14 Apr Mental Health Benefits of Gardening and Home Landscape Design

The design, decor, and functionality of your home can have a large impact on your mental health.  Feng Shui, or the Japanese art of decor and layout, is a commonly thought of practice when it comes to how you set up your home furniture. We can also consider the outside area of the home as important to mental health. Let’s explore some ways in which you can use your outdoor space to enhance your mental health:

1- Functionality

The functionality of your yard can have an impact on how you feel. Outdoor spaces can be designed to be used primarily for entertaining if you like to have social gatherings at your house. An outdoor kitchen can serve a wonderful function for making delicious meals. A large grassy yard can be ideal for a family with young children running around. A hidden oasis on your property can serve as a wonderful way to find peace in solitude for a period of time. When our home functions in a way that flows well for our needs, then we tend to feel less stressed. It also encourages us to spend more time in the space that we create, and when the space we create includes fresh air, nature, and sunshine, the benefits are in abundance.

2 – Beauty

Incorporating elements into your outdoor space that you find pleasing to look at can also improve your mental health. When we look at things that we consider to be beautiful dopamine is released in the brain, which increases feelings of pleasure. Many people take anti-depressants that focus on increasing dopamine levels in the brain – interesting to know that there are some natural ways to combat depression as well! Consider things that YOU consider as beautiful, as this is your space and you will be the one enjoying it most.

3 – Gardening

The act of creating and maintaining an outdoor space can also be beneficial to your mental health. Research shows that gardening can reduce stress and improve your mood. Gardening involves physical activity, which is good for both your physical and mental health. If you are spending time outside, you are absorbing vitamin D from the sun, which is known to combat depression. Should you choose to plant fruits and vegetables in your garden, there is an added benefit of providing for yourself, your family, and/or your community. Remember to be mindful of how much you are taking on, so that gardening does not become a stressor for you! The sense of mastery that you can feel from successfully “raising” plants and seeing them flower or fruit is also a mood-booster. Consider eating a tomato that you buy from the store, then consider eating one that you grew yourself at home. Consider buying a bouquet of flowers from the local florist, then consider the feeling that you might have putting flowers in a vase that you cut from your own garden. I’m guessing that the feeling becomes more positive as you think about enjoying the fruits of your labor at home.

4 – Mindfulness

Mindfulness can be connected to each of the above. Mindfulness is the practice of being in the present moment. Many mental health struggles stem from a person’s mind being overly focused and worried/anxious about the future, or stuck in the past. By practicing mindfulness, we can bring ourselves to where our feet are at in the moment and have gratitude for the present. By being non-judgmental about the present moment, we notice our senses taking in the environment. By noticing what we see, smell, hear, touch, and taste, the present moment can become more enjoyable and positively memorable.

Time to get to it! Enjoy designing, creating, and spending time in your outdoor space. Your body, mind, and soul will appreciate it!

Cindy Zabinski, LMHC, LCMHC, CRC, ACS is the founder and owner of Healing & Growth Counseling, a mental health counseling practice. Cindy loves working with people to help them heal from their past and work towards their goals in the present. Cindy particularly enjoys helping people find ways that they can make the most of their present moment through mindfulness and self-care hobbies, such as gardening and spending time outside. Learn more about her practice at www.healinggrowthcounseling.com.