Cultivating Positivity With Your Home Garden
There are so many positive outcomes of gardening at home! It is super easy to start your at-home-garden with a raised garden bed. And here are all the reasons you should:
Body Positivity
The Indian Express has a great article about how Being Around Plants Boosts Body Positivity. So here is everything you need to know! “Researchers have found that finding the time to be around plants, and engaging in gardening particularly, can promote a positive body image,” (Lifestyle Desk, The Indian, Express). Having a positive body image contributes to overall well-being and mental wellness. Body positivity is sparked by gardening as gardeners appreciate their body for its abilities, and develop an overall pride. Simply spending time with nature improves one’s sense of self-esteem (Lifestyle Desk, The Indian, Express). By having a small garden in your home space, you can promote a more holistic self-view that is body positive.
Productivity
Anna D Kornick discusses how productivity is cultivated from home gardening in her article Gardening and Productivity. She writes, “[Gardening] even benefits your work skills by improving your productivity,” (Anna D Kornick, It’s About Time). When gardening you learn the productivity work skill of patience. Anna explains that just like you can’t make your garden bloom in one day, it is unreasonable to expect yourself to complete your entire to-do list in one sitting, “Cultivating patience will help you get things done with more ease and less stress.” You will work on the skill of staying organized and managing your time well, by deciding when to water your garden, add nutrients into your soil, and monitor your plants’ progress and growth!
Concentration, Memory, and Education
Ellison Chair, found in Texas A&M Agrilife Extension, includes extensive information on the benefits of gardening at home. Most notably it discusses how “being around plants helps people concentrate better in the home and workplace,” (Ellison Chair, Texas A&M Agrilife Extension). Nature actually has a calming influence, allowing people to perform better, with better accuracy and getting higher quality results. It also improves memory performance and attention span! The calming influence comes from plants creating a positive work environment, stimulating the senses, the mind, and improving mental cognition and performance. There is the added bonus that gardening can lead to learning and education opportunities. Check out your community for gardening, botanical, and community garden programs, that will provide learning opportunities through collaborating with others or through educational seminars.
Health
Kristina McGuirk dives deep into all the health benefits of gardening at home on the Better Homes & Gardens Blog. She shares some awesome insights such as how, “Activities like carrying planters, digging holes, stretching to reach weeds, and pushing the mower can collectively engage every muscle in your body,” (Kristina McGuirk , Better Homes & Gardens). Similar to golfing, gardening really gets your body moving and helps you to expend energy. If you are looking for more ways to stay active this summer, consider gardening as an enjoyable activity to add into your weekly exercise regimen. “It's not always easy making healthy food choices, but gardening may help,” (Kristina McGuirk , Better Homes & Gardens). An at home garden brings produce right to your backdoor, literally. What better way to eat more fruits and veggies, than to have access to nutritious food right at home! It is also more likely that if you grow it, you’ll feel pride, and you’ll want to enjoy the fruits of your labour (pun intended).
If you want to learn more about how to start your raised garden bed at home check out Cedar Planters or our last blog Spring Has Almost Sprung which discusses starting your spring garden!
