Mental Health

Gardening as a hobby allows people to grow their own foods or flowers instead of spending money at supermarkets for such necessities, allowing people to save money. Additionally, having your own garden allows you to personally care for your plants until they are ripe, ensuring quality. However, recent studies have revealed many physiological and psychological benefits of gardening for people of all ages!

Most notably, gardeners experience a sharp increase in exercise from their hobby. From watering plants daily to moving pots around and seasonally harvesting crops, there is a significant spike in daily physical activity as various tasks to maintain the garden are completed. Physical activity is typically correlated with an elevated mood as many endorphins are released in the brain during physically strenuous activity.

Additionally, gardening allows people to improve their diet while spending more time in nature. Particularly during harvest season, families with gardens experience a significant increase in crops that can be incorporated into dishes to make them healthier and more filling. Healthier diets support the body’s internal functions, whether it be inflammation regulation, nutrition increases, or even risk reduction for diseases like cancer! The time spent outside while gardening further improves bodily functions like digestion and oxygen level maintenance due to the deep breathing that occurs while gardening.

The various physiological benefits accumulate into a visibly noticeable difference in anxiety and stress levels among gardeners. The gratifying process of raising a plant from germination to harvest implements a routine that many have claimed helps their stress from daily life. The influx of endorphins mentioned earlier also contributed to an overall decreased sense of anxiety among gardeners.

Time spent in the sun near plants boosts Vitamin D levels whilst simultaneously lowering blood pressure. Additionally, the social benefits of gardening with others have been linked with slowing the onset of dementia in the elderly. Beyond that, socializing with individuals who share similar interests counteracts social isolation, an issue that has become increasingly prevalent as time passes, and promotes healthy relationships as well as improved mood. Especially considering the modern issue of physical inactivity, the physical aspect of gardening paired with the psychological benefits displayed a myriad of benefits that can help people of all ages and backgrounds.

Through these benefits, gardening has proven itself to be beneficial both physically and mentally while also being relatively cheap and infinitely more rewarding as a hobby!

References: Unsplash, Mayo Clinic, WebMD, NIH,