Gardening for Mental Health

Whether it’s been medically diagnosed or not, I think we moms all feel some anxiety symptoms from time to time. If you’re anything like me, “feeling some anxiety from time to time” sounds like the understatement of the year. Can I get an AMEN?!

No matter what type or level of anxiety you have, there are many simple activities that can help you combat anxious thoughts. Gardening is one of these anxiety-relieving activities!

Let’s take a quick break so I can make something clear. You do not HAVE to enjoy gardening. If you try gardening now or have tried it in the past, and you hate it….don’t force it. No one is required to enjoy gardening, and there are many other ways to improve your mental health.

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That being said, there are many types of gardens and ways to add gardening for mental health into your life. Perhaps you are a stay-at-home mom and want to make time for the care of hundreds of plants in your farm town yard. Maybe you would prefer a few herbs in your kitchen windowsill or succulents in your bathroom. If you don’t have time or space for a huge complicated garden, that’s ok! There are many types of gardens that can fit your lifestyle. You’ve got to decide how much you can do and make time for it.

Your local bookstore, library, and the internet are full of gardening resources to fit your lifestyle. Here is a great blog post about gardening in small spaces.

Tailoring your garden to realistically fit your life is an important part of the gardening process. You don’t want to add MORE anxiety instead of relieving the anxiety you already have.

Here are a few ways gardening can help improve mental health and reduce anxiety symptoms.

Gardening is Grounding

Being “grounded” isn’t only what happened when you get in trouble with your parents, it can also be used to describe something or someone who is sensible and well balanced. Doesn’t that sound lovely? So, what about gardening is so grounding? While working on your garden, your thoughts are focused on that one task. Your hands are kept busy with simple tasks. Gardening shows and encourages hope in the future by giving us something to care for in the future.

One negative anxiety symptom is called “racing thoughts”. Racing thoughts are consistent and intrusive thoughts that “race” through your head quickly and in rapid succession. These thoughts can make you feel agitated, anxious, and on edge. Yuck! As females and exhausted moms, it is so difficult to properly express our emotions while having racing thoughts. We struggle to find the right words to explain our anxiety. We feel guilt and judgment about our uncontrollable anxiety symptoms. While gardening, we cope with our hands instead of having to work through problems with words. You can’t lecture a tomato plant to stop being dehydrated. You can’t explain to your soil how to be more nutritious and expect it to happen automatically. Using your hands to accomplish important tasks interrupts racing thoughts. Interrupting racing thoughts will lower your anxiety symptoms.

Some good bacteria found in soil can actually help lower depression and anxiety symptoms. Some studies have shown Mycobacterium vaccae, a common harmless soil bacteria, to work with our brains to produce serotonin. Serotonin is essentially the hormone in our bodies that promotes feelings of well-being, happiness, and stabilizes our mood. Getting dirty outside can actually help us feel happy. God sure is amazing at His creation!

Activity and Sunshine While Gardening

Vitamin D and fresh air are both so vital when it comes to treating anxiety symptoms. Growing up in Orange, California, I never lacked sunshine or time outside in the fresh air. Since then I’ve lived in both Arizona and now Illinois and I’ve learned….it’s a lot more difficult to get enough sunshine and fresh air in areas with harsher weather and seasons. We have to be creative. Enter….gardening! Gardening gives you reason and purpose to be outside in the sunshine and fresh air as much as possible during the sunshine seasons. 

Hope for the Future Improves Mental Health

During both World Wars, governments encouraged citizens to plant “victory gardens” to help with food shortages around the world. That tradition has stayed with us and is still happening today. Although a pandemic is much different from wartime, I’ve seen and heard about many victory gardens being started in the last few years. It shows that we have hope for the future and allows us to be part of a community moving forward together. 

Some garden plants REALLY test our patience when planning for the future. In my younger years, I would skip over any plant that didn’t produce A LOT and IMMEDIATELY. Isn’t that what we all want? Instant results, instant gratification. When our hearts are truly set on hope for the future, we start moving away from needing instant gratification. Rhubarb can’t be eaten in its first year of production.  Some berries produce little the first year but baskets and baskets the following years. Avocado trees started from seed can take up to 10 years to bear fruit. Okay okay…that avocado business is a little extreme, but you get my point. When we let go of the need for instant gratification we show hope for the future. And hope for the future relieves anxiety symptoms. 

Gardening Shows Jesus

There are so many gardening references in the Bible I really should write a series on them. Oh, wait….I DID! This last Easter season, I published 4 blog posts based on gardening references. That is just the tip of the iceberg in biblical gardening references, but it’s a good start.

• In John 15:1-12, Jesus says tells His disciples “I am the True Vine”. Read more about this comparison to vining plants here.
• Hyssop was involved in the crucifixion of Jesus for a very important reason. Read more about the use of hyssop in the Bible here.
• Jesus was buried in a garden after His death. Read more about the burial of Jesus here.
• When Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene the first time after His resurrection, Mary mistook Him for the gardener. Find out more about this meaningful story here. 

Whether you start your garden from seeds, purchase partially grown plants at the store, or stand back and watch as your hired gardeners work on your landscaping, it’s easy to see Jesus in gardening. God’s incredible creation is shown to us in this seemingly plain process. 

Mindfulness and Mental Health

Mindfulness is known as being present in the current moment without judgment. Society tries to promote mindfulness, we see it everywhere. But there is no product or pill that can force us to practice mindfulness. WE have to MAKE it happen! Try putting yourself in a situation to promote true mindfulness. As moms….that is brutally difficult. We are taking care of 100 things at a time. While working on one task we feel the weight of all the other tasks we could be working on. That’s enough stress and anxiety to drive a person mad. 

Gardening is a great way to center yourself enough to receive some anxiety symptoms. While you garden….only garden. That is your only task for that moment. Pay attention to your plants and their current condition. Look at all of the different shades of green and other brighter colors presented to you in your garden. Grab some soil and observe its color, texture, smell, and other unique qualities. Talk to your plants, you can trust them with your deepest darkest secrets. While gardening you are not only allowed to focus solely on gardening, you are encouraged to do so. Gardening promotes mindfulness and mindfulness relieves anxiety symptoms. More great reasons explore gardening for mental health!

Sense of Achievement

We moms don’t always receive accolades and we sure as heck don’t get a paycheck for our mom and household duties. Gardening is a way to physically see your work and have a sense of achievement. That will boost your confidence and self-esteem and then BAM! Your anxiety symptoms are lower and less. Having a sense of achievement for yourself is yet another way to garden for mental health. 

No matter what you choose to plant and care for, you will harvest health in more ways than one. In gardening, we literally see the fruits (and veggies) of your labor. Growing flowers add color and beauty to your surroundings and make great cut bouquets. Some flowers are even edible! Growing an herb or tea garden can add flavor and health benefits to your foods and drinks. Choose fruits and veggies you and your family enjoy, research if your chosen plants grow well in your area, and enjoy growing seasons full of natural and preservative-free health benefits provided by YOUR hard work. 

Have you ever tasted a fresh tomato right off the vine? It’s unlike any store-bought tomato. Store-bought tomatoes must travel to selling locations in refrigerated vehicles to extend and preserve freshness. Refrigerating a tomato actually depletes that tomato of a lot of its taste. That is why your store-bought tomatoes will never taste like a fresh non-refrigerated tomato!

Gardening Community 

Gardening for mental health is greatly enhanced by many community-building options. Being part of a community can lower your anxiety symptoms!  When you engage with a group of people about a common interest, you will feel understood, validated, and extra passionate. 

Enjoy your gardening time alone if you prefer. Productive alone time works well when trying to lower your anxiety. Make time to garden with your kids or spouse if that is enjoyable for you. Gardening is a great way to bond as a family. Are you proud of your garden? Host garden parties ad invite your guests to share their family gardening history. Join gardening groups on social media channels. Look for local plant swap and seed swap events. Eventually, share your produce and cut flowers with your friends and family. The world of gardening can provide a great community for you to be part of.

Here is a list of some online garden communities to join.

Move Beyond Perfectionism and Control

As moms, we often crave control and perfection. Life would be easier if we had more control and perfection, right? Well, maybe. But that isn’t always possible. Gardening teaches us to roll with nature’s punches and give up ideas of control and perfection.

Sure, you control what you plant and where you plant it, but once those plants are in the soil…quite a bit of your control disappears. Most plants spread and stretch themselves to the perfect position to reach maximum sunshine. I like to keep invasive herbs like mints in pots because they will spread and spread until the whole world is a giant mint plant. I’ve read about bamboo plants taking over an entire property. We have zero control over the weather, that last frost in early springs is unpredictable. Wind can beat your plants up pretty badly if there is no plant protection. In gardening, it’s not possible to be perfect or be in complete control. Perhaps through gardening, we can learn to let go of perfectionism and control in other areas of our lives as well.

Much like most things in life, gardening is learned by trying and getting your hands dirty. It can be enjoyable to read and research the best gardening techniques, but don’t let that stop you from TRYING. Gardening skills are learned and improved by spending time getting experience and learning from mistakes. Life skills are also learned that way. If you enjoy gardening or have been wanting to try it lately, give it a shot! Gardening for mental health is a simple way to ease your anxiety symptoms. Try gardening, enjoy gardening, and share your gardening with others!