Go Garden Now and Relieve Your Stress

 

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Are you stressed? News reports, family issues, job complaints, financial woes and more can bring us almost to the breaking point. Thankfully, there’s relief from stress just outdoors in our gardens.

Here are a few ways that happens.

Just being out in the sunshine can boost our spirits. Sunlight affects our moods just as dark days do. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a problem for many folks during winter months. Symptoms may include feelings of depression, lack of energy, lethargy, cravings for snacks and sweets, difficulty focusing, anxiety and other feelings it’s hard to put your finger on. Even cloudy days make some people feel this way, but SAD seems to disappear on sunny days.

Sunshine also increases our bodies’ ability to synthesize natural Vitamin D, which is so important for our health and strengthening our bodies’ immune defenses. Add fresh air while being outdoors and you have a great combination.

Gardening puts us in touch with nature – bird songs, flowery scents, gentle breezes – and brings joy.

Can it be the trees that fill the breeze
With rare and magic perfume?

- "Love in Bloom" by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin. 1934.

Gardening allows us to create beauty. Your own lovely sanctuary becomes a safe haven for contemplation, meditation, and relaxation. The garden provides a place for personal growth.

Lethargy and depression, like weeds, tend to grow if left unattended, but gardening allows us to produce something useful and beautiful, whether we are growing flowers for cutting, tomatoes for eating, or producing any of the many other benefits our gardens can yield.

So, come with me and let’s GoGardenNow.