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Nature & Healing
TL;DR
Research keeps finding the same thing. Time in nature, and time with animals, measurably lowers stress and helps people recover from trauma. The stories and resources here put that evidence into practice.
Quick Answers
Does spending time in nature really improve mental health?
Yes. The research is consistent. In one 12-week study, veterans with PTSD who took nature hikes reported more symptom improvement than a matched group walking urban routes, and a wildlife-immersion program for veterans produced statistically significant drops in anxiety.
Editor's Note
Protecting our natural world matters for many reasons, from safeguarding the global water supply and regulating the climate to capturing carbon, protecting food systems and pollinators, and preserving biodiversity and ecological resilience. Time in nature can help people heal by lowering stress hormones, supporting mental health, aiding physical recovery and immune function, restoring focus and cognitive function, filtering urban air, and cooling communities. Nature can even help repair environmental damage through processes such as bioremediation. In Nature & Healing, we will explore these topics and meet the people creating meaningful change.
Featured OGSP Story
Can Wolfdogs Help Veterans Heal?
Wolf dogs can't live in the wild and can't live in society, and the veterans who care for them at this sanctuary know exactly what that feels like. They both need to trust each other in order to heal.
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Ways To Get Involved
Start with what’s near you. A weekly walk in the same green place is the pattern most of the research measures. If you want the animal side of this, sanctuaries like the Lockwood Animal Rescue Center take volunteers and donations, and most local animal rescues need both. Veterans can look for outdoor and animal programs built for them, including the Warriors and Wolves program in our film.
Key Takeaways
- A 2026 review in Nature Human Behaviour pooled 3,870 studies covering more than ten million people and found time in nature reliably lowers anxiety and depression symptoms.
- The research mostly measures structured programs, regular and guided time outdoors, not occasional visits.
- Caring for animals adds a second ingredient, responsibility. At the Lockwood Animal Rescue Center, veterans say the animals depending on them is part of what keeps them steady.
- Nobody has to be outdoorsy to start. Most studies count ordinary green space, a park or a garden, not wilderness.