When you find yourself surrounded by darkness, you have been planted.
This post is about the mental health benefits of gardening!
Who thought plants would be a key factor for personal transformation? Not me.
People are turning to gardening as a way to stay grounded in a world that seems to be moving faster than ever.
If you’re struggling mentally, society will try to sell you a convenient quick fix, something instantly consumed through a pill, substance, or technology.
But as I recovered from mental burnout, gardening taught me that the path to inner peace has been in front of me this whole time.
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Like life, gardening is not easy.
Few of us will ever become experts. Taking care of a plant can be difficult, and half of us will kill a plant or two by overwatering.
It takes time to learn your plant’s love language.
But this is the beauty of plant care. Because while you learn to adapt to your plant’s needs and nurture and care for your plants, you start to notice a personal transformation of how you speak, feel, and act overall towards yourself.
Here are 10 ways I’ve thrived from the mental health benefits of gardening and how plants shifted my mindset and perspective toward life for the better.
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10 Amazing Mental Health Benefits of Gardening
1. Gardening Reduces Cortisol (the Stress Hormone)
Feeling overstimulated?
A warning sign of corporate burnout is when you feel like your body is always “on,” even when you’re trying to relax.
I’ve started waking up earlier and checking on my plants as a morning self-care routine.
Studies show that just 30 minutes of gardening can reduce cortisol levels, which is the chemical that spikes when you experience chronic stress.
If you’re caught up in daily stressors and life responsibilities or haven’t seen the sun in 24 hours, it’s time to go outside and “touch grass.”
- Feeling down? Soil contains bacteria called Mycobacterium vaccae that quite literally increases serotonin in your brain. Take off your gloves when gardening and dig your bare hands into the soil!
#2 Growing Fresh Ingredients Makes You Want to Eat Better
The first time I ate a salad made of all homegrown ingredients, I was flabbergasted.
Because the difference in taste between fresh vegetables and what is in the grocery store is an absolute crime.
The freshness is what Mother Nature intended and I’m hooked.
Depression leads to poor eating habits among other things. I’ve struggled through chronic pain and illness and I’ll admit, I neglected my overall health until I started gardening.
We know we need to eat better, but growing produce at home actually makes me excited to grow, learn, and experiment with different ways of healing my body.
It’s straight from the soil to the soul.
- Start with vegetables high in antioxidants that are easy to grow like spinach, kale, or arugula.
- Use your harvest to make one nourishing meal a week. I love a salad or throwing kale on top of ramen and eggs.
#3 Gardening Make You More Empathetic
Five years ago, if I caught someone talking to a plant, I would’ve thought they were crazy.
But after I started gardening, I’m constantly talking, gently touching, and inhaling the scents of my plants.
Apparently, when you nurture something that is a living being, your brain releases oxytocin, a hormone activated by connection and affection.
Ever since I started composting, I’m even thankful for the little maggots in my bin that break down the decomposing food into fertilizer for my plants!
- Gift flower cuttings or propagated plants from your garden to someone you care about. We find healing in connection.
- Grow a sensory garden full of different colors, textures, and an ecosystem you’ll love.
#4 Gardening is a Low-Stress Way to Manage Chronic Pain
As someone who deals with chronic inflammation, daily movement is a must for me.
I’m not a fan of hard-core workouts in a confined area indoors. It feels like another chore, like going to work. If I have to go, I will but I prefer natural movement.
I love doing gardening as a low-impact exercise that forces me to go outside and sweat, release endorphins, and keeps my body engaged without overstimulating my nervous system.
- My favorite combination is yoga and gardening to reconnect your mind, body, and soul.
- If you want, set up a movement and gardening playlist (I listen to classical as a way to romanticize every session.)
#5 Gardening Taught Me More About Science Than I Ever Learned in School
Burnout gives you brain fog, kills your focus, and drains your memory.
But gardening reawakens that child-like curiosity. Growing a plant from seed allows you to observe all the phases of life that are similar to your own.
Composting is the science experiment that I needed when I was younger. When I started gardening, I became more aware of permaculture and renewal.
I was amazed at watching decomposing food being eaten, worked, and transformed into rich fertilizer with nutrients for my plants.
Learning is one of the major mental health benefits of gardening that happens naturally.
#6 Gardening Taught Me Abundance and Self-Trust
In life, we’re taught we need to abide by deadlines, budgets, and societal expectations but gardening teaches you to be in touch with your intuition.
Because does the universe live off a budget? Or does she create and provide in abundance?
In gardening, your instincts, attention, and consistency of care shape your results and you learn your plant’s love language as you go. It’s a quiet and subtle way to reclaim your inner authority.
- Trust your intuition on when to water or repot – don’t over Google or ChatGPT!
- Choose a signature plant and observe its needs, quirks, and life cycle to learn by heart!
#7 Color Therapy From Flowers Make You Appreciate the Beauty in the World
Being tied to a corporate job that discourages freedom of expression can wreak havoc on your inner light.
But flowers, especially vibrant ones, help me improve my mood and bring me back to the feeling of “me.”
The colors you surround yourself have a major impact on your mental state.
For example, orange and yellow flowers (like marigolds or zinnias) are linked to joy and energy, while purples and blues (like salvia or pansies) or more calming.
- Go to a local farmer’s market and buy weekly flowers over your home to remind you life exists!
- Make it a ritual and journal while observing your cuttings to unlock emotional feelings and expression.
#8 Sunlight Helps Reset Your Inner Clock
If you are struggling with mental health, you could also be suffering from a lack of sleep.
I’ve started working up 30 minutes earlier before logging into work to do a little morning gardening as a routine.
This simple act can help reset your internal clock by synching you with the sun.
Have energy first thing in the day and be tired enough to welcome a good night’s sleep at night.
- Try to spend a least 15 minutes in the morning sun with your plants.
- Water your plants as your “wake-up” ritual instead of scrolling on your phone.
#9 Helped Me Become More Creative
I love gardening because I love beauty and aesthetics. There is quite literally art wherever we go.
But in gardening, I’m constantly looking for ways to transform an object into my next planter or combining plants and flowers in pots for a burst of color.
The different textures, colors, and varieties along with smells remind me of places from childhood. Some ancestral plants reconnect you with positive memories, which help alleviate emotional numbness.
10 Plants Mirror Your Personal Transformation and Growth
Watching something grow slowly reminds you that healing isn’t instant.
Sometimes plants will die and you might even be the culprit. Other times pests show up and enjoy all of your hard work. Gardening is a reminder that not everything is in our control, and that’s ok.
Plants teach patience, resilience, and adaptability, which are traits all of us need to adopt, especially if you’re looking to break away from the status quo.
- Grow something from seed! It builds the belief in slow beginnings.
This Post Has Shown You 10 Mental Health Benefits of Gardening!
If you’re looking for a personal transformation, you don’t have to wait for 6 months to a year to feel whole again.
Healing doesn’t have to begin after some life event, it can start right now in the soil, in the quiet. When you find yourself surrounded by darkness you have been planted.
