How Gardening Can Reduce Your Stress Levels?
The pace of modern life can sometimes feel a little unrelenting, so it’s hardly surprising that over half a million people are living with some kind of long-term stress or anxiety disorder – and that’s just the cases related to the workplace. In a world that simply refuses to stop turning and continues to demand more and more from us all, it’s important that we have a place to relax and unwind.
If you are lucky enough to live in a home that provides its own garden or green space, this sense of tranquility is easier to obtain than you may realize – if you know how to embrace the stress-busting qualities of gardening. Throughout this blog, we will relate to you how time spent in the garden can greatly enhance your physical and mental health. Take a deep breath, look longingly at that luscious lawn that you have spent a great deal of time lovingly cultivating, and prepare yourself for a new life devoid of anxiety!
What are the Health Benefits of green space?
Let’s start with Physical Activity
It’s no secret that physical activity reduces the symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression, but many of us simply struggle to find the time to fit regular workouts into our busy schedules.
The good news is that you no longer need hurriedly stroll past the gym with your head down, guilty at the money you are spending on a membership that is never used – gardening is one of the greatest physical workouts that anybody can experience. The NHS recommends around 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week alongside some high-intensity muscle work, and the simple pleasures of time spent in the garden can contribute to a great many of these minutes.
Every element of time spent in the garden, even simply taking a leisurely stroll and watering the plants, burns calories – and the more time you spend cultivating your green space, the more exercise you’ll be providing your body with. What’s more, gardening tends to be a full-body workout that ensures every muscle is flexed and employed.
I just came in from pushing the lawnmower this morning and it was a total workout. Shifting potted plants filled with soil and manure, can be great for your upper body strength and your thighs. Regularly getting down on your hands and knees to dig into soil will keep your joints supple and lubricated (as well as strengthening your back), and keep your fingers nimble to prevent the risk of arthritis and associated conditions later in life. Regular bursts of any kind of garden exercise will also do your heart the world of good as you raise, and increase your rate of cardio without the need to jog through the streets and pump the pedals of an exercise bike. Older people will also benefit hugely from a regular putter around the garden in their wellies, as this will increase their inner equilibrium and sense of balance, drastically reducing the risk of falls elsewhere around the home or in public.
Perhaps best of all, you can also invest in some garden furniture and enjoy a rest break to enjoy your handy work and the weather. The surroundings of your own garden will be altogether more enjoyable and relaxing than listening to the grunts and strains of gym bunnies.
Grow Your Own Food
An apple a day keeps the doctor away, and if you can top that up with even more fresh fruit and vegetables you’re really on the fast track to a healthy lifestyle. Rather than trekking to the supermarket multiple times per week to continually refresh your supplies, however, why not consider growing your own food in your garden and becoming self-sufficient? You’ll save money, get to spend time outdoors exercising, and enjoy all the benefits of healthy eating that come from a diet rich in fresh ingredients without the unhealthy pesticides. Forget those ready meals, and turn your hand to scratch cooking instead!
If you don’t know where to start with such a project, don’t panic – there are bags of literature on the subject available online and in any good bookshop. You’ll need to careful about which pesticides (try to use natural if you can) you use in order to deter garden pests, and ensure that there is plenty of natural sunlight for at least six hours per day to help the edible produce grow to its full potential, but beyond this the world is your tomato. Start small and grow a handful of things that you know that you eat regularly (possibly popular side dishes such as potatoes, or fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers) and build your self-grown food empire from there!
Of course, the biggest benefit of growing your own food is that you know exactly where it came from and can be assured that no potentially harmful additives or preservatives have been applied. Sure, you can buy organic produce from the supermarket but that is an extremely expensive lifestyle to maintain. Why pay somebody else a premium to grow your food for you, and enjoy all of the health benefits that come with spending time in the garden, when you could do it yourself?