How can gardening help reduce anxiety?

Next week, May 15-21, 2023 is Mental Health Awareness Week, an initiative of the Mental Health Foundation. With this year’s theme for mental health awareness week being anxiety, in our blog post today, we look at the wider benefits of gardening for our mental health. 

Did you know that anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems? According to recent statistics, younger people are seen as more likely to have some form of anxiety, while more women are also reported experiencing high levels of anxiety than men. The COVID-19 pandemic saw an increase in people reporting high levels of anxiety, although anxiety levels have decreased since then. Yet, for some people, anxiety can also be harder to talk about. 

As stated by the Director of England at the Mental Health Foundation, given the uncertainties we face on a day-to-day basis, anxiety becomes a natural response. Anxiety affects different people at different levels, and it is important to recognise such concerns, and support one another. As such, this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week aims to raise awareness about anxiety and encourages people to share experiences. 

At CoirProducts.co.uk, we continue to encourage conversation on the wider benefits of gardening not just for our physical health but also for our mental wellbeing. Having been in the industry for many decades, at CoirProducts.co.uk, we started our retail shop to help you easily access the wide range of coir products that were out there. In this day and age, when it is easy to be caught up in glossy adverts, profits, and fast-moving products, at CoirProducts.co.uk, we are different. We are not merely a profit-oriented company. What drives us is our passion to continue to serve you with purpose. Our unique product varieties and specially-curated coir bundles can be used by all, whether you are new to gardening or a seasoned grower. Our coir products are also ethically produced and sourced, which means, the products you use to grow your plants and crops are completely safe for you and your plants, making it one less thing you need to worry about! We also continue to support charities such as Thrive as well as supporting various community projects, as part of our overall efforts in recognising and creating awareness of the positive impacts of gardening. 

Gardening or growing helps improve our mental wellbeing in numerous ways. Various studies have highlighted the positive impacts of daily contact with nature, including on reducing anxiety and depression as well as increasing life satisfaction, mood, quality of life, and sense of community.  The physical activities involved in planting and maintaining your garden can do wonders for our mental health. Spending even a small amount of time in nature is said to improve our self-esteem and mood. At the same time, gardening also allows us to be creative and strive for a sense of balance. It is also an ideal way to practice mindfulness and being present by focusing on a simple task and allowing your thoughts to flow through you without judgement or focus. There are also various community and therapeutic gardening projects that help individuals interact, build new connections, and counteract those feelings of isolation. Such a sense of community also becomes useful for sharing knowledge and experiences.

In an ever-changing and complex world, it is easy to feel stressed and burnt out. With rising costs of living and various other difficulties we face in our everyday lives, a simple task such as taking the time to smell the flowers and appreciate the rich diversity of the colours, scents, sounds, and textures can be uplifting. Watching a plant grow from seed and reaping the benefits of all our hard work, can also give us a sense of accomplishment. As we often hear from our gardening community, gardening helps us slow down and find purpose, and sometimes, this is what we long for.