Ecotherapy or “activities in nature settings”, is widely known for its benefits to mental and physical health and our project fits this by providing nature and fishing tours. This gives participants a chance to focus on an activity rather than an illness or a medical condition and along with the health benefits of being outdoors will provide them with a boost to their over all well-being.
There is definite evidence to support the case that rivers including green and blue spaces have a positive impact on mental health conditions. Moreover, they also increase the effectiveness of other interventions applied in these areas 1.
There is specific evidence to show less anxiety, less depression, less mental distress, greater well-being and lower cortisol profiles in green spaces 2.
Similarly, the same applies to blue spaces. One author describes something called a “Blue Mind” , a mental state when on, in or under water which induces therapeutic experiences 3.
Articles:
- (“Mental Health Benefits of Waterways,” The centre for Sustainable Healthcare, for the Canal and River Trust, July 2016, Banbury, Oxford)
- (“The Importance of Green spaces for mental health”, Barton and Rogerson, Nov 2017, BJ Psych International)
- (Blue Mind, Wallace . J. Nichols, July 2014, Hachette Book Group, New York).