WORDS BY KRISTEE SEMMLER
THE BAROSSA NURSERY
Gardening Advice with Kristee Semmler
Often, as our lives get busier and busier, less time is put into ourselves and our mental health. The opinions of others can cause us to have negative feelings and everyday stresses can lead to depression or anxiety. Mental health is a becoming real issue, affecting many around us.
Studies have shown that the mental health benefits of gardening are extensive. It combines physical activity with experiencing the great outdoors; two well-known mood enhancers. Gardening keeps us connected to other living things and can have a great effect on reducing stress levels & high blood pressure, while reducing levels of depression & anxiety. A good physical workout in the garden, surrounded by life, with plants and bugs that won’t judge and in an environment you can control is, for many, a great form of therapy.
Sunshine releases the hormone serotonin in our bodies which boosts mood and helps a person feel calm and focused… and gardens are full of sunshine! After a stressful day/week at work, working in the garden can give your mind and body time to think and recover from mental fatigue while giving you a workout at the same time.
Studies also suggest that plants indoors, inside the office or a window facing a garden or green landscape help people to manage stress better, increase productivity & concentration.
Not to mention indoor plants look amazing, help to reduce toxins in the air & release oxygen – and as an added bonus indoor plants are bang on trend right now too!
‘Horticultural therapy’ or gardening as we like to call it, ‘is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes!’. A great soul boosting, stress relieving and mood/energy lifting activity that can be enjoyed by anyone and everyone, gardening really does help promote good mental health and well-being. Get outside in the sunshine and enjoy your garden and reap the many rewards.
Happy Gardening!
♦♦♦
