People who love to garden will tell you that it it becomes not only a passion, but a great way to improve both your mental and physical health. Gardening is wonderful form of exercise, and it can help to reduce stress and depression as well. However, gardening also provides great stimulation for the brain and this comes as yet another significant benefit to embracing this hobby.
Staying Sharp details that gardening can help to decrease depression and sadness in people, and these benefits to one’s mental health that come from gardening are well documented. However, it is important to note that these issues that negatively impact one’s mental health can also cause a decline in one’s cognitive skills. Any activity that can counter the loss of cognitive skills is a valuable one in terms of boosting one’s brain power.
While it is not entirely clear why gardening helps brain stimulation so much, some experts believe that, in part, the repetitive actions that come from some gardening tasks like weeding help the brain by developing a sense of control that might be missing elsewhere in one’s life. Gardening can also help to alleviate issues of brain fatigue that come from the hectic nature of everybody’s everyday lives, and this type of activity can help to clear people’s minds and boost their problem-solving and reasoning abilities.
Earth Easy notes that researchers have found signs that gardening can help with issues of dementia and Alzheimer’s in older adults. In fact, some studies have shown that gardening may provide the single biggest opportunity to reduce the risk for dementia in aging adults. The reason for this is not entirely clear, but it likely comes as a result of the multiple ways that gardening stimulates the brain such as with sensory awareness and perception, learning, and problem solving. Gardening also sparks one’s creativity, which provides another boost to the brain.
The Michigan State University Extension indicates that gardening is linked to mental clarity. In addition, research has shown that getting plenty of fresh air, as those who garden get, can improve student test scores and even help in preventing (ADHD) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Gardening helps to develop organizational and spatial skills and to be successful in gardening, you also have to pay attention to scheduling and avoid procrastination, all of which engage the brain in various ways.
Gardening can boost feelings of success and purpose in people of all ages, which can boost one’s brain strength. ILS Rehabilitation Solutions notes that gardening also can help patients with brain injuries, a connection that further emphasizes the strong connection between brain health and gardening.
It is common to use pesticides and herbicides while gardening, but some believe that there are reasons to pause on this front. Many gardeners are growing increasingly concerned about the impact that herbicides and other similar substances have on one’s health. Toxics Action Center notes that there have been multiple documented issues with herbicides when it comes to headaches, dizziness, and far more serious medical issues, and this leaves a fair number of gardeners committed to the idea that they don’t use herbicides at all just to be safe. Here are some useful tips on the basic do’s and don’ts of home gardening.
There is no shortage of reasons to take up gardening as a hobby, as it provides wonderful opportunities for physical activity and improvements to one’s mental health. In addition, however, gardening also provides solid brain stimulation that can improve brain function in gardeners of all ages. Few other activities can benefit a person in so many ways and with the variety of gardening styles available, there is a type of garden to fit every age and ability.
During this time of the Covid 19 pandemic, I feel this article is very relevant. Getting out in you yard definitely helps with your mental health. Also expanding your outdoor living space gives you more room for social distancing and can help decrease your stress and anxiety towards this