It is sad but true that we’re all under tremendous stress from this pandemic. Planting a garden can be a great way to relieve stress. Whether you have a small patio to or a large amount of space to tend, the act of making your particular stretch of nature into a haven can be a stress reliever in itself, and the garden that you create can bring you even more peace. Research shows that gardening activities, including vegetable and flower gardening, can reduce the stress hormone cortisol.
In one study, subjects were asked to perform a stressful task and then asked to either perform 30 minutes of gardening in their allotment gardens or 30 minutes of reading. While both groups experienced a decrease in stress, the gardeners experienced a significantly greater decline in stress, as well as a full restoration of positive mood; the readers actually experienced a further decline in mood.
The Journal of Health and Psychology in 2012 reported the first research-based evidence demonstrating that gardening promotes relief from acute stress. In the study, participants were placed in stressful situations, followed by recovery activities. Those who were given gardening tasks measured longerlasting reduction in the stress hormone cortisol than participants in other activities.
Gardening clearly has a positive impact on stress as well as mood and isn’t always thought of as the go-to stress relief activity that reading is, and perhaps it deserves a little more attention as a stress relief option. There are several benefits to gardening that can minimize stress. Here are a few reasons that gardening is a fantastic stress reliever.
J Just getting out in the sunlight can actually improve your mood! Sunlight also provides an influx of vitamin D, and the fresh air that that goes with it is good for your health. Getting outdoors to work in your garden is a great excuse to get more of this good stuff.
Being in touch with nature and the great outdoors can help you feel more removed from the stressors of daily life. With the amount of time we spend indoors, at work, watching TV or on our computers, many people feel an urge to connect with nature that goes unfulfilled. While you may not have the time to go camping or take a nature hike each day, having your piece of nature right outside your back door can help you feel some of this connection.
The beauty of nature is a great stress relieverin itself. Having your own bit of beauty available as a place for meditation, contemplation, and relaxation can provide quite a bit of relief from stress. It’s all part of making your home a haven from stress.
Working with soil can even make us happier. In 2011, Neuroscience Journal described research showing that a beneficial bacterium common in soil, Mycobacterium vaccae, triggers the release of serotonin in the human body, elevating mood and decreasing anxiety.
Being surrounded with greenery can even make life more manageable, according to the Journal of Environmental Behavior. In a study conducted by Chicago Public Housing, residents of buildings landscaped with trees, shrubs and lawns were more likely to be optimistic about life and believed they could handle life’s situations, as opposed to responses from residents of buildings devoid of landscaping and greenery.
The University of North Carolina describes how working with plants improves our self-esteem as we watch our houseplants grow, observe the beauty of flowers we plant and harvest the fruits and vegetables from the gardens we’ve tended. The university also reports that gardening activity helps our sleep patterns.
Since we are spending more time at home, use the extra hours to tackle weeds. It might sound like an odd pastime, but we can win battles against persistent weeds with perseverance. If perennial weeds in lawn, landscape or flower beds are repeatedly cut off just as they emerge from the soil this spring, they deplete all their stored reserves, starve and die before they can replenish themselves through leafy photosynthesis.
Many of us have benches in our yards or landscapes, but often don’t have time to just sit and enjoy. If life and events slow, and as weather permits, use the time to relax in the yard, watch, look, listen and absorb the beauty of trees, flowers, gardens and even simple lawn grass.
Gardening won’t erase all our problems, but you should find that gardening can bring you peace, and the garden itself can bring you joy.
“The thing about gardening is that you have to have faith in the future,” “Growing something
green, something real, something alive, is a hopeful thing to do.” We all need that hope, now more than ever.