Gardening & Mental Health

Like many outdoor activities, gardening is extremely beneficial to our mental and physical health for a variety of reasons. Sunlight alone lowers blood pressure and increases our daily intake of vitamin D, something that is essential for all humans. The process of gardening such as digging, raking, and mowing can burn the same amount of calories as a workout at the gym. Individuals with learning disabilities or poor mental health are able to combat social isolation when they become involved in a communal or therapeutic gardening project. Additionally, such projects have been proven to delay symptoms associated with dementia because of the benefits of exercise. 

Intelligent Health reported that physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of premature death in the United States. By partaking in regular moderate exercise such as gardening, risks such as dementia, mental health problems, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer decrease. One study found that gardening is more effective in protecting against dementia than walking and maintaining alcohol intake at moderate levels. Overall, gardening or simply being in nature are proven alternatives that are cheap and universally available to improve mental and physical health. 

Gardening can be a useful mindfulness practice that allows us to be in the present moment while simultaneously gaining the benefits of being in nature. The benefits of being in nature are endless but a few are improved immune response, increased oxygen levels, improved digestion, and clearing the lungs. Studies have also found that people's diet tends to improve when gardening due to being more health conscious and eating the food you’re growing. Gardening also helps to reduce stress levels because it lowers cortisol levels, anxiety, and helps to improve one's mood. 

Source: NIH, Mayo Clinic