Gardening with mindfulness reaps benefits for stress relief and mental nourishment.
Hey there, garden enthusiast! Want to learn how to cultivate more than just your plants? Discover the numerous mental, physical, and emotional benefits gardening has to offer!
Head over to The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and meet Mary, an orphan who unlocks the key to a hidden, neglected garden. As she tend it alongside her cousin, Colin, both found themselves blossoming like the garden itself—a testament to the power of nurturing and caring for something bigger than yourself.
Now, let's get down to the nitty-gritty: why's gardening so incredible for you?
Gardening's got it going ON for your healthYou might as well tell your GP to prescribe you a plot of soil instead of antidepressants, because that's how good gardening is for your emotions! Simon Stevens, CEO of NHS England, is a firm believer. And he ain't the only one!
The New Economic Foundation—a group advocating for a fairer, more sustainable society—identifies five key activities that promote wellbeing: gardens simply rock at all of them! It's the perfect blend of exercise, skill-learning, social connection, nature immersion, and inherent giving (you know, like letting your neighbors borrow your watering can or seeds).
Gardens: a prism for lifeA garden's a like a mirror that reflects life's big themes—birth, death, and everything in between—all with a beautifully picturesque twist. Not to mention, it offers a prime spot for mindfulness, a chance to zone in and appreciate even the tiniest of details.
Cultivate your mindfulnessThink of mindfulness as the gardener—it's all about giving your full attention to the present, just like preparing the soil, tending to seeds, and fostering the right environment for growth. The good news? You don't gotta be a green thumb to get your zen on while gardening; it's damn near impossible to do without!
Awaken your senses
Gardening's all about engaging with your senses—if you can feel, see, taste, hear, and smell the transformation unfolding, then you're doing it right! So listen up to mother nature and let her be your guide.
Now, go forth and spread your green thumbs far and wide, my friend! And let your garden sow the seeds of wellbeing in your life. 💚🌱💪🏼✨🌞🌈🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
- Science has shown that gardening can have a profound impact on mental health, with the CEO of NHS England, Simon Stevens, being a strong advocate for its therapeutic benefits.
- The 'New Economic Foundation', which promotes a fairer, more sustainable society, identifies gardens as promoting all five key activities that foster wellbeing, making them the perfect blend of exercise, skill-learning, social connection, nature immersion, and giving.
- Gardens serve as a prism for life, reflecting its big themes with a picturesque twist and offering a prime spot for mindfulness, an opportunity to focus on the present and appreciate even the smallest details.
- The act of gardening engages all the senses, inviting us to feel, see, taste, hear, and smell the transformation unfolding, making it a unique and immersive experience for personal growth and self-development in the realm of health-and-wellness, lifestyle, and education-and-self-development.
