How Gardening Can Help Reduce Mental Stress
August 30, 2017
A popular saying which says ‘Watch your garden grow while your stress shrink’ is widely accepted by psychologists and mental health specialists. While there are several ways to beat your stress, planting a garden is by far the simplest. You definitely feel relieved of stress while you tend your garden. It will help you alleviate anxiety even if you feel caught in your hectic routine. The best way to get to know about its effects is to experience by planting a garden yourself.
What Makes Gardening to Work for Your Stress
While some people look at gardening as a time consuming activity, it is a way to feel being close to nature for others. Gardening of organic vegetables, fruits or even ornamental plants is beneficial in a variety of ways. There is more number of benefits for your health when you plant a garden.
- Physical Activity Necessary for Health
When you plan to plant a well arranged garden in or around home, it is clear that you need to get involved in several different planting activities. You will need to dig the soil, plant seeds or already-grown small plants. You will perform raking, weeding and watering regularly which all demands minimal physical activity. Generally, we all need some kind of physical exercises as a part of our daily routine to stay healthier and stress free. While gardening, your body receives physical activity which is important to keep stress away.
- Exposure to Sunlight and Fresh Air
If you have been following a schedule of life in which you are away from fresh air and sunlight most of the time, gardening will surely help you out. In work life, staying in office from morning to the evening time keeps you away from sunlight which is also useful for your body. Sunlight also provides necessary Vitamin D to the body for which people are found using drugs unnaturally. Mental stress occurs because of several different reasons. And if you are not feeling good about your life, being out in the sunlight and inhaling fresh air during the time you are involved in planting and caring for your garden will give you happier mood.
- Break From Work Life
If you feel the primary reason for your stress and tensions is your work life, taking a break regularly for not allowing your mind to think about it has meditative benefits. Gardening too needs a focused mind. Thinking more about watering the plants, caring for their stems, leaves or fruits and adding manures for growth will keep your mind away from the thoughts about work, away from the source that creates stress. With consistent practice, such a break definitely helps you to overcome stress.
- Change of Thoughts and Perception
For people who feel they lack hope in the way they live their lives, gardening instills a sense of hope and positivity. Planting seeds and allowing your mind to think they will grow, grow well means you have started to think positively with hope for things to happen. Nurturing plants makes us think better about our life and helps in beating stress.
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