Gardening as Stress Relief

By Christina Lee

Stress is something we all have to deal with in our daily lives. While some stress can be good for us, overall, we want to reduce the amount we are under and try and find some way to bring ourselves into a more positive mindset. It’s been shown that gardening reduces stress and can even improve your mood after having to deal with a stressful situation. This blog should hopefully give you some idea as to why this is and give you a few starter tips.

Getting Back to Nature

In a world of cell phones, computers, city working life and television, we spend a large amount of time indoors sitting facing a screen. Trying to get back to nature is something a lot of us strive for, a way to get away from ceaselessly doom scrolling through news articles or endless notifications. Gardening is a good way to do this.

Firstly, it gets you out into sunlight. We tend to neglect the fact our body needs natural light and when working during winter see so little of it that “seasonal affective disorder” has become a more widely recognized health concern. Sunlight has been shown to regulate sleep schedules and improve your mood. It provides you with a good natural source of Vitamin D, which a lot of people are shown to be deficient in, which boosts the immune system and can greatly improve your health.

“Gardens provide naturally relaxing environments, there’s a reason nature sounds are the most available noises on white noise apps and relaxing sounds playlists. They encourage wildlife and can help ground you in the real world. A small oasis of calm in a world that sometimes feels incredibly chaotic” says Jason Acevedo, a gardening blogger from Best British Essays and UK Services Reviews.

Improving Health

Gardening is also a fantastic way of improving both your physical and mental health. 

As stated previously we spend so much time now sitting that it’s starting to impact our physical health. It can be hard to find time to exercise and most of us will put it off in favor of something we find more enjoyable. Gardening provides you with regular well-balanced exercise without even realizing you’re doing it. We tend to underestimate how much physical activity is associated with gardening, but there’s a reason why people who garden are shown to be in much better physical shape than some of the rest of us. It also reduces the amount of time sitting around which is also very beneficial to our health.

Gardening can also help with your mental health in a couple of ways. First by providing you with the ability to create beauty which can make us feel more content in ourselves and improve our self-worth. Mainly, though, it provides us with a chance to live in the moment and practice mindfulness. 

Psychology writer Wanda Jones, of Elite assignment help and UK Top Writers, notes, “We can take time to notice our thoughts without judgment and just experience the world around us, whether it be listening to the birds singing or watching a line of ants. Just the experience of getting our hands dirty in the soil can help us feel a bit more grounded and secure in ourselves.”

Start Small and Keep It Simple

It can be tempting to go all in and try and go as big as possible, digging up your whole yard in order to create the most impressive garden. However, it is wise to start small. Especially if you haven’t done much gardening in the past. Research the right beginner plants. It may even be a good idea to look into fruit and vegetables so that the products of your gardening feel more justified.

Don’t rush out to buy expensive equipment. Start out with only what you need and don’t worry too much about brands and buying the stuff experts are recommending. Gardening specialists mean well with their advice, but you should try and stick to your own budget and not feel pressured if you can’t afford the recommended items.

Gardening doesn’t even require a yard, if you have a porch or windowsill, you can start a garden. Buy yourself some potted plants and create an indoor garden that you can care for.

Takeaways

Taking care of a garden is a rewarding and relaxing experience. Keep your first garden small and simple, appreciate getting back to nature and feel the stress start to melt away. Remember a garden doesn’t need to be big and just spending a little bit of time each day caring for a couple of plants can help you reap massive benefits. Most of all, don’t forget that gardening should be fun, so make your garden for you and no one else. If you’re happy, that’s all that matters.

Project Manager Christina Lee, Lia Help and Assignment help, writes about marketing news and technology solutions for marketing on Top essay writing services.