Is Contact With Nature Necessary For A Healthy Life?

I won't keep you in suspense. The answer is, "of course it is".

I know this might be considered a "bias" of mine, or simply a personal opinion. Well, OK.
The truth is though, it's not just my personal opinion. It's actually a view that's coming to be more and more recognized in all fields of health, not just mental health. I won't bore you with the long list of disciplines that are making this connection. You can easily read about it for yourself. Just choose an area of interest and start googling.

Mind-Body medicine. Respecting the ecology of the emotions and the psyche as well as that of the material (that is, "natural") world. Understanding that we are simply a part of this natural world, subject, as all of it is, to certain natural laws. For example, if we choose to live in a way that ignores the relationships between what and how we eat and resulting health effects, should we be surprised when poor diet leads to physical health problems? Or should we be surprised when a healthy diet contributes significantly to a healthy body? I don't think we should.

What about mental health? If we live in a way that isolates us from the natural world, or that believes that we are simply here to dominate the natural world, should we be surprised when we suffer with feelings of alienation, lack of meaning, anxiety, irritability, or spiritual emptiness? I don't think we should.

I'm not saying that everyone has to live in the forest, or out in the remote desert, or on a farm.
I'm saying that in some genuine ways, it's necessary to connect both physically/emotionally and spiritually with Nature, on a regular basis. By "connect" I mean also to learn to value, and to respect, and even to cherish, Nature, rather than relating to It as an enemy, or simply a "resource" to be exploited, or an inconvenience.

Yes, the health of the planet and the health of people are linked. This isn't esoteric lore, or New Age gobledeegook. It's simple intelligence and, really, common sense. If I drive drunk, my chances of having an accident are exponentially higher than if I'm sober. If I ignore my status as a product of the natural world, my chances of suffering some form of psychological dis-integration are exponentially higher than if I don't.

And now to the heart of the matter in terms of good therapy: connecting with the natural world includes, and often depends on, learning to connect more genuinely and more lovingly with oneself. Rejection and judgement of self, or attempting to live a false self, are forms of alienation from Nature. Hug a tree? Sure, and hug yourself, too.