Gardening as a prescription for Mental Health: Sow the Seeds of Recovery in your own backyard

Reconnecting with nature by spending some time in green spaces can prove to be quite beneficial for your mental health. Our gardens are the spaces of serene ambiance, which we don’t often find in this hyperactive, frenetic world.

Gardening can infuse the feeling of empowerment in us. It can boost our mindfulness and increase our dopamine and serotonin levels. Moreover, who knew that tending to seedlings and pulling up some weeds can help us combat anxiety, stress and depression?

Along with offering numerous mental health benefits, gardening will also provide nutritious fruits and vegetables for your outdoor dining table. If you’re interested, you can buy your wooden garden table and chairs at a discounted price.

Gardening Will Boost Your Brain’s Health

Gardening is a combination of mental and physical activity that will have a positive effect on your brain. It will help in stimulating serotonins, which help in making you feel more content and relaxed.

People suffering from dementia can decrease their levels of anxiety and agitation by adopting this rewarding habit. There is no denying that exercising makes us more productive and gets our brains to release endorphins.

Gardening too is a mild exercise, a form of workout that puts minimum stress on your bodies. Furthermore, gardening enhances your problem solving skills. It also strengthens our brain by improving our mental clarity.

Gardening provides much needed exercise for your mind. Gardening activates our multiple brain functions including sensory awareness, problem solving and learning. Research on garden charities has shown that they’ve been successful in improving the sociability and mood of dementia patients.

Gardening and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

According to various researches exposure to natural or green settings can significantly reduce the symptoms of ADHD. It will provide a few extra doses of positive energy, calmness and focus to people with ADHD.

If you know that you are a bit inattentive and disorganised then choose the flowers that can survive a bit of neglect and abuse. Gardens are forgiving; you will always have time to play catch-up on weeding and harvesting.

Gardening requires you to be mindful. Mental health researches demonstrate that when ADHD brains are more mindful, they focus better and pay better attention.

Gardening Helps to Combat Loneliness

There are many gardening schemes that help individuals in creating horticultural therapy and community gardening projects. These schemes aim to bring improvement in the mental health of such individuals by eliminating their isolation.

They help them in becoming active in their lives. Research shows that disconnected communities cost billions to the economy because of increased demands of health policing and services. They help people in developing a sense of achievement and purpose by forging links within the community.

Such schemes promote social cooperation or inclusion and help in reducing the ever-increasing demands of social and healthcare services.

The practice, which charities use to improve psychological health, thinking and communication skills are known as therapeutic and social horticulture. Like spending time in your own garden? You can now order your garden companion seats online from the comfort of your home.

You will also develop a sense of responsibility if you take up gardening. Caring for your garden will also teach you to care for your own wellbeing and health.

An Antidote for Depression and Stress

Gardening can provide you a great sense of happiness and satisfaction. You will always be interested in showing your colleagues and friends your new projects.

Your self-absorption will only increase your depression level. Gardening will help you in remembering that the world doesn’t revolve around you. Tending to your garden will help you in alleviating your sad feelings. Watching fruits and vegetables grow and flowers bloom will enhance your self-esteem.

You will always feel proud of your accomplishments and hard work.

Stress usually forces our bodies to react adversely while we attempt to compensate. It might cause pains & aches, poor sleeping habits and shortness of breath.

You’ll be able to breathe fresh air in your garden, which will provide the essential healing oxygen to your bodies. Charities of mental health also recognise value of gardening and encourage gardening schemes.

Gardening will also instil a sense of creativity in you. Creativity proves to be quite effective in overcoming depression. It also expands your brain functions, relieves stress and improve mood.

Sunlight can improve your Mood

Sunshine can trigger of hormone called serotonin in your brain. Serotonin helps in boosting or alleviating your mood, which help you in focusing and feeling calm.

If you don’t get enough sunlight, the level of serotonin in your body can significantly drop. A drop in the level of serotonin can cause you to feel lethargic and anxious. Therefore, you will only reap benefits if you decide to frequently visit your garden or take up gardening.

Sunshine is not only beneficial for your mood but can also significantly reduce the negative impacts of seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD. The sun is probably the best friend of your body. The Sunlight will also help you in keeping your blood pressure under control.

Researches show that whenever it is dark, the level of melatonin in your body increases. That is the reason why you usually start to feel weary as soon as the sun starts to set. Lack of sunshine also causes vitamin D deficiency. This deficiency of vitamin D can lead to high levels of anxiety and depression in patients suffering from fibromyalgia. Deficiency of vitamin is also one of the primary causes of SAD.

Studies show that treatment of inadequate levels of vitamin D and its effective detection in people suffering from severe mental disorders is a cost-effective and easy therapy. Studies also show that this therapy can bring improvement in long-term health outcomes of patients.