Have you ever noticed that when you come in from a session in the garden or from a walk in the countryside that you feel happier and more content? There are a few reasons why gardening boosts your mood and why it’s so good for treating mental health related issues such as depression and anxiety
- Gardening is good exercise and exercise releases endorphins which are the happy hormone. Any exercise related hobby will have the same effect and so gardening boosts your mood through releasing endorphins through exercise.
- Gardening reduces stress. Being in a garden or green space is known to positively affect your mood within 3 minutes of entering that space. Gardens and green spaces provide a peaceful and calm environment where we can relax, disconnect from worries and practice mindfulness. Studies have also shown that gardens and green spaces lower blood pressure and heart rate proving that gardening helps you to relax and boosts your mood.
- Gardening boosts self esteem and confidence. Nurturing plants and seeing them thrive and be healthy goes a long way to boosting our self esteem and confidence and consequently boosting our mood, making us feel happier.
- Gardening helps increase focus and attention and reduces the symptoms of depression and anxiety. When you’re feeling stressed or anxious, focusing on a task in the garden can help alleviate negative feelings by moving your focus onto something else. This can allow thoughts and feeling to enter your mind and leave again without causing distress.
- Gardening provides a sense of purpose. At times when you feel like you don’t have any focus or purpose in life, gardening can provide you with the solution. Nurturing and caring for plants can provide that purpose and reward and boost your mood.
- Gardening produces serotonin in the brain through exposure to the sun. Serotonin is a natural mood enhancer and helps to alleviate symptoms of drepression and anxiety.
- Growing your own vegetables provides you with a sense of achievement and reward when it comes to cooking with and eating the produce that you’ve grown. This will boost your mood through increasing self esteem and confidence.
Gardening is a great hobby to have for many reasons and it has long been known the gardens and green spaces are great healers for mind, body and soul. So if you ever need a boost then try getting out in your garden or nearest green space and experience the ways gardening can boost your mood for yourself.