Surprising Ways Gardening Can Improve Mental Health

Life can be stressful and times like these are not making it any easier. That is why spending time outside is encouraged for your mental health. Research has shown that time outdoors gardening can lift your spirits. Playing in the dirt can reconnect you with nature, allowing you to see the bigger picture and giving you a different perspective. Here are some surprising ways gardening can do wonders for your mental health.

Allows You To Practice Acceptance

Sometimes things are just the way they are and there may not be much you can do about it. In times like these, practicing acceptance comes in handy to keep your mental health in check. Life is unpredictable. Gardening will help you realize that life will blossom in the way it wants. Of course, you can provide an ideal environment for your plants to be strong, healthy and nutritious, but after a while, you have to let it do its own thing.

Allows You To Let Go Of The Need For Perfection

Life is not perfect. Nothing is perfect. Desperately trying to make things perfect will run you ragged and leave you frustrated. Wanting perfection can cause you to miss opportunities, damage your relationships, and can even paralyze you from trying something new. Nothing will teach you that more than planting your favorite vegetable or fruit. No matter how carefully you try to map out how your garden will look, how it will grow, or how many Ryobi trimmer reviews you read, there are many factors that cause imperfections in your garden. These are things like insects, diseases of your plants, bad weather, and pests. Gardening will force you to relinquish the need for perfection.

Allows You Change Your Mindset

One of the ways to maintain your mental health is to change your mindset from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. When you have a growth mindset you believe that you are constantly learning even when things do not go as planned. You look at those situations as an opportunity to learn and grow instead of failure. It can change your perception of making mistakes. Gardening can help you work on building up that mindset. You cannot fail at gardening, even if all your plants die. All that you did is learn how to better take care of your plants for the next time.

Allows You To Connect

Gardening allows you to connect with people and the world. For one, gardening is a hobby enjoyed by many people around the world. If you garden, you will likely find a friend who enjoys gardening too. It also allows you to connect with the earth. Think about it; you are playing in its dirt all day and you are adding to it. You are creating an impact. Gardening almost feels like being a parent because you develop a bond with the plot of land you are tending as well as the plants that sprout out of it.

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Melinda