Gardening for Stress Relief

by taylorevance@gmail.com | February 20, 2018 6:58 am

Stress is a major problem facing all people in today’s society. The new addition of technology that allows every moment of life to be met with some kind of interruption has further contributed to these conditions, so people are in serious need for relief, but how can a person get this relief. Studies show that having healthy hobbies can greatly reduce stress, and while some find it perfectly fine to absorb themselves in video games and other pursuits, there may be some that are looking for a more practical approach. If that’s the case, you should try exploring gardening!

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Gardening for Stress Relief

Gardening Provides Exercise

Even though the act of gardening in itself isn’t an extreme sport, or jogging or running, it involves a use of coordination, and strength to produce many of its essential tasks. When gardening you have to be in the sun, using your hands and moving things from one place to another. In general, a person may even have to lift as much as 30 or 40 pounds. Even though activities don’t last for sustained periods, a human will experience a wide range of motion and activity that will easily raise their heart rate.

Gardening for Stress and Anxiety

During a study, two groups were placed in a stressful situation. After the trial had ended each was placed in different environments, and the group that had been sent to perform gardening activities was tested for levels of cortisol, a primary stress hormone. The doctors saw a noticeable difference in cortisol levels in the gardening group and were able to conclude that the exposure to the gardening environment had a pleasant effect on the subjects. They now believe that activities of this type can have a massive effect on people who are stressed out.

New Ideas for Gardening

In an interesting twist, there are some scientists that have been testing other more biologically based theories about why being in the outdoors with plants can be so beneficial to humans. Their theory is that humans developed in nature and as such were exposed to a specific type of bacteria that is present in the soil.

Practical Gardening Benefits

It’s also been observed that people gain more benefits when the actions that they take have a reason or purpose. This purposeful work has far-reaching benefits in the brain, and can even help elderly people who are dealing with symptoms of dementia.

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