A study by Westminster and Essex universities inquired about a combination of gardeners and non-gardeners and had them describe their feelings before and after working in an allotment.
It showed that those who appeared to the allotment once a week had a substantial increase in self-esteem.
Thus, working in a garden, even if it’s just for 30 minutes, can help boost your overall self-esteem. This has been proven by research as well as science.
Charlie Hall, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension horticulture and economics specialist, College Station, has researched to examine and explain the ways gardening can improve your mental health.
Among all of this research, there is ever-growing evidence that gardening can improve your mental health and self-esteem.
Through gardening, you are essentially exposed to nature and the environment, which helps your body function in a healthy way.
Gardening has proven to be effective in this regard through most demographics, from people in rural to urban settings and younger children to seniors.
This article will tell you how gardening can impact your mental state, improving your self-esteem and all mental health-related factors.
1. Gardening Offers a Sense of Achievement
There is no greater feeling than seeing that your plant has started to sprout.
The sense of achievement motivates you to move forward and continue to water your plants so they can bloom into something more prominent.
Looking at your garden and witnessing all of your plants, vegetables, bushes, and flowers that once used to be seeds will boost self-esteem.
Every plant you’ve grown is done through your hard work and commitment, and you are witnessing the results of that hard work. It comes with a sense of satisfaction and determination, which is just what you need.
2. Gardening Relieves Stress
A Dutch study tested cortisol, a natural steroid that assists your body in responding to stress. They found that gardening after a stressful day provided greater relief than even reading.
Many home gardeners report the emotional significance of the psychological benefits that gardening yields are more impactful to them than the cultural or economic benefits.
Gardeners feel this way irrespective of the type or intensity of gardening they perform. This means they do not require relaxation herbs like CBD or Maeng Da kratom.
Another factor that may influence stress is the bacteria in the soil. These same bacteria found in soil have been tested to act as an antidepressant for the body, along with strengthening the immune system.
3. Gardening Reduces Isolation
Isolation can be one of the causes of low self-esteem. The feeling of being excluded may have negative impacts on your brain and cause your self-esteem to reduce significantly.
Therefore, taking up gardening can help combat the feeling of being isolated since it is known as a highly sociable hobby.
When it takes place in a local allotment, you gain the chance to meet like-minded individuals who share the same passion for gardening.
To grow and nurture your plants, you are forced to socialize when you may feel lonely; thus, this is an excellent opportunity.
4. Gardening Offers a Sense of Purpose
The feeling of low self-esteem can also be the cause of lacking a sense of purpose in your life.
Gardening will eliminate this feeling and give you the purpose to grow and develop a beautiful garden.
You are now tied to gardening and must ensure the plants do not die out.
You are presented with a purpose by providing the plants are watered, well taken care of, fed, and pruned so that your garden can be your safe place and somewhere you ultimately love spending time.
You can show off your creation and efforts on social media or with friends.
5. Gardening Improves Your Mood
The effects of being in nature and engaging with plants are good for one’s mental well-being. They are documented mood boosters.
That’s why gardening has been linked to fighting depression and increasing optimism.
Spending time with plants and nature can lead to higher self-esteem for children with behavioral issues and adults.
A study of emotional well-being found that gardening, among other everyday daily activities, is ranked in the top 5 list of activities that help to provide meaningfulness and happiness.
6. Through Gardening, You Eat a Healthier Diet
One’s diet is a significant factor in their emotional state, including depression and low self-esteem.
But when you grow your vegetables, you encourage yourself to eat healthier and consume vegetables you have grown yourself. This contributes to a better mood and a more nutritious diet.
Growing food leads to easier access to nutritional benefits. You can monitor the type of pesticide used and equip a safer option of fertilizers.
A study finds that children are likely to eat homegrown fruits instead of store-bought ones.
Additionally, vegetable gardening provides a greater emotional impact than people engaged in other types of gardening.
7. Gardening Connects People
Gardening helps connect you with a broad community that shares the same interests.
You can connect with people from your local garden or share information and gardening-related thoughts with an online community.
In these communities, you can form social bonds and support networks that will make you feel validated or inspired.
It has a greater impact in urban areas where residents feel isolated by staying at home and may lack social support.
A study found that gardening produces opportunities for enhanced interracial interaction.
8. Enjoying Your Gardening Life
Creating a garden of fruits, vegetables, and flowers and looking at all of it can give you a sense of achievement and pride.
You realize that you have achieved it all through commitment and hard work, which significantly boosts your self-esteem.
Focusing on gardening can highly stress relieving, so it’s a good idea to get engaged with that.
You can even get in touch with communities who get involved with gardening; this will help combat loneliness.
Conclusion
During times when you feel purposeless, the responsibility of taking care of plants, watering them, and growing them can give you purpose.
Gardening helps improve your mood and forces you to switch to a healthier diet.
We hope this article provided you with enough insight into the impact of gardening on mental health and self-esteem. Thank you for reading!