'I tried animal therapy and unleashed my pure, childlike happiness'
ok.co.ukThere are scores of apps aiming to help us monitor our mental health, but sometimes the best approach is to turn off technology.
Getting outdoors in parks, woodland and other natural settings has long been known to improve people’s mood – the Japanese call it shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing”.
But recently researchers have been investigating whether spending time with animals can have similar benefits. In the US, emotional support animals (usually dogs) may be prescribed by doctors to help patients with anxiety and special educational needs – although in the UK they’re still considered pets, not service animals.
Even the Duke of Sussex has called his Labrador and two beagles “emotional support dogs” and said that “we all need a dog that keeps us calm”.
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