Many teens today struggle with depression, anxiety and isolation. They don’t spend time outside as much as generations did earlier to decompress, let off steam, or recharge. Gone are the days that we see our neighborhood streets full of kids riding bikes or playing kickball.
We’ve replaced those leisurely activities with more time spent on social media and video games. The ramifications are we are a stressed-out society with a variety of mental health maladies.
Benefits of Ranching and Farming for Teenage Mental Health
In an age of technology, finding healthy ways to help your teen escape the stress of school, social media and possibly peer pressure, forms of nature therapy such as ranching and farming can be beneficial.
Farming
Farm related therapy can include picking apples, working with crops, growing vegetables, and getting involved in community. It can also be part of gardening therapy.
Working with farm animals, such as cows, goats, pigs and chickens can also be very therapeutic for young people. This helps your teen learn to solve problems independently, demonstrate empathy, and develop strengths. This helps them build their self-confidence.
Through physical work and connection with the animals, teenagers gain insight into their own abilities for positive change within themselves and in relationships with others.
Ranching
Ranch therapy is extremely beneficial for troubled teens since the pasture setting removes them from their habitual ways of thinking and immersing them into a horses’ world — acting as kind of exposure therapy. It can help them confront issues that trigger anxiety while learning how to regulate their emotional reactions.
Included in ranch therapy will typically be animal-assisted therapy. Specifically, both equine and canine therapy has been proven to improve self-esteem, self-presence, independence, and feelings of freedom.
Many forms of therapy take place in indoor treatment centers or facilities that don’t provide the same support and comforting environment that ranching therapy does.
Additionally, farming and ranching therapy differs from traditional talk therapy in the way that it integrates different ways of processing emotion and communicating. Different types of therapy can help people with different needs, and ranching therapy provides a unique avenue for finding wellness.
The latest research in psychology is furthering our knowledge about how spending time in nature, whether you are farming, ranching or gardening — is a low-cost and highly effective way to improve various aspects of teenage mental wellness.
Since 2001 we have been helping parents find the right therapeutic setting for their troubled teenager or young adult. We have consistently reminded parents of the importance of enrichment programs such as these and others such as art therapy, music therapy and other types that are motivational for your teen’s mental health. Contact us if you for more information.
Also read:
