Where do you feel your best? Our bodies tend towards being connected to the Earth. Our bodies enjoy being grounded (remember the putting your feet in the sand blog?). Taking walks in nature with our without your shoes helps to calm and quiet your inner turmoil, releases tension and aids in stress reduction. Being outside is full of many wonderful benefits to our bodies.
Putting our hands in the soil works the same way. Every Spring and early Summer, I have a craving to spend time outside, whether it is by the lake, sitting around a fire with friends or plunging my hands into the dirt and planting.
It could be because we are cooped up all winter, waiting for spring. It could be that our bodies actually need to feel reconnected to the Earth.There are some real benefits to playing in the dirt, planting a garden and spending time connecting to soil. Soil can be looked upon as an antidepressant- the smell of mycobacterium vacci, a microorganism found in soil, compost and leaf mold actually lights up our neurotransmitters in our brains to release serotonin (a feel good chemical in our brains)- no wonder we feel so happy while we are planting! I read a study that performed an experiment to prove the stress relieving effects of gardening. Two study groups each performed a similar stress inducing test. The control group was allowed to “relax” after the test with indoor reading. The test group was allowed to “relax” after the test with 30 minutes of gardening. The salivary cortisol levels and self reported mood of the test group decreased more significantly than the same measures of the control group.
Being outside, in particular in our garden beds, helps us connect with the natural world, which aids our busy selves to restore our attention, relax our body and revive our moods. Especially if you stack gardening with a mantra- there is a cadence, a rhythm to weeding, digging, raking and caring for a garden which when combined with rhythmic breathing or a mantra can assist in calming the parasympathetic nervous system allowing us to de-stress and find our center of stillness.
There is also an awesome sense of accomplishment in the finishing of a task, especially one that adds beauty around your home, or vegetables and fruits into your belly! Remember back to “My User Manual”? There is a great sense of “I did that!” when it comes to all things gardening. It is intensely gratifying to finish a garden bed, mow the grass, set up a tiny oasis outside. Not only do you get to appreciate the beauty when you are done, but your body has benefited from the exercise, movement, sun and sweat!
Being outside and gardening when stacked with increased activity also helps our bodies. Gardening tends to be a total body activity- a full body workout. I was really sore the day after helping to clear a bed of weeds, carrying the heavy load of weeds to the chickens, kneeling down and pulling weeds out by the roots- it was very engaging, rhythmic work. Extraordinarily satisfying as well! Not only is it a full body workout, but it also allows for your body to be exposed to bacteria (the good kind!), allows for some Vitamin D exposure from the sun and allows for a reduction in cortisol leading to more mindfulness and relaxation.
There is a movement towards prescribing “green care”- a therapy by exposure to plants and gardening. This type of care has roots with Florence Nightingale (see what I did there? 😂). Her use of therapeutic gardens and allowing for patients to receive natural therapy by being outside during recovery is well documented in the literature. Viewing plants has been studied to alter EEG patterns; reduce stress, fear, anger and sadness; decrease blood pressure, heart rate and muscle tension. Green spaces, including gardens, both of the vegetable and flower variety are associated with decrease depression, anxiety and stress and increase in longevity.
I recently spent some time away at a conference for work in Newport, Rhode Island. It was only an overnight gig, but it allowed for some much needed “me time”. I was able to get away during breaks to walk the town, snap some pictures. Newport has a unique way, like other cities, to create special little green spaces in tiny nooks between buildings. I was walking down the Thames and came across so many beautiful window scapes and little gardens tucked between houses and businesses. Being by the ocean was so helpful, breathing in that salty air, the ions, the views, but these little green spaces also had an affect. Connecting with nature by admiring the artistic and creative plantings was equally as restful. Turning little pieces of land into tiny oasis’s- what an honor! Luckily, I have been able to do that at my home, and on our farm. I also was lucky enough to spend some time this week admiring the work of others, gaining inspiration along the way.
The urge to plunge my hands in the soil is great. We are working on finishing up our plantings for the farm and continue to tidy up around the outside of the house- weeding, removing leaves, mulching, making edges more pronounced (I love a nice edge in a garden!)
What are you going to plant in your garden today?
Be Well,
Teresa
Additional Readings and Resources:
www.garden benches.com/blog/how-can-your-garden-reduce-your-stress-levels
The America Institute of Stress
Van Den Berg, A, HG Custer, M. Gardening promotes neuroendocrine and affective restoration from stress. Journal of Health Psych,16 (1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105310365577
R. Thompson. (2018). Gardening for health: a regular dose of gardening. Clinical Medicine, 18(3): 201-205.