Using Gardening to Cultivate Inner Peace and Reduce Stress

Stress can put a burden on our lives and lead to us feeling overwhelmed by the world around us. There are methods that can help you manage your stress levels and help you find your inner peace with gardening being one of the most underrated.

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The timeless practice can be very beneficial for your mental health, as the process of planting and harvesting plants in your garden can be very therapeutic and help reduce stress.

There are so many different approaches you can take with gardening, as you can plant anything from flowers to herbs to vegetables and fruits. No matter the type of gardening you do, it can be a very relaxing experience that gives you a sense of joy as you care for your plants to help them grow. Even if you don’t think it’s your cup of tea, it’s definitely worth a try to see how it impacts your mental health.

This guide will take a closer look at green therapy and explore how you can indulge in gardening to help ease your mind and get on the right path to finding your inner peace. Continue reading to realise your green thumb potential.

The Link Between Gardening and Stress Reduction

The constant demand to meet deadlines and the constant desire to seek purpose in life has made stress a very common attribute among adults. Gardening gives you a chance to take a break from the goings on in the world and allow your brain a moment of relaxation that might not be found in your regular routine. This reconnection with nature can enhance our enjoyment of simple pleasures to help us live a life of mindfulness.

There are a few ways why gardening has such an impact on reducing your stress levels. These include:

Earth Connection: Gardening can give us a closer connection with the earth, as taking care of soil and plants can make us feel like we are making a positive impact on the environment around us. It can give us a sense of purpose that is great for reducing anxiety.
Mindfulness: Having a consistent act that you complete on a regular basis can help channel mindfulness. Tending to plants can move our focus to something productive, which can make our mind feel rejuvenated. It can be a great way to start your day with intention.
Physical Activity: Endorphins are released when we take part in any form of physical activity, which can make us feel good. Gardening can make the body’s natural mood-boosters get to work and help us reduce stress levels.

While gardening won’t be a solution for everyone, there is no denying the benefits that it can have for enhancing mindfulness and giving us a break from the real world. It’s definitely worth giving a go if you’ve never considered it before.

How Gardening Enhances Relaxation

Sensory Management

All of our senses are getting worked while gardening. We can see the beautiful garden that we have created, smell the gorgeous aromas of the flowers, hear the sounds of nature, feel the earth soil and if you’re growing brain food, you can enjoy the taste of it once you harvest the goods you have grown. Having our senses stimulated can be a very effective way of reducing stress.

Green Therapy

Focus and Concentration

Our minds work better if we have something to focus and concentrate on, which is why gardening can be so beneficial to our mental wellbeing. The regular tending to plants needs continuous attention to ensure the plant stays alive and grows optimally. This encourages us to be in the present moment and forget any negative emotions.

Repetition

Using gardening equipment like pruners, lawnmowers and water buckets to complete repetitive motions can induce a meditative state. This allows us to feel more tranquil while we garden, which is great for improving mental wellbeing. Getting used to trimming hedges and keeping the grass to your desired length can give us a great sense of structure.

Which Plants Are Good Stress Reducers?

A study by the University of Exeter discovered people moving to a greener area with more plants experienced an improvement in mental health, which continued for at least 3 years after moving. This showed that having more greenery around you can be a great way of reducing stress in our lives, so having a garden that can cultivate this can be very important.

There are actually specific types of plants that are known to boost your mental health and can be perfect for incorporating into your garden.

Lavender

One of the most popular flowers that gardeners plant in the garden is lavender. It’s a richly fragrant flower that smells beautiful once it sprouts to create a wonderful aroma in your garden. Nice smells are proven to improve our mental wellbeing and reduce stress as it helps with the release of endorphins in the body. You can dry them out for about a week by hanging them upside-down. This can then be used as a fragrant decor in your home.

It’s very easy to grow and is most popular in the late spring and summer. It also has other benefits, as it can be used in tea which can have calming and therapeutic effects.

Jasmine

Perhaps the cheeriest flower to have in your garden is jasmine and they are perfect for the summer or winter time to help us feel happier and less stressed. It gives off a really nice fragrance that is known for helping to ease the body from anxiety. When creating your perfect garden, you can plant jasmine near a seated area to get the most benefits.

Lemon Balm

This perennial herb is great to include in your garden with its lemon-scented leaves and spikes of pale purple or white flowers during the summer months. Lemon balm is rich in pollen and attracts lots of pollinators, such as bees which can be essential for a healthy garden environment. If you’re searching for the perfect plant to kickstart your gardening journey, we feel as though lemon balm would be the best place to start.