GARDENING AND HAPPINESS

“The place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there.” -George Bernard Shaw

Did you know that flowers and plants are intrinsically linked to happiness? Every nature lover knows this! If you’re feeling down, go outside and literally touch grass; you’ll feel more grounded and, in time, slightly more hopeful. Gardening helps us to connect with not only nature but other people as well. Because the natural world is a refuge, green spaces are vital to our wellbeing and this is why community gardens are more important than ever. All over the world doctors and experts recommend gardening for mental health. “Gardens are being touted as the solution to all manner of mental crises from postnatal depression and PTSD to less acute but just as tricky to solve issues such as loneliness and isolation.”

Go to the forest for the most calming aromas in the world. Oils released from trees such as conifers have tremendous benefits for wellbeing. Jiddu Krishnamurti observed that “When one loses the deep intimate relationship with nature, then temples, mosques, and churches become important.” Think of a forest glade as a holy place and, in this sacred space, breathe in the cedarwood, spruce, cypress, Tsuga, fir, juniper, and pine. The scent of pine is thought to revitalize the spirit, while hinoki encourages relaxation.

When you see flowers, dopamine is released; this is the chemical that makes one feel happy. Just touching plants releases serotonin and growing plants builds self-esteem. Planting a seed in the earth, watering it, and watching it sprout while you tend to it is a wonderfully fulfilling exercise. People garden for food but also because, in doing so, they have something that brings about great joy and a sense of satisfaction. Gardening can ease ADHD symptoms while simply walking among plants can ease anxiety. If you can clear your mind (which is not an easy task) and simply move among the flowers, admiring each and every one in all its miraculous detail, you’ve learned the key to meditation.

Getting dirt beneath your fingernails actually improves your immunity and gut health! Margaret Atwood said that in spring, at the end of the day, one should smell of dirt. Getting your hands in nutrient-rich soil and planting a tiny seed that has enormous potential, watching it bloom and then pruning away wilting leaves to make way for new resplendent ones is a hopeful act and incredibly rewarding.

Smelling flowers truly activates our entire body because this is known to relieve stress and anxiety while increasing alertness and mental clarity. The sweet scent of a flower can even shift the body into a parasympathetic state and activate the limbic system. What does this mean exactly? Our parasympathetic nervous system helps us to relax because it regulates our heart rate and blood pressure. Certain flowers—especially red and yellow ones—can increase nerve activity, resulting in a restive state. Herbs have been used as medicine since the dawn of time and there’s no time like the present to reap their benefits. “Lemon balm brings an uplifting, yet calming energy to support nervous system, gut, heart and liver health by pacifying anxiety and overstimulation.” Some other herbs that are healing and restorative include motherwort (for insomnia and muscle cramps), skullcap (for agitation and “monkey mind”), and valerian (for restful sleep).

In Canada, physicians and therapists can prescribe time spent in a national park to improve mental and physical health. Literally, a prescription for nature! Marveling at nature’s unique rhythm—all in its due time—is a way to examine ourselves. We, as human beings, are nature. Going back to basics and forging a relationship with the environment roots us in reality and serves as a great teacher. If we tend to the natural world and simply get quiet, we’ll observe extraordinary things. The key is to watch and listen without rushing. This is why spending time in gardens and sowing your own green space is so wonderfully healing.

For more information about the importance of gardens and how they affect our health, check out the sites below:

https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/gardening-for-happiness-mental-health

https://www.parkprescriptions.ca

https://ravencrestbotanicals.com/blogs/blog/7-herbs-for-nervous-system-health