How Gardening Help Mental Health Blossom

The world moves faster than ever nowadays, especially when it comes to changing our views.

Several years ago, the only people from my environment passionate about growing plants were my grandmother and her sisters. So, I could unintentionally hear some of the news on the new varieties of tomatoes and soil additives from their conversations at family gatherings.

Now, those conversations about plants, flowers, vegetables, and herbs are literally everywhere. At a recent networking event, I heard how a bunch of girls also showed photos of spinach and basil on their terraces and exchanged links to the stores where it is best to buy seeds. Celebrities, like Kylie Jenner, show on their social media the fruits of their labor.

According to statistics, this trend spread during the pandemic. Growing plants was one of the few things people could do in isolation when they wanted to distract from a laptop or smartphone.

Back then, the conversations sparked the idea that gardening felt more like therapy than an old-fashioned hobby.

And there is much evidence to support it.

Gardening and mental health

Have you ever noticed that green areas frequently surround hospitals and mental health facilities?

It isn’t something random.

Medicine uses green care as an adjunct to medical treatment. Fresh breezes, dappled sunlight, and the fragrant greenery of gardens have proven to lift the spirits of patients. As a result, it boosts medical treatment.

According to environmental psychologist Roger Ulrich’s research, patients with bedside windows looking out on leafy trees healed an average of a day faster and had fewer postsurgical complications than patients who instead saw a brick wall.

Ulrich investigated another interesting fact: patients who interact with nature ask for fewer painkillers during a treatment. This is likely due to their increased focus on the positive outcomes of the treatment, rather than their own pain and suffering.

Research has proven that hands-on interaction with green is far more beneficial than simply being in a green environment.

The practice of “therapeutic gardening” is booming in popularity across Europe. As part of their treatment, mental health facilities build their own farm networks away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Patients with mental health problems, learning disabilities, or drug problems go there and engage in farming on a daily basis for several weeks.

According to medical data, they recover from their issues faster than those treated with a standard regimen. Furthermore, it has also been reported that the social benefits of such projects can delay the symptoms of dementia.

So, if gardening also helps with clinical diseases, then anxiety and a bad mood seems to be also be within it’s power.

How does gardening affect the mental state?

First and foremost, gardening is the perfect match of light physical activity with exposure to nature and sunlight.

This combination benefits our bodies by reducing cortisol levels, muscle tension, and demands on our cardiovascular systems (lower heart rate and blood pressure). Additionally, sunlight lowers blood pressure and increases vitamin D levels in the summer.

A sound mind is in a sound body, as we all know perfectly well.

But gardening has more than just a physiological effect. Some scientific research have demonstrated that calm and monotonous soil work reduces depression and anxiety symptoms.

According to a Japanese study, viewing and touching plants alters EEG recordings and reduces stress, fear, anger, and sadness by decreasing your heart rate and blood pressure.

There is one more thing about gardening: plants requires a significant amount of time and effort — you must be present at every stage. Giving your attention to immediate tasks can help you live in the moment and reduce negative thoughts and feelings.

“There are certain very stabilizing forces in gardening that can ground us when we are feeling shaky, uncertain, and terrified. It’s these predictable outcomes and predictable rhythms of the garden that are very comforting right now,” says Joel Flagler, a plant biology professor at Rutgers University.

Psychologists also note the positive impact of gardening on self-esteem.

How exactly?

Well, this hobby is a great opportunity to create something from scratch and achieve something visible in a comparatively short period of time. You plant a tiny seed, and you can clearly see how your care and commitment transform it into a beautiful plant that literally bears fruit. When you see your work pay off with a fruit, vegetable, or at least a beautiful flower, your sense of pride gets a boost.

These achievements might make you feel more confident in your ability to try new things and succeed at them.

Ultimately, it is fair to say that a garden is one of those things that can give people purpose and hope at times when they feel they have neither.