Written by Jalissa Jensen and Reanne Checora
The frost has thawed, the days are getting longer, the trees are budding and we are all feeling the excitement of new beginnings. Soaking in the fresh air and spending more time outdoors is a great way to boost your mental health. Nature is a natural antidepressant that can fill your soul with positivity, clarity and perspective. Today we are going to discuss the psychological benefits of getting your hands in the dirt and creating life and nutrition from seeds.
There is increasing evidence that gardening provides substantial human health benefits including improved mental health through reduced anxiety and depression, as well as physical health benefits and a boost in cardiovascular health from sunlight exposure. Gardening also offers social benefits and a higher sense of life satisfaction and quality of life.
But how exactly does gardening have so many benefits for your health and well-being?
Gardening has been linked with an increase of dopamine (associated with rewards, pleasure, and motivation) and a decrease in cortisol (the stress hormone). This means that the act of gardening can reduce stress, anxiety, depression, anger, sadness, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Gardening also, through this increase in dopamine and reduction in cortisol, can make you happier, more satisfied with your life, and focus better. A great deal of these effects come from harvesting and consuming fresh food and spending time outside in the fresh air and sunshine. It is also a therapeutic activity in that you can lose yourself in the activity and end up accidentally practicing mindfulness!
On the more physical side of things, gardening can also help improve your physical health, as well as your mental health. Gardening often requires physical activities like digging, lifting, bending, and carrying heavy things which is a great way to get your hour of physical activity in for the day. All this exercise and time outside is associated with lower blood pressure and lower heart rate, which is especially useful for those with high-pressure jobs.
Speaking of heart health- because gardening is often done outside, people who garden spend more time in the sunshine, which means they get more vitamin D which is shown to help improve cardiovascular health. Time spent outside also helps improve immune responses and deeper breathing- meaning that you feel better for longer.
If the physical and mental health benefits are not convincing enough for you to take up gardening as a hobby, there are also significant social benefits to gardening. If you decide to take part in a community garden, this can be a great way for you to foster social connections, build a strong social network and get a great sense of community that you are close to and can rely on. Having a group of people to spend time with while gardening can create strong social ties and help you feel more like you belong to a community. If there are no community gardens nearby, then you can always join online gardening groups to meet other gardeners to swap information, get tips and tricks, and share things that you harvest from your garden.
Need more convincing?
Gardening and growing your own food is a great way to cut down on grocery bills by growing your own fruits and vegetables. And because these fruits and vegetables are literally grown in your backyard, you can guarantee that they are grown cleanly, safely, and they are fresher than you can find in a store. Fresher foods tend to have better nutritional value which can make you feel better in your body, alongside the added feeling of pride and accomplishment of growing your own food.
This spring, why not consider taking advantage of the warmer weather and find time to spend outside? You can start small with a flower bed or dig right in with a full vegetable garden- either way, the research shows that getting your hands dirty while gardening is fun, satisfying, and a great way to support your physical and mental health.
