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When I want to feel better, I go for a walk. The association is almost Pavlovian because it’s so ingrained at the moment, a habit forged somewhere in the fog of the pandemic years: outward, lifted up. It works every time and I’ve stopped questioning it.
But I wanted to understand the reason behind it. What actually happens in your brain and nervous system when you step outside? So I looked for science to support what I already suspected: that going outside doesn’t just change your mood, it changes your entire physiology. It’s a fractal pattern that signals safety in the amygdala. Cortisol decreases in real time. Your nervous system is doing things that you would never be able to do indoors.
To dig deeper, I spoke with: clara schroederAn ecotherapist and best-selling author, he taught me ideas I had never thought of. That is, our mental health crisis may be fundamentally an ecological crisis.
clara schroeder
Clara Schroeder is an ecotherapist, speaker, and bestselling author of Re-Nature: How Nature Helps U Feel Better and Do Better. Clara’s expertise is trusted by leading organizations including UCSF, Microsoft, Women in Cloud, Terumo Neuro, and Aura Health. She holds a master’s degree in psychology and education from Columbia University’s Institute for Spirituality, Mind and Body, led by renowned clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Miller. As a Certified Ecotherapist, Association Certified Mindfulness Teacher, Co-Active Professional Coach, and Wilderness First Responder through NOLS, she provides an evidence-based, science-backed path to sustainable change.
Explaining the relationship between nature and mental health
Research on this goes back further than you might think. In the 1990s, Japanese scientists began studying something called “forest bathing,” the practice of intentionally spending time in nature, and discovered something surprising: It lowered stress hormones, lowered blood pressure, and slowed heart rate. Results were sufficiently consistent, and follow-up studies replicated results across different populations and methodologies. Just 15 minutes of walking outside was enough to move the needle.
Why nature feels safe for your brain
but why? Clara points out fractal patterns that most of us have never heard of. “Fractal patterns are repeating rhythmic patterns found in nature, such as ocean waves, tree branches, and flower petals,” she explains. “They send a signal of predictability to the amygdala, which reduces stress hormones like cortisol.” In other words, your brain perceives nature as safe. The amygdala, which is responsible for sensing threats, is quieted in green spaces in a way it never can be in urban environments that are overstimulated by noise, traffic, and crowds.
Impact beyond stress
A study on depression found that patients who walked in nature reported significantly reduced symptoms compared to those who walked in urban environments. A study of post-surgery patients found that images of trees and water also reduced the need for pain medication and anxiety during recovery. And for people living in cities where mood and anxiety disorders are visibly more common, Clara’s framework will be different. “In urban environments, the amygdala is often overstimulated and is constantly ‘on’. ” Chronic nervous system dysregulation is one way that disconnection with nature manifests physically, she says.
more personal discussion
Clara’s own path to this work adds another dimension. She was deprived of most of her normal health habits while recovering from a traumatic brain injury. All that remained was the sunlight streaming in through the windows, the chirping of birds, and the reminder of the slow arrival of spring. “While I was healing, the larger lesson that nature gave me back was that nothing stays the same and there is no need to rush everything,” she says. This is a quieter discussion of nature than the cortisol study, but in some ways it’s more convincing.
The real meaning of the mental health crisis
That quiet discussion spills over into something bigger. Clara suggests a reframing that is worth sitting down and thinking about. Our mental health crisis is not just psychological, it is ecological. “We live in a society that is becoming increasingly disconnected from the natural world,” she says. The more digitally connected we become, the more ecologically disconnected we become. She quickly made it clear that it wasn’t an argument against technology, but rather an argument for balance, an argument for returning, with intention, to what’s real and alive right outside of us.
The good news is that the solution doesn’t have to be dramatic. “It can be something as simple as going for a walk at the end of the day or taking care of the houseplants in your apartment. Taking steps towards connecting with nature will inevitably boost your mood and improve your well-being.”
How to bring in nature when you can’t go outside
This is where Clara’s work is most practical and most approachable. She provides an alternative entrance for those who don’t have easy access to green space because of where they live, work hours, or other barriers. It’s about bringing nature to you.
One of her favorite tools is nature grounding meditation, in which she visualizes herself in a nourishing natural environment. she made it available for free her website. But if meditation isn’t your thing, there are other ways to do it. Clara suggests creating a nature altar in your home. This is a small arrangement of natural elements, shells, stones, dried flowers and seasonal branches that are tended and replaced over time. This is a simple habit, but it has important effects. Become a participant in the season, not a bystander.
She also points out something that most of us completely overlook. “Remember that the weather is part of nature, just like the water in your faucet. Everything is part of a larger ecosystem of which we are also a part. The trick is to actually pay attention and expand your awareness to include natural cycles.”
Ecotherapy as a way of life
The biggest thing Clara wants people to understand is that ecotherapy is not a health intervention that you plan and then follow. “It’s also a way of life,” she says. “The practice of ecotherapy teaches you to reevaluate how you belong to the larger Earth’s ecosystem. And, if you’re truly committed to the work, it can also reveal your purpose and dreams.”
In this framework, nature becomes something you turn to, just as you would turn to a therapist or coach. However, what nature has available to you is different every morning, every season, every time you notice the light changing through your window. This practice is not about adding something new to your life, but about paying a different kind of attention to what is already there.
sign to go outside
I came to this study in search of a scientific explanation for what I already know to be true. What I discovered was something bigger than that. It’s a whole framework for understanding why a walk always goes well, why light from a window changes something, and why just a handful of wildflowers on the counter can change the atmosphere of a room. Science backs it up. But honestly? you already knew.
This post was last updated on June 14, 2026 with new insights..
Source: Camille Styles – camillestyles.com
