Re-imagining students healing, power and belonging through eco-therapy based peer-led action

The crisis of disconnection and a return to our roots: Nature and movementUniversity students are increasingly experiencing significant mental health challenges worldwide.Research on university student mental health shows that psychological and academic pressures intersect with a combination of socio-economic and structural factors.As an author based in Kenya, I am writing with the Kenyan context at the forefront of my mind, although many of the points discussed in the Essay can apply globally.In the Kenyan context for instance, financial stress is consistently identified as a major contributor to student distress, alongside academic workload, family pressures and social adjustment challenges [1].The transition into university life further intensifies vulnerability, with first-year students experiencing significant adjustment stress as they adapt to new academic, social and financial demands [2].A large multi-country study of university students found that psychological distress levels are notably high across institutions of further education, with over 60% of students reporting moderate to severe stress, and approximately 35-50% experiencing clinically significant anxiety symptoms depending on the measurement scale used.The study further showed that anxiety levels were consistently elevated in students facing financial difficulties, academic overload and poor social support systems.These findings confirm that university students represent a high-risk group for mental health disorders, particularly anxiety and stress-related conditions, with prevalence rates significantly higher than in the general population [2].Together, these intersecting pressures contribute to a deeper crisis of disconnection from self, community and natural environment.Within fast-paced, performance-driven environments people are often expected to remain productive and resilient without adequate opportunities to pause, reflect and reconnect with their bodies or cultivate meaningful relationships.As stress accumulates, students may become increasingly disconnected from their emotional needs, supportive social networks and the environments that promote wellbeing.As these pressures continue to accumulate, students may adopt coping strategies that provide short-term relief but do not necessarily address the underlying sources of distress.Evidence shows that students experiencing prolonged stress often rely on maladaptive coping mechanisms such as social withdrawal, avoidance