5 Benefits of Gardening for Mental Health

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Gardening is one of the activities often identified with the hobbies of parents. So don't be surprised if some young people today consider this activity a taboo thing. Some even consider farming as a boring and outdated activity. The reasons also vary, whether because they do not have time, lazy dirty-dirt, do not have the soul of art to organize plants, or because of fear of insect bites. In fact, gardening can be an effective means to reduce stress and make you more relaxed!

Why is gardening good for mental health?

Tim Lang, PhD, a professor of food policy at City University London, said that regular direct contact with plants, animals and the natural environment can improve one's physical health and mental well-being. That is why, both children and adults, gardening can be an alternative to dealing with physical or mental health problems they may be experiencing.

Here are some of the benefits of doing gardening that you should know about.

1. Make yourself more patient

Hilda Burke, a psychotherapist, said that if what makes gardening different and unique with other activities such as sewing or making cakes is this activity indirectly connects humans to the earth. Contact with the ground, plant something, patiently wait for results, and nurture seeds will offer valuable lessons for one's personal life.

Well, this is what makes people who love gardening become someone who is patient, loving, responsible, and can take care of themselves well.

2. Close to nature

No doubt if farming will make you come into direct contact with nature. Land, plants, water, air, sounds of nature, and others that you touch will make you connect with other living things. Gardening can act as a reminder if you are not the only center of the universe. That is why gardening is a good way for you to learn to care for and respect fellow living beings.

In addition, this activity is also a way to develop an appreciation of the wonders of nature. So don't be surprised, if many people claim to do this activity as a way to meditate on whatever they have done and achieved so far. Well, this is what reminds someone to always be grateful and respect for fellow living beings in nature.

3. Means of sports and refreshment of mind

Basically gardening will encourage you to practice and spend more time outdoors. Because activities such as weeding plants, fertilizing, watering, until cleaning the garden will make you keep moving and high concentration. Even though it looks tiring, this is certainly good for you, right?

In addition to eliminating boredom and boredom at home, this activity will also make you actively move while breathing fresh air and getting to know the environment more. Remember, anything that is good for the body, will also affect your mind later. So it's not only healthy, gardening can also be a place to refresh your mind that might be complicated.

4. Sharpen memory

Aside from being a form of exercise that is good for your body, gardening can also be one of the brain exercises. This is based on the results of a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

Scientists find doing activities to plant and treat plants in the garden is a powerful way to maintain cognitive health, increase brain volume and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease by 50 percent. This is because besides involving physical activity, gardening also requires high concentration.

5. Cheap and easy

Some people might think that if they want to garden, they need a lot of land. Even though it's not like that. Remember, everything starts small. So you don't need to hesitate or get dizzy. One hanging pot or several pots with greenery that refreshes the eyes on the edge of the window can also increase your enthusiasm every time you see it.

Don't have money to buy a pot? Relax, you can still use other ingredients available in your home, such as used cans, drink bottles, and other items that are not used at home.

5 Benefits of Gardening for Mental Health
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