Gardening and Our Mental Health

It’s been a tough couple of years. No joke. The global pandemic and associated upheaval makes my head hurt. But gardening is an act of hope and also good for the soul. 

Gardening is good for the body and mind. It relieves anxiety, reduces blood pressure and generally improves the mood. Gardening is exercise, encourages problem solving, and contact with the bacteria in the soil can enhance the immune system. 

Gardeners understand the importance of accepting nature’s success and failures. (If you’ve ever lost your garden to a Colorado hail storm you know what I’m referring to.) It’s the cycle of life, and loss of life. Growing through these losses and walking out of the garden with that beautiful, decadent melon, or tomato, or multi-colored carrots, helps us all better understand the world around us, crazy as it feels right now.

Gardening is both a present and future activity that we can enjoy, and share with others. It balances out our screen time, and dulls the feelings of despair over the things that we cannot control. Sprouting seedlings, and harvesting our garden never gets old. Connecting with the earth is wonderful and deeply satisfying. It is a most hopeful act.