Ecotherapy, nature deficit and the surprisingly powerful effect of getting outside. 

When was the last time you went for a walk without listening to a podcast, checking your phone or trying to get somewhere?

Just a walk. No particular destination. Nothing to tick off the list. 

Perhaps you noticed the sound of birdsong, watched the branches move in the breeze or stopped to look at something growing beside the path. Maybe you came home feeling a little lighter, even if you couldn’t quite explain why. 

It’s an experience many of us recognise. Yet in a world where so much of our time is spent indoors, in front of screens or moving between one obligation and the next, we can easily overlook how much our surroundings influence the way we feel.

This is where the idea of ecotherapy comes in. It also raises a bigger question, particularly for families: are we spending enough time outside?

Ecotherapy is an umbrella term for approaches that use interaction with the natural world to support wellbeing. It can involve gardening, walking outdoors, conservation work, spending time in woodland or simply making a more conscious effort to connect with the environment around us.

It isn’t one single treatment, nor does it mean that a walk in the woods can solve every problem. Instead, it reflects a growing interest in the relationship between our surroundings and how we feel. 

Research into nature-based activities has explored their potential to support mood, reduce feelings of stress and encourage social connection. The strength of the evidence varies depending on the activity, setting and people involved, but the wider picture suggests that access to nature can be a valuable part of a healthier lifestyle. And you don’t necessarily need a remote forest or a mountain view to experience it. 

A local park, an allotment, a garden or a tree-lined street can offer opportunities to step away from the demands of everyday life. The important thing is finding ways to spend time outside that feel enjoyable and accessible to you.

There isn’t one simple explanation. Several things may be happening at once. 

Your attention gets a change of pace.

Much of modern life asks us to concentrate: emails, conversations, deadlines, notifications and decisions all compete for our attention. Natural environments can offer a different kind of stimulation. The movement of leaves, shifting clouds and ripples on water are interesting enough to hold our attention without demanding the same effort.

Psychologists call this soft fascination. It is one of the ideas behind Attention Restoration Theory, which suggests that certain environments may help replenish our capacity to concentrate. 

You engage with more than a screen. 

Outside, the world reaches us through multiple senses. We feel the temperature change, hear the wind, smell damp earth after rain and notice the way the light falls through the trees. Paying attention to these details can bring us back to the present moment, away from the mental to do list waiting indoors. 

Movement happens more naturally.

A walk along the coast, pottering around a garden or exploring a woodland path gets us moving without necessarily feeling like formal exercise. Physical activity itself can support wellbeing, so spending time outdoors can combine the benefits of movement with those of being in a natural setting. 

There is room for connection.

Nature can also give us a reason to spend time with other people without needing to organise an elaborate activity. A family walk, gardening with a friend or sitting outside together creates space for conversation and shared experiences. 

Of course, nature doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. Weather, accessibility, personal circumstances and the type of environment all matter. The aim isn’t to prescribe a particular outdoor experience, but to recognise that our surroundings can influence how we feel.

In 2005, American author Richard Louv introduced the term Nature-Deficit Disorder in his book Last Child in the Woods. He used it to describe the growing disconnection between children and the natural world. 

The name sounds clinical, but there is an important distinction: Nature-Deficit Disorder is not a recognised medical diagnosis. Louv intended it as a cultural concept - a way to talk about what we might lose when outdoor experiences become a smaller part of childhood. 

His argument struck a chord. Childhood has changed considerably over recent generations, with screens, busy schedules, traffic, concerns about safety and limited access to green space all potentially affecting opportunities for outdoor play.

Think about the difference between exploring a patch of woodland, making a den from fallen branches or spending an afternoon building elaborate sandcastles, and spending the same amount of free time indoors. 

Both can be enjoyable. Yet outdoor play offers a different kind of experience: children can explore, experiment, get muddy, take manageable risks and follow their curiosity without every moment being directed by an adult. 

The concern isn’t that children are spending time with technology. It’s that outdoor experiences can be squeezed out altogether. 

Research into children’s contact with nature continues to explore the links with physical activity, development, attention and wellbeing. The evidence doesn’t suggest that every child who spends less time outdoors will experience difficulties. Rather, it highlights the value of giving children regular, accessible opportunities to explore the world beyond their front doors. 

And perhaps this isn’t just a question for children. 

Somewhere along the way, being outdoors can become another item on the list. 

We book the activity, plan the route, check the weather and decide what we’re going to achieve. Even a walk can become a fitness target, complete with step counts and pace statistics. 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Goals can be motivating, and organised outdoor activities can be wonderful. Yet there is something to be said for the unstructured version, too. 

The walk that takes longer than expected because you stopped to look at something. The afternoon spent in the garden without a particular job to finish. The beach visit that turns into a search for unusual shells, or the woodland path that leads somewhere you hadn’t planned to go.

These moments don’t need to produce anything measurable. Their value may simply lie in the experience itself. 

Perhaps that is one of the most useful things we can take from ecotherapy: time outside doesn't always need a purpose to be worthwhile.

For children, getting outdoors doesn’t have to mean signing up for an adventure course or travelling somewhere spectacular.

It might mean looking for minibeasts under a log, jumping in puddles, collecting interesting leaves or seeing who can spot the first sign of spring. For older children, it could be cycling, exploring a new walking route, taking photographs or simply having somewhere to spend time with friends. 

For adults, it can be a chance to rediscover the pleasure of doing something without a screen or a schedule. 

And when families experience these things together, the memories are often wonderfully ordinary. The muddy shoes in the car. The unexpected rain shower. The snack eaten on a bench. The tree everyone insists on climbing every time they visit. 

Nobody needs to call it ecotherapy. It can just be a good day outside.

You don’t need to overhaul your routine or wait for your next holiday to spend more time outdoors. Start with something small enough to fit into the life you already have. 

- Take the scenic route. Choose a walk with trees, open views or water, even if it adds a few minutes to your journey.

- Leave room for curiosity. If you’re walking with children, let them choose the direction occasionally or stop whenever something catches their attention. 

- Try a screen-free half-hour. Leave your phone in your pocket and notice what you can hear, see and smell.

- Find a reason to be outside every day. Have your morning coffee in the garden, eat lunch on a bench or take a short walk after work.

- Let the weather be part of it. Wrap up for a breezy day, listen to rain from a sheltered spot or look for the colours that appear after a shower. 

The aim isn’t to spend every spare moment outside. It’s to make nature a more familiar part of everyday life, rather than something reserved for weekends, special occasions or annual holidays.

One of the lovely things about spending time in nature is that it can change the pace of a day without requiring much from us in return. 

A woodland doesn’t ask you to reply to an email. The sea doesn’t care how many tasks you’ve crossed off your list. A garden will happily keep growing while you sit beside it for ten minutes. 

At Waterside, the natural surroundings are part of what makes each park different. From woodland walks at Osmington Mills Lodge Park to the open Cornish landscapes around Tregoad, and the coastal settings of Bowleaze Cove and Chesil Beach, there are plenty of ways to build fresh air and outdoor exploration into a break away. 

Sometimes, a change of scenery gives us the nudge we need to spend more time outside. The trick is finding ways to carry a little of that feeling home. 

This week, don’t plan an outdoor adventure. Just go outside. 

Leave half an hour free, choose a nearby green space, beach, garden or quiet street, and see what catches your attention. No route to complete, no step count to chase and no need to take a photograph. 

If you have children, let them lead the way. 

You might discover something new. You might simply enjoy a change of scenery. Either way, you’ll have made a little more room for the natural world.