5 ways gardening can improve your mental health
With 92%* of Brits believing that spending time in their garden positively impacts their mental health, it is now more important than ever for Brits to get their fingers green! In fact, gardening can have numerous benefits on people’s mental health. Not only can it make you feel more peaceful and content, but it can also boost your self-esteem and improve your attention span – two things that help you combat feelings of depression and anxiety. David Truby, the Managing Director of Greensleeves, shares the benefits of getting in the garden.
Due to the pandemic, the past two years will have been incredibly stressful for the majority of people, and with stress comes mental health issues. In fact, the mental health charity Mind revealed almost one-third of adults and over one-third of young people reported their mental health had worsened over the previous year. Things like weeding, digging, and raking are also great exercise, and if you garden with others in a community garden or other group settings, it can encourage friendships to form.
1. Say goodbye to stress with a good green garden
With stress being linked to numerous mental and physical illnesses, it is vitally important to find a way to alleviate it. That is where gardening comes in! Numerous studies have found that workplaces with easily accessible garden space reduced employee stress considerably, and even staring at green space from a window can aid our mental health and reduce stress.
2. Don’t stop the mow!
While most of us would agree that staring out at a neatly mown lawn is very satisfying, a study has suggested that getting outside to do the mowing can also aid our mental health. Dr Nick Lavidis of the University of Queensland found that the scent of a freshly mown lawn – ‘Eau De Grass’ as he calls it – makes people happier and less stressed. Dr Lavidis even went so far as to invent ‘Serenascent’, an aroma spray that mimics the scent of cut grass to help people relax.
3. One healthy habit at a time
If you are someone who cannot bear the thought of going to the gym, signing up for Zumba, or taking on a dreaded spin class, gardening could be a great alternative. Say goodbye to Mr Motivator because gardening can help you to participate in frequent physical activity, reduces stress and prevents the development of mental health problems. Don’t believe me? The NHS says: “Heavy gardening – including pushing, bending, squatting, carrying, digging and shovelling – can provide a good workout.” So, what are you waiting for?
4. Healthy and nutritious?
Getting out in the garden will not just benefit you physically, it can also have a massive effect on your diet! If you took up growing vegetables for the first time during the pandemic, then you are in good company. The Royal Horticultural Society experienced hundreds of thousands more people looking at growing advice for vegetables in 2020 compared to previous years. While it is true that growing your own veg is hugely gratifying, and the associated increase of greens in your diet is good for your body’s health, it is also actually proven to be good for the mind too. In fact, allotment gardening can be one of the best exercises to reduce the perception of stress.
5. A flourishing sense of community
Finally, it is not just physiological factors that allow our gardens to improve our mental health; there are also the sociological effects. Engagement in gardening activities can help you to develop social relationships, family connections, emotional and mental well-being and reduce depression and anxiety. So, whether it is digging the vegetable patch with your partner or getting the kids to help weed the flower beds, gardening brings us together and improves the way we feel.
Throughout the ages, gardens have been essential to our daily lives. Our green spaces are not only a place to grow plants and vegetables; they are also areas for people to relax, focus and connect with nature and each other. If you are interested in finding out more about the positive effects of gardening, please get in touch with your nearest Greensleeves provider here: www.greensleeves-uk.com