How to Relieve Anxiety with Gardening

Anxiety and Depression

Do you suffer from anxiety or depression? Have you gotten the help you need from the doctor but sometimes just feel meh? Here is a list of ways that gardening can help relieve some of the symptoms of depression and anxiety.

I’ve suffered from some mental health problems, mostly anxiety, since my teenage years. It got worse when I had my daughter. Every doctor/therapist I went to for help had a few solutions in common. Exercise, eating the right foods, being in nature, sunshine, ad relaxation.

Gardening is all of those things combined. I noticed that I was less anxious when I was regularly in the garden because it combines all that helpful advice into one thing. Especially exercising and eating right.

Grow Your Own Food

I have been gardening my whole life. Before I could even crawl my mother would sit me on a blanket while she worked in the garden, as I did with my baby. Some of my earliest memories are of being in a garden.

When I was old enough, my mother put me to work in anyway she could, weeding, harvesting and canning. I didn’t love it at the time but I’m so grateful for all that she taught me about plants and gardening and harvesting.

Self Worth & Accomplishment

Heavenly Father has placed us here on earth to learn how to take care of and beautify the earth. It’s one thing that brings constant satisfaction and joy which in turn helps with mental health. Accomplishing goals and working hard are keys to self worth and mental wellness.

Garden Exercise

Every day in the summer I spend hours in our garden. Lifting, squatting, pulling, digging… it’s a full on workout routine. It’s High Intensity too so your heartbeat is going fast throughout most of the time you’re digging harvest (or weeds *just kidding I never have weeds in my garden they are not allowed) from your garden. Win-win.

Healthy Diet

Unfortunately (fortunately?) I’ve learned in life that you can’t grow donuts or cake, oh, how I wish I could. What we do grow, is the most nutritious foods that our minds & bodies need to maintain peak performance. I don’t know why broccoli won over chocolate chips in the healthy contest but it did. And garden fresh broccoli is delicious.

There are so many ways to enjoy veggies. And, let me tell you a secret, when you have your kids grow the veggies with you and they see you enjoying them then they love them too and you don’t have to “hide” the veggies in a meal. My two year old loves broccoli and tomatoes. I can’t have her help me harvest our cherry tomatoes or they don’t reach the house. 😁

Sunshine

Serotonin is the chemical in our bodies that helps our mood. Studies show that sunlight boosts the bodies serotonin levels. Our skin and our eyes react with the ultraviolet rays to produce energy (to paraphrase Dr Mercola from the link above).

In a nutshell, there are many components of sunlight that boost our energy and react with our bodies chemicals to make us happy. Just like plants our bodies need sun and can work with photosynthesis to help us develop. Gardening is an amazing source of sunlight. 🌞🌻

Gardening is Beneficial to your Mental Health.

Making a garden covers all of the basics of help for anxiety and depression. It doesn’t take the place of medical advice but it is a great help. As you interact with nature and reap a healthy harvest you will begin to feel more energy and sense of accomplishment.

So you have a garden? Does it help your mental health? Share your story with us.