If you are feeling low, annoyed or in need of something new in your life, the remedy could be on your doorstep. Get out into your garden and start taking care of it, and in turn, take care of yourself. Here are four ways that indoor and outdoor gardening can increase your health and well-being and not only that, it will make you have a beautiful garden at home if you put all your love and care into it.
Why gardening is better than taking medicine?
If you want to stay in shape, maintain firm control over your physical and mental health, and benefit from fresh air, then gardening is for you, according to research results.
A study involved 53 older volunteers, 25 of whom were gardeners. Participants were assessed on general physical and mental health, including hand strength and grip strength using garden tools.
The most active gardeners among the volunteers showed the best levels of physical health and all of the gardeners had stronger and more agile hands, not to mention the above-average levels of self-esteem.
Not only that, it is proven that the following benefits derived from gardening make more than enough the need to promote this type of activity in people with health problems, especially those with blood pressure and depression problems. So, read on and find out what you will develop once you start practicing the art of gardening in your own home.
You practice mindfulness.
Losing yourself in your own garden is considered one of the best ways to practice mindfulness, a technique that is based on Eastern traditions and is designed to help you become more aware of what is happening, around you and in your body. too. Today, practicing mindfulness is very popular and is a way to improve mental well-being. Being more aware of the present moment can help us enjoy the world around us more and understand ourselves better.
Gardening and mindfulness seem like the perfect pair. There are so many aspects of modern life that people seem to tune out – long monotonous office meetings, or traffic jams. Due to the stressful and fractured nature of life, people often want to be somewhere else.
It does not have to be this way. If you want something that reconnects you to the world around you, makes you more aware of the present moment, then look no further than the green grass beneath your feet. You really won’t find a better meditation mat than your own garden. Start gardening now.
Transform part of your garden into a Zen one.
If you have a little space to play with, consider transforming a section of your garden into an area of peace and quiet – the place you go when you need some time to yourself. Use it to read, meditate, write, spend time with friends, or just sit. Look for the best garden furniture, such as garden tables, chairs, benches, and accessories to give your space more potential to create a haven of tranquility.
Streams of pebbles running in a gentle wave pattern guide you through space, between beautiful plants housed in terracotta pots, and even a stone Buddha as an ornamental piece could appear in the middle of your garden.
A reading bench is the perfect destination for contemplation in your garden, build and orient your Zen space around your outdoor garden furniture, so that place feels as integrated with nature as possible.
Here are some gardening tips:
Bring the outside in.
If you don’t have a garden, but want to reproduce some of the best effects of having one, then create a garden inside your home. Pick out some greenhouse plants and indoor flowers and create an oasis of calm in your bedroom, office, kitchen, and anywhere else.
In an article based on some experimental studies, the presence of potted plants has been found to be useful in many spaces, including work, school, and hospitals. One of the most ad-hoc gardens for these spaces is the vertical garden, which due to its design saves space as well as refreshes the environment and relaxes the senses. Plants have been shown to:
- Lower systolic blood pressure.
- Improve reaction times.
- Increase attention.
- Increase productivity.
- Improve well-being.
- They improve the perception of space.
Research suggests that having plants around you is a good thing for your health and productivity. And if you are interested in the plants that were used in these studies, they are the golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum), arrowhead vine (Syngonium podophyllum) and Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema sp.).
Make your garden a social space.
When gardening, they will make you want to share that beautiful garden that will bloom from your hands and that will make you feel very good. Invite friends and family, because did you know that those gatherings in the garden have been shown to be good for our mental health? If you don’t use your garden for social gatherings, maybe it’s time now.
In the warmer months, when the afternoons are hot and the warm night’s stay warm until later, having friends and loved ones gathered in the garden enjoying dinner outside is truly comforting. According to article spending time with friends can help you:
- Living more time.
- Keep your mind sharp.
- Overcome emotional problems.
- Face rejection.
So next time the forecast is sunny, and there’s nothing else on your calendar, why not get in touch with some friends and invite them to hang out in your garden? It could increase your well-being and yours as well.
