For many of us, the recent lockdown following the coronavirus outbreak made us truly appreciate what we have on our doorstep and interestingly, how much time we enjoy in and around the home. In 2020, the lockdowns meant spending time in our backyard became the everyday norm. As a result, homeowners spent thousands of dollars renovating their outdoor space to make it a much more pleasant and relaxing place to be.
Updating the yard can have significant positive impacts on mental health, an effect that has since been reaffirmed in an unprecedented and truly worrisome time for the entire population.
Below, we’re going to look at some of the reasons why updating your garden can improve your mental health:
1. Exercise
Whatever project you have in mind when it comes to updating your garden, there is bound to be some form of exercise involved. Digging, carrying, hammering – you name it. Exercise has been discovered by scientists as one of the best ways to suppress feelings of anxiety and depression and form a more positive outlook on life. This is due to the fact that once your heart gets pumping, endorphins are released in the brain, which are otherwise known as ‘feel-good chemicals’ and have been proven to give a mental-health boost when you’re feeling down. Quite simply, if you don’t enjoy going to the gym, gardening is a great alternative.
2. Feel closer to nature
A scientific report discovered that spending just 120 minutes a week in nature is linked to good mental health. During the pandemic, millions of adults claimed that being surrounded by nature and wildlife was one of the only aspects that helped reduce their stress and anxiety and have continued to spend more time outdoors this year. A gardening project is the perfect opportunity to get out in the fresh air and enjoy natural surroundings.
Building a pond is the ideal project for bringing more wildlife into your garden and is a feature that will help you stay calm though the use of cascading water blades from Water-garden.co.uk, which creates a visually pleasing sheet of water and a relaxing trickling sound.
3. Boosts your self-esteem
Have you ever taken care of a plant and watched it bloom? If not, it certainly is something you should try. There are few better feelings than nurturing a seed and feeling the sense of pride and self-esteem when it grows into a fully formed plant. Gardening takes a great deal of time and effort. Therefore, committing yourself to become a seasoned gardener is sure to give your mental health a positive boost.
4. Improves your attention span
Did you know the average adult has an attention span of just 8 seconds – shockingly, that’s even less than the standard goldfish. Consequently, taking on a gardening project can help keep your mind focused on one task that is directly in front of you as opposed to what is happening elsewhere, which could gradually increase your attention span.
