5 Ways in which Gardening Helped Me Become a Better Person

I was a person who was not at all into gardening. In fact, I paid little to no attention to it at all. But as it is said there’s a first for everything, I too tried my hand at it just a few months back during the lockdown period. I even learnt an important life lesson from gardening as well. And it definitely brought about some visible positive changes in my life. So here are the five ways in which gardening helped me become a better person.

1.Gardening reduced my stress levels

When I’m out in the garden among plants and trees I feel relaxed and refreshed. When I looked up online to find the reason for it, I found that gardening helps to release hormones called endorphins which relaxes the human mind. Also, gardening reduces the levels of stress hormones called cortisols thereby reducing stress and anxiety. This helped me to calm down and keep my anxiety at bay.

To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. – Audrey Hepburn

2.Gardening added a new meaning to my life.

The fact that I can nurture plants and grow my own source of healthy food has given me an added level of confidence and I’ve begun to view life from a totally different perspective. Also, gardening has made me feel like I’m contributing to the environment in my own way. I’ve realised the pain and effort behind successfully growing a plant and I no longer take advantage of what I eat anymore. Gardening has made me realise that if you care for plants and take all the steps to ensure their growth you will be handsomely rewarded with fresh fruits and vegetables which will give you an incomparable sense of satisfaction.

3. Gardening made me feel more responsible

Gardening is not a one-time activity.

Gardening is not a rational act. –Margaret Atwood

You cannot simply water the plants and expect it to grow the next day. It calls for patience. Watering plants, nurturing them, adding manure are activities that require consistency. In the process of caring for sentient beings like plants so I’ve become more responsible. This has also helped me to take up additional responsibilities in my life without feeling stressed and monotonous.

4. Gardening reduced my morning grumpiness

Before gardening my usual morning routine would start by turning on my smartphone and scrolling through the news feed of my social media accounts. My day would be shaped by whatever I read that morning. This subconsciously impacted my life and made me feel grumpy. But ever since I started gardening, I would rush out to my garden excited to see the growth of my plants. And if a new leaf had appeared or if it had grown higher than the previous day it would simply make my day. Gardening makes me feel relaxed and gives me a fresh start every morning.

5. Gardening made me a happier person

I find gardening to be extremely therapeutic. Every time I’m in my garden observing the growth of plants and walking underneath the trees with filtered sunlight caressing my face I feel I’m in a completely different world of my own. A world where I can bring about change and an array of possibilities. I’ve become a more balanced person in terms of handling responsibilities and maintaining a calm state of mind.

Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better - Albert Einstein

Nature has its own way of soothing and comforting people. For all that nature provides us we should be grateful and thankful for it because our life depends on it. A garden doesn’t have to be big. And it doesn’t take much space and time. If we could take an effort to grow a small indoor plant in a mug, a jar or even a bowl the happiness it will bring is sure to change your life and your perspective forever.