The Positive Effects of Nature on Mental Health

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The city of New York is synonymous with a plethora of images, sights, and smells. Over 8.6 million people call this place home and over 60 million people venture there to catch a glimpse of the Big Apple in all its glory. One of many cities that finds mental health a primary health issue, New York has a number of resources you can utilize to find the proper care.

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New York has over one hundred thousand doctors. When seeking mental health treatment via rCBT or cognitive behavioral therapy, you may want to discuss finding a specialist with your primary physician. Cognitive therapy is one of the major types of therapy treatment options offered by psychologists and other mental health practitioners  In conjunction with that, nature can also be healing, but sometimes that can feel tricky in the big city. Read on for more information.

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What is cognitive therapy?

Cognitive therapy is a focused type of psychotherapy. Also known as talk therapy, psychotherapy can help those suffering from traumatic issues such as the loss of a job or the death of a loved one, which can cause anxiety or depression.

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Cognitive therapy is aimed at changing the way a person thinks or acts in response to a specific problem. When utilizing CBT, Psychologists and other therapists aim to help patients reconstruct thought patterns when faced with difficult situations.

Environmental surroundings and mental health

While NYC is an urban area, there are many parks and zoos. Being outside can lower your risk for anxiety or depression.

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If that’s not enough, you can find many therapists offering cognitive behavioral therapy in NYC who will help treat you and your current difficulties. Interestingly, studies show that time spent in nature combined with medication can play a positive part in your therapy. People who were exposed to the outdoors (in this study, the forest) showed even better results.

Finding the calming effect of nature

If you enjoy being outside and being in nature, you can easily bring the outdoors in by adding some greenery to your home and sharing your life with an animal companion. When living in the big city, you don’t have to go without the positive effects of nature.
Having a pet can help combat mental and physical health issues. Walking or playing with your dog is great exercise and may lead to a calmer state.
Paired with cognitive therapy, a doctor can help you think outside the box and move away from your former comfort zone so you can engage better in all areas of your life. Volunteer work, such as reading to shelter dogs who may be suffering from their own trauma, helps both them and you to be more outgoing.

A horticultural study suggests that doing some outside gardening can help boost memory loss in patients with depression and schizophrenia, and looking at flowering plants can provide some soothing relief. You can plan a visit to many zoos and botanical gardens in NYC.
If you’re stuck inside, relief is just a mouse click away thanks to that cute cat video your friend posted on social media. Looking at funny and adorable animals can also help you be calmer at work and increase your productivity.