Our ever-changing modern urban society means that the green spaces we have access to are becoming increasingly important to our mental well-being. We believe that a connection to gardening and nature can be the antidote to the stress and anxiety you face in life. There are several benefits of gardening and ways to make outdoor activities part of your daily routine to improve your physical and mental health.
Table of Contents
Effects of Modern World on Daily Life
Here we are going to show you how to get started by simply changing the screen mode because for many of us our day begins in front of a TV or phone, and this is also where it ends. Customs and habits can be easily changed and we can get everything out of them.
Additionally, adults now spend almost four hours a day on smartphones, which equates to 50 days a year, and we check our smartphones every 12 minutes. In addition to adults, teens spend seven and a half hours a day in front of the screen, while children under 12 watch television for two and a half hours each day.
Now we know what it feels like when your phone runs out of battery or you leave it at home and feel disconnected from the rest of the world. Therefore, these are the habits that we need to get rid of. The negative effects of permanent screen pinning have been widely studied, and some very important findings taken too long in front of the screen can negatively affect posture, causing chronic neck, shoulder, and back pain.
Furthermore, blue light from computers and smartphones can worsen sleep problems by suppressing the sleep-stimulating hormone melatonin. However, staring at screens for a longer period of time can cause fatigue, dry eyes, blurry vision, and, of course, headaches. The World Health Organization in Europe says people spend about 90% of their time indoors, thinking about it at home, at school, at work, in cars, trains, restaurants, and stores.
Benefits of Gardening and Natural Spaces
Research has shown that one in nine people have not visited a natural space in the past 12 months outside in their own garden, and children spend an average of 16 min/day in natural spaces, and on average, children aged 10 to 16 now spend about 12 min/day in outdoor activity compared to more than 10 hours relatively still.
Sick Building Syndrome
Therefore, going outside is good for us in many ways: for starters, going outside gives us fresh air in our lungs that we might not have access to in our own home. Air pollutants from household cleaning products, antiperspirant central heating, open fires, these toxins accumulate and cause sick building syndrome. It can be harmful to our health, going outside with access to clean air makes us feel better, and spending time in the sun gives us access to vital vitamin D.
Importance Of Vitamin D
Children over the age of one and adults should be given 10 milligrams of vitamin D per day, according to the UK Department of Health, and going out will give a boost. Vitamin D affects mood, and a dose of sunlight can positively affect our mood, making us happier. A study in the Netherlands found that low-levels of vitamin-D correlated with symptoms of depression. Now even green can make us feel better in nature, it can help our brain work better. A study found that we associate green with happiness, comfort, hope, and peace.
Hypertension and Fresh Air
Furthermore, the combination of plants and nature can help relieve headaches, which can be caused by many issues including being indoors, poor air quality, and stress. . Other triggers, depending on the type of headache, can be treated with a variety of solutions, such as dehydration, wearing sunglasses, avoiding bright light, and maintaining good posture that reduces stress. tension on the back, neck, and shoulders.
There are pain relievers, of course, but connecting with plants and outdoors can help too. Sick building syndrome consists of symptoms such as headaches, blockages, runny nose, dry skin, cough, and fatigue, which are often caused by working in offices or being in poorly ventilated rooms, dust fumes, and bright lighting, so spending time outdoors in the fresh air is a natural and effective way to prevent and relieve headaches. Just take a walk or spend a few minutes in the fresh air for oxygen to flow to the brain, allowing your eyes to pop out of the screen, and walking in open green spaces will also help relieve the pain. stress in your homes.
Headaches can come back because of the toxins, so do a little gardening with plants on your windowsill, or take some time to get out into your garden to dig borders, tackles, or potted plants, will help you get out of the harsh environment. and put you back in the embrace of nature. However, sometimes stress can be beneficial if you need it as a motivation, however, too much stress can affect our mood and affect us both physically and mentally.
Gardening and Physical Work
Research has shown that people who have access to a garden experience significantly lower levels of stress than people who do not. This is because being outdoors can relieve stress, and doing physical labor is one method of exercise that releases endorphins to reduce this stress level. These processes cloud the mind and allow you to focus on the product and relax.
Our favorite pastime is watering, we just find it stressful that the arc of sunlight breaks down while hydrating the plants, and that feeling of caring makes it so much better. So, if you are stressed out and want to get rid of stress, the only way is to connect with nature through simple gardening activities.
Gardening goes a long way in restoring your health. Depression can be caused by a variety of triggers such as personal issues, genetic loss, illness, etc. Depression can affect people in many ways, and there are many symptoms, ranging from a loss of interest in the things you once loved to lingering feelings of unhappiness and anxiety beyond treatment.
Natural Motivation and Positive Emotions
Socializing with friends or gardening can be a natural aid, which can really help those struggling with depression. Growing plants that themselves need to be watered, fed, and protected against pests and diseases regularly, and then watching them grow, gives a sense of accomplishment and accomplishment, which is a great help for those who are unhappy or lack motivation.
Therefore, success in the form of a houseplant, monitoring its flowering every year, or propagating plants cause positive emotions. These emotions release serotonin, which helps lift your spirits, like growing roses in your garden to carry cut flowers indoors. In addition, it provides an activity with a profit in the end just like the planting of bins and containers, as it is not a one-off activity, but something that continues with the care of the plants that give a goal, growth, and a positive feeling.
There are different levels of grief, which can go through different stages, which can cause us to experience anger, sleepless depression, anxiety, and of course, deep sadness. Additionally, you may also experience severe pain and pain, but there are things you can do to try and help yourself along the way.
Magic Of New Life
Focusing on the magic of new life through plants can work wonders. Many of us believe that planting a tree is a symbol of lasting life for something alive and growing with the memory of the process of growing from seeds, picking flowers that have finished blooming gives a pleasant awareness of the circle of life.
Poppies, lupines, sweet peas are ideal, as are trees made from acorns or birch seeds, and of course, plants can evoke pleasurable memories either visually or by smell. They can uplift our feelings by rejecting sadness and replacing it with a reminder of the happy experience of sentient beings. All of these go a long way in improving the senses, especially when compared to using tablets, televisions, or computers. The natural sounds of the garden, such as birdsong, also make us appreciate life.
Anxiety in everyday life can have physical and mental consequences, including a feeling of anxiety, difficulty concentrating, nervousness, fear, inability to fall asleep, and, of course, heart palpitations. There are many different recommended methods for treating anxiety, including meditation, breathing, exercise, exercise, and reducing caffeine or alcohol. Additionally, gardening can be of great help as it allows you to focus and encourages you to spend time outdoors and try to relax and distract yourself from worrying about finding a place. for gardening.
When you are surrounded by plants, you feel safe performing tasks such as pruning, watering, or even feeding birds. It relaxes slowly, you put your mind in a more positive state, now the scent of flowers is one of the best natural remedies for anxiety because the scent has been shown to reduce frequency-related stress levels heart rate, and blood pressure. So, growing flowering plants in your garden will bring color and tranquility. In addition, garden benches placed in different places to sit and admire the nature of your garden are a great place to deal with anxiety.
Community Engagement
One of the big issues in this modern life is loneliness, which can lead to feelings of low self-esteem and self-confidence. Decreased cognitive skills make it difficult to think positively, make decisions, focus, and break the negative spiral, which can lead to depression.
One of the biggest aspects of gardening is collaborative development, and it’s a great way to involve others in a common effort to make sure plants share successes and failures with equal enthusiasm. Learning from each other is half the fun of community gardening, it’s a great activity and a great environment for those who live alone.
Gardening is a really positive way to help people who are lonely. There are many other benefits for mental and physical well-being that agriculture, crops, plants, and nature can help us with, as well as many other health issues. Therefore, we must understand that in this ever-changing urban world, careful interaction with technology is required, a balance that allows us to simultaneously engage modern life and the natural world.
Conclusion
Living without nature makes us unhealthy, and living with nature heals us, so we must harmonize the balance of our lives by living in brick and concrete buildings, with a pure antidote – the ability to go out into the forest. As such, we strongly believe that the interaction with plants and nature has a positive effect on our physical and mental well-being.
