With the sun making an appearance (at last!), it’s natural that your thoughts will turn to spending time in your garden and outdoor spaces.
For some, it might be the first chance you’ve had to enjoy gardening, or planting seeds for the summer and venturing into growing your own healthier fruit and vegetables. Meanwhile, to mark this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, it’s a great time to highlight the positive impact that gardening can have on your mental health and wellbeing.
Boosting your mental and physical health
From reducing anxiety to boosting those happy endorphins that result from being physically active, gardening boasts numerous health benefits. While gardening is often passed off as a pastime reserved for retired people, more of you are enjoying gardening than ever. In fact, one study found that people’s love of gardening now starts from a younger age too, breaking down the stereotype of it being an ‘older person’s hobby even further. In fact, 56 per cent of young adults are choosing to take up gardening because they have become increasingly aware of the multiple health benefits it offers.
With today’s fast-paced lifestyles, gardening can provide a much-needed sense of calm and serenity. The simple acts of planting, or weeding and looking forward to seeing your seeds grow into fruition have been shown to help alleviate anxiety. Likewise, working in a garden as part of a regular routine, otherwise known as ‘mindful gardening’ is a calming pursuit to enjoy alone or with friends. Being present in the moment, and focusing on the task at hand, can provide a therapeutic break from the stresses of day-to-day life.
Growing your own healthy produce
There is nothing healthier than growing your own nutritious fruit and vegetables. Not only is it immensely satisfying to nurture plants from seeds to something that’s ripe to eat, but you’ll enjoy the benefits of consuming super-fresh, nutrient-packed produce. Knowing where your food has come from is a bonus if you want to avoid pesticides and feel reassured about food’s freshness compared to shop-bought goods. If you’re a first-time gardener, growing your own produce is incredibly rewarding. Once you have the right compost and topsoil for a particular vegetable patch, planter or pot, you’ll soon be raring to go.
In addition, there are great online gardening resources and once you start researching how to grow vegetables, there are useful tips on what to grow and where to plant them. There are also optimum times of year to think about if you want to harvest an abundant crop of tomatoes or other homegrown produce. Growing even a small amount of your own fruit and vegetables might make a big dent in your shopping bills too!
Keeping fit and active
Gardening might not seem like much of a workout, but it actually involves a surprising amount of physical activity that can boost your fitness levels. All that digging, raking, mowing, carrying planters and watering cans soon adds up to a healthy dose of exercise that gets you outdoors and moving your body. Don’t underestimate how beneficial this can be for both your physical and mental wellbeing.
Connecting with nature and having a break from our screens and phones is another healthy habit to adopt. With work and other commitments, it’s easy to spend too much time cooped up indoors, disconnected from the natural world. Needing to keep on top and maintain your garden, once you have got started, is a brilliant reason for getting you out. This connection can be incredibly grounding and therapeutic, helping to reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.
Feeling more creative
For those with an artistic flair, gardening allows you to truly express yourself and bring your creative visions to life outside. Planning the perfect layout, combining colours and textures from different plants and choosing decorative features is an excellent way to focus on your creativity away from the stresses of day-to-day life.
There are few greater joys than watching something you’ve nurtured flourish and grow from tiny seeds into mature, thriving plants. If you are passionate about the environment, growing your own fruit and veggies is one step you are making towards living sustainably and having an eco-friendlier home. This experience of seeing your efforts quite literally bear fruit is incredibly rewarding and uplifting. The profound sense of achievement can provide a much-needed boost to your self-esteem and state of mind.
Inspiring gardening shows
In addition to enjoying the therapeutic benefits of looking after your own garden, getting out and about to the numerous gardening shows that take place each year can be a fantastic way to boost your mental wellbeing. With summer here, there are some amazing gardening events across the UK and locally too. If you have time, check out this year’s stunning Chelsea Flower Show, or plan a visit to Kew Gardens to see their summertime blooms.
From flower shows and open gardens to plant sales and vegetable competitions, the gardening calendar is brimming with opportunities to immerse yourself in your favourite pastime while discovering new inspiration. Visiting beautifully curated gardens, whether grand historic estates or modest urban plots, can provide some great inspiration for your home garden with exciting ideas for amazing planting designs.
Flower shows and festivals are a treat at any time of year, but during the summer, the vibrant floral displays and artistic arrangements are lovely to see. So whether you’re seeking inspiration, or planning something different to do on a sunny day, gardening events in the summer are a great idea. Back home, recreating a new look for your spaces and transforming your garden in time for the summer days ahead is a great goal to have. No matter how small, or what budget you’re working to, creating something beautiful in your back garden can be very rewarding and uplifting and provides a wonderful sense of purpose.
Meeting friends and fellow gardening enthusiasts
While often thought of as a solo pursuit, gardening can also have valuable social benefits. Getting together with like-minded gardeners, joining a local club, or simply bonding with neighbours and friends over your shared love of plants and comparing what you’ve grown can be fun. Joining an online community gardening club or joining one in person in your local area is also a fantastic way to meet new people and make friends with other green-fingered enthusiasts.
Whether you want to be more active with a healthy new hobby, gardening can benefit your fitness, spark your creativity and might result in some healthy side portions of salad or greens. To mark this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, we’ve launched out ‘#NoMindLeftBehind’ to support people who might be experiencing mental health problems and highlight ways friends, families and colleagues can look out for the signs of anyone who might be struggling. With the warmer months finally here, tending to your garden and making the most of the great outdoors has never been more appealing.
