Growing flowers and vegetables can reduce stress, anxiety and depression and benefit mental health

According to a study published in PLOS ONE in July, dill flowers can promote mental health and reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, even for those who have never been exposed to gardening in the past, if they try the experience!

The study, conducted by a team of researchers at the University of Florida, included 42 healthy women aged 26-49 who were randomly assigned to either a "gardening group" or an "art-making group" and participated in eight one-hour group gardening sessions twice a week ( They were also given self-reported psychometric measures of anxiety, depressive symptoms, emotional distress, stress, satisfaction with self-directed social activities, and quality of life. 32 participants (15 in the gardening group and 17 in the art group) received the treatment program and completed all assessments.

Results found that participants in both the "gardening group" and the "creative arts group" showed significant improvements in overall emotional distress, depressive symptoms, and perceived stress; the "gardening group" showed slightly lower levels of anxiety than the "artistic group". Anxiety levels were slightly lower in the "horticulture" group than in the "art and creativity" group. Participants also reported that they discovered new experiences and enthusiasm from participating in the study and indicated that they would continue to engage in gardening activities.

Psychologist and hypnotherapist Prof. Rong Xinqi reminded us that if you can't sleep, don't know how to eat, often feel exhausted, or have poor physical strength, you need to pay special attention to the fact that such phenomena are not necessarily the manifestation of diseases, but the functional changes in physiological and psychological states after being burdened with the stress of life, causing cognitive, emotional and physical discomfort.

He recommends that people learn ways to adjust to stress, such as seeking support and assistance from resources, encouraging themselves with positive words, thoughts, and beliefs, and adjusting their cognition to a positive perspective. Exercise, moderate social activities, and the aforementioned study "back to nature" are also effective ways to relieve stress.

When people are under stress, they can find solutions from nature, such as relaxing, finding themselves, and connecting with others, which can help the physical and mental discomfort to gradually disappear.

Professor Rong Xinqi emphasized that plants are a part of the natural world, we will use them as food, hide under the shade of a tree to keep cool, and also as a shelter in the early days, our subconscious has become a kind of assistance, survival dependence, it is natural to feel close.

Secondly, by planting plants and watering them every day, we can see the change of seasons and the different scenes of flowering and falling of the plants, which will have a sense of joy and healing effect.

It is natural to feel comfortable and relaxed when engaging in gardening activities. From the above research results, we can know that gardening may have positive effects on mental health, health care, and public health, bringing us some visions that can be used as a blueprint for the prevention and accompaniment process.

It is recommended that we can integrate gardening activities into our daily lives. First, we can find experienced and like-minded people to work together to understand the difficulty of planting different plants, and the interactive process will naturally create a happy atmosphere, even if there is no courtyard or balcony, we can still choose plants that are easy to maintain and can be planted in a small space, such as Chinese lily of the valley, cactus, etc., as a greening arrangement at home. As a way to increase physical activity, use your free time to go outdoors and touch plants and trees to help relax your body and mind.