G for Gardening

It’s been awhile! Time to jump back into the ABCs of anxiety relief. This one is a bit of fun…

Gardening can be good for the soul, but it’s actually been shown to reduce anxiety as well. I don’t mean clearing out a section of your yard and planting an wide assortment of vegetables and flowers (sounds wonderful though!). Even potting some small herbs to place in the kitchen window. I personally don’t have a green thumb, but I’m considering starting small and basic when we become homeowners in the coming months.

What do we know? I first learned of therapeutic gardening on TV. One season of Grey’s Anatomy featured different patient rooms that used alternative methods for stress relief and mood improvement. I clearly remember the room with blue light and the room that resembled a jungle. At the time I chuckled, but this is good stuff! Therapeutic gardens have long been used in medical facilities to help improve the quality and length of patient stays. But, true to form, I wanted to know what kind of research exists. Check out this article from 2018 discussing clinical studies in this area. A few benefits of extra greenery include:

• Improved mental and physical state
• Faster recovery from medical procedures
• Less air pollution, when outdoors
• Time away from normal, stressful life

There are a ton of benefits from the act of gardening itself, including Vitamin D from natural sunlight, but my takeaway was that every little bit helps. Even if you don’t want a jungle in your bedroom, get some plants and let them do their thing.

So, what will you be planting this spring and summer?

Additional Resources:

• Forbes article on fighting stress with gardening
• AG Week’s article on fighting pandemic anxiety with greenery