Going outdoors and gardening can have a number of benefits for your health. In this article, we will be exclusively discussing the benefits of becoming a gardener for your health, rather than the environment, your garden, or the community, though all of those things certainly are wonderful benefits that can be drawn from becoming a gardener. Yes, becoming a gardener can benefit absolutely everybody around you – including your community. In Japan, for example, the community around a person will go out and plant trees, flowers, and bushes all along the street to create a nicer and more peaceful environment.
In this article, we are going to, as you may have guessed, tell you about seven benefits of becoming a gardener. These benefits, which will be health-centered, can be had by virtually anybody, you need only step out into your garden to enjoy them and seize them. Becoming a gardener is something that anybody can do, regardless of whether or not you have a garden. If you do not, you can just apply for a plot of land at an allotment. Allotments are widely available and can be very cheap to manage and maintain, as well as to rent.
Here are seven benefits of becoming a gardener.
Memory
As we grow older, our memories begin to fade. It is a natural part of life and one that is most often unavoidable. Sometimes, people develop neurological conditions that affect a person’s memory, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. One way of combatting this loss of memory can be through gardening. You will notice that many older people who regularly tend to, engage in, and spend time out in their gardens have better memories than those their age who do not. This is because gardening tests and trains your memory – to be a gardener you have to be on top of all of your plants at once, know their names, species, what they need when they bloom, and what to do to them.
This in and of itself is a great way to train one’s memory – by remembering these things you test and treat your memory, keeping it constantly engaged. The reason many people’s memories fade is because they are not engaging or keeping their brains healthy. Gardening, combined with reading, games of skill, and regular communication, are fantastic ways to keep your mind in check and keep your memory going.
Creativity
When you are gardening, you have an opportunity to show some creativity and flair. You also have a large number of options when it comes to plants to grow, from cannabis (providing it is illegal), all the way to orange trees. One reviewer, Greenery Guides, says that growing plants can be very easy, especially with the use of hydroponics, which is a key component in the growth of marijuana. So, whether you take advice on hydroponics from Greenery Guide, or your search elsewhere. Just remember the world is your oyster, or your garden is rather. There is no limit to what you can grow.
Communication
Communication, or a lack thereof, can be a big problem for older people, or those who find themselves removed from society, as so many do in our age. Getting out into your local community and getting involved with gardening projects is a fantastic way for you to communicate and make friends, which will, in turn, benefit your physical and mental health and help you to feel complete. As human beings, we need communication, and without it, we can go mad. Communication and friendship can be found in the gardening community.
Diseases and Healing
It is a proven fact that exposure to nature helps wounds and illnesses to heal quicker. A study which was conducted in a hospital revealed that patients who were put in beds facing windows that allowed them to see trees, fields, and greenery, healed considerably faster than other patients who could not. Healing from diseases through exposure to nature is a great benefit of gardening. With that said, you should still engage with your treatment plan and mustn’t allow gardening to become your only medicine, as it were. Ask your doctor what they think, don’t just listen to us.
Mental Health
Getting outdoors and gardening can be a fantastic way for you to help your mental health return to baseline, and to help you fight depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Gardening gives you occupation and a reason for being. So very often those of us who are depressed and anxious find themselves without a place in the world – this can worsen as they isolate themselves. If you go out into the garden though, you can find an entire world waiting for you outdoor. Many people find their gardens or garden patches to be their saving grace from the hardship of the world.
Addiction
Addiction is a plague that befalls most men. Whether one is addicted to a drink, laziness, alcohol, or drugs, addiction is an indomitable adversary. However, addiction can be overcome, and through a rather unconventional method: gardening. Gardening has been proven to help people overcome addiction and can be very therapeutic. Many youth workers, social workers, and drug counselors actually get out into the garden with their cases to help them to fight addiction and to overcome the struggles that come along with addiction. If you find yourself addicted to something, get out into the garden and give it a go.
Stress
The world can be incredibly stressful, more so with the current pandemic which is still in full swing, and the lockdown which keeps being extended day after day. If you are stressed, tense, and need an outlet, give gardening a go. As we have shown throughout this article already, gardening is a healthy outlet and a great way to find purpose in one’s life. If you are stressed out and want to relax, then give gardening a go; the benefits of gardening are too many to count. Gardening can help you to stop, take a deep breath, and to relax.
Well, we hope you have enjoyed the article, and most of all, we hope you are able to derive some health benefits from it. Gardening is a wonderful way to spend your downtime, and a very healthy way, too. Thank you for reading, please return and join us again soon!