10 Mental Health Benefits of Gardening
Few activities are more life-giving .
Research has shown that spending time outside is good for our bodies and our minds . I ' m sure you ' ve experienced these benefits : After feeling stressed out or bored indoors , you step outside and your spirits lift .
One great way to spend time outdoors is to garden . My dad always had a garden when I was a kid , and now I understand more about what drew him to it . I ' ve always enjoyed being outside and gardening , but it took on special significance for me when I was recovering from an extended illness . As I began to recover , I felt compelled to greatly expand my garden beds and the things I planted , even though I was still struggling physically and mentally .
The experience seemed to accelerate my own healing . It felt like even as I was building the garden , it was helping me come back to life . One day as I stood in the afternoon sunlight and looked with amazement at all that had grown , I felt my own strength that had returned over the same stretch of time .
This personal experience , along with numerous studies about the positive effects of time outside , made me curious to explore the many benefits of gardening . Recently I discussed this topic with professional gardener Joe Lamp ' l , creator of joe gardener ®. Here are 10 benefits of
gardening that emerged from our conversation :
1 . Practicing Acceptance
Most of our suffering comes from trying to control things that we can ' t . The more we can accept the limits of our control and the unpredictability of life , the more peace of mind we can find — and gardening is a great way to practice . " Every day is one more reminder from Mother Nature that I ' m not in control ," Lamp ' l said , which he finds helpful as a self-described " control freak ."