the Earth can also be an essential way to begin re-building a healthy and reciprocal relationship with one another for the improved well-being of all.
If you are curious to learn more about Nature-Based Therapy or Eco-Therapy and/or about working with me or consulting with me, please reach out! I would love to connect with you!
References
Jordan, C. (2022, April 14). Therapeutic use of nature: Children and nature network. Children & Nature Network. https://www.childrenandnature.org/resources/research-digest-therapeutic-use-of-nature-2/#nature-based-therapeutic-approaches-and-outcomes
Kiken, L. G., Lundberg, K. B., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2017, October). Being present and enjoying it: Dispositional mindfulness and savoring the moment are distinct, interactive predictors of positive emotions and psychological health. Mindfulness. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5755604/
Twohig-Bennett, C., & Jones, A. (2018, October). The health benefits of the Great Outdoors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of greenspace exposure and health outcomes. Environmental research. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6562165/
UC Davis Health. (2024, November 27). 3 ways getting outside into nature helps improve your health: Cultivating health. health. https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/3-ways-getting-outside-into-nature-helps-improve-your-health/2023/05
Weir, K. (2020). Nurtured by Nature: Psychological research is advancing our understanding of how time in nature can improve our mental health and sharpen our cognition. Monitor on psychology. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature
Williams, A., & Kitchen, P. (2012, September). Sense of place and health in Hamilton, Ontario: A case study. Social indicators research. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3400750/
Yang, Y., Kim, H., Kang, M., Baik, H., Choi, Y., Jang, E.-J., Chang, E.-J., Yun, S., Park, M., Park, E., Yun, H., Lee, T.-J., Kwon, Y.-H., Hong, K.-P., Lee, A.-R., Jung, S., Ahn, T.-H., Jin, H.-Y., & Choi, K.-H. (2023, December 16). The effectiveness of nature-based therapy for community psychological distress and well-being during COVID-19: A multi-site trial. Nature News. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-49702-0