Gardening is not only a great hobby but it has also been shown to have numerous benefits for your wellbeing. Studies have shown that gardening can reduce stress levels, anxiety and depression and even increase lifespan. In addition to the physical benefits of being outdoors and getting exercise, gardening allows you to connect with nature and spend time in a calming, therapeutic activity.
Whether you are a seasoned gardener or just starting, there are many ways that gardening can improve your life and provide benefits to your mental health.
Therapeutic gardening
Gardening allows you to connect with nature and spend time in a calming, therapeutic activity. Used as a form of therapy, gardening helps to reduce stress and improve mental health. Therapeutic gardening has been found to help people with anxiety, depression, and even PTSD.
If you struggle to stay focused on tasks and conversations in your daily life, gardening can improve your ability to focus entirely on one thing. Regular gardening can help you clear your mind and give you clarity of purpose.
Gardening provides exercise
In addition to improving mental health, gardening can also increase lifespan by providing physical activity and fresh air. Spending time outdoors is good for us. Being in nature has been shown to have a calming effect on our nervous system and can help reduce stress and anxiety.
But did you know that gardening specifically can also have physical benefits? That’s right – getting your hands dirty in the garden can be good for your health! Gardening is a moderate form of exercise that can help to improve our cardiovascular health. And because it involves using different muscle groups as you dig rake and hoe, it can also help increase strength and flexibility.
Gardening also gets us out in the fresh air and exposes us to some much-needed vitamin D. We need vitamin D to build and maintain healthy bones. Vitamin D is essential for your body to absorb calcium, the main component of bone.
Check with your doctor
Whilst gardening provides many benefits, it’s important to remember that if you suffer from anxiety and depression, gardening is only one of the tools that can help. It’s important to see your doctor as they can give you a full assessment and talk to you about available treatment options.
That being said, you should give gardening a try. It’s a great hobby that will benefit you in multiple ways. Even if you don’t have a lot of space or time, there are plenty of ways to incorporate gardening into your life.
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