Gardening: A Good and Healthy Hobby

Gardening has its way of nurturing the mind and body as one takes in the sights of nature. Most people view gardening as a mere hobby without considering it as an outlet to relieve stress when feeling pressured. This activity can also improve an individual's well-being in several ways.

For several years, gardening has been more than a means of growing produce for most people. Connecting with nature has become a doorway to improved mood and relaxation. Today, it's proven that gardening helps with mental health because it's meditative.

Gardening also offers a great way to exercise while being productive. Once your product is ready, you also enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables, which are an additional boost to health. If you wonder how gardening can be a good and healthy hobby, continue reading to find out.

Gardening Improves Mood

If you are stressed or curbed with the issues of everyday life, gardening is the best way to get peace of mind and feel content. As you focus your energy and attention on the details and the immediate task in front of you, the negative feelings and thoughts get away from your mind leaving you feeling better at the moment.

For most people, gardening or spending time in nature, the sunshine, and the fresh air is the best way to relieve stress. Gardening has also been shown to reduce the risk of depression by allowing you to focus on an activity rather than just sitting around.

Improves Your Diet

Gardening doesn't only help with exercising and the reduction of stress. It also boosts your health through the healthy produce you harvest from gardening. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a great addition to your diet.

The feeling is different when enjoying fruits and vegetables from your garden. It's also the best way to try out new healthy foods. You can choose to grow various vegetables and fruits and have your family try out the new foods. The first time things may not work out well, but you have to keep trying.

Gardening Encourages Social Bonds

You can decide to enjoy gardening as a family or as a community. Teamwork is essential and helps build stronger social bonds between you, your neighbors, and your family.

Working regularly with a larger group with the same goal and aim can best improve your mental health as it increases your social connection and your support system. With stronger social bonds, you are sure to get help with anything within your community should the time come.

Increases Attention Span

Most people have quite limited attention spans; they easily lose focus on things they set out to do. Gardening can change that. It will help you concentrate on things that are important or matter at the moment.

According to studies, outdoor activities like gardening can help reduce symptoms of ADHD. In addition, you will learn to maintain conversations and stay on topic as you interact with different people daily.

It's a Way to Exercise

Most people concentrate on gardening as a hobby and do it daily without realizing it also offers an exercise routine. Regular raking, digging and weeding offer regular exercise to your muscles. With regular exercise, you can reduce mental health issues like depression and anxiety and also prevent dementia.

You don't have to take a trip to the gym every day or every week if you enjoy gardening. It's the best way to get the exercise you need while enjoying every bit of the workout. Furthermore, gardening reduces the risk of a heart attack, especially among individuals above 60 years. This is because gardening is a moderate-intensity activity that is easy and has a low-impact exercise for those who can't jog on the treadmill.

Grows Self-Esteem

It feels great to see your small garden bloom with healthy plants and to get the chance to harvest them. This confidence results from boosted self-esteem as you watch your garden grow and flourish successfully.

The best way to improve this is by trying out new plants and challenging your gardening habits. Your self-esteem will grow together with your plants.

Get Started with Your Gardening Hobby!

In gardening, the fruits of your labor aren’t just the fresh ingredients that end up on your dining table. Your mind and body also reap the benefits of better focus, blood circulation, and muscle strength from the activity.

Starting a garden may be difficult at first, but once you get to work and see your beautiful garden flourish, you will want to continue tending it for years to come. Give yourself a new sense of purpose by embarking on this new hobby today.

Written by Stanley Clark

References

Gardening can cultivate better mental health
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220706165413.htm

Spend Time Outside to Improve ADHD Symptoms (2017)
https://chadd.org/adhd-weekly/spend-time-outside-to-improve-adhd-symptoms/

A Potential Natural Treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Evidence From a National Study (2004)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1448497/

DIY, gardening can cut heart attack/stroke risk by 30 percent, prolong life for seniors
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131028184948.htm

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