Garden for the Soul

Two hours a week spent in nature dramatically improves your wellbeing, and your garden should be your safe haven. Our modern-day lives consume our time and our minds, making little headspace for anything else causing stress, irritability and lack of focus. We’ve all fallen into the trap of being ‘too busy,’ but we should be putting our health and wellbeing first. Good health, both physically and mentally, creates our quality of life. We should never be too busy to take care of ourselves.

Mental Boost

Awareness of how our environment affects our mental and physical health has increased over the past few years, with many studies proving that nature, flowers and green spaces increase the positive chemicals in our brains. Why wait for someone to present you with flowers when you could grow your own? We know that flowers can make you feel great and there’s also evidence that gardening itself can be good for your mental health.

A 2015 study found that 88% of people cited mental wellbeing as a reason for heading out into the garden. All that digging, planting and pruning provides fresh air and a sense of achievement, spending just two hours a week in nature is linked to better health.

Some people find value in having something to care for that relies on them to survive. Gardening is also an activity you can do as a group, such as tending a community garden and spending time with friends and family is a sure-fire way to boost your mood.

Be Mindful

You don’t need to really be doing anything, as long as you do it mindfully. Being mindful focuses your attention on the specific thing you’re doing at that moment in time or a specific place that you’re in, so you think about nothing else, shutting off the ‘noise’ in your mind from the busy lives we seem to have created.

Nature and greenery have a positive, calming effect on our mood. You’ll notice this more frequently now in commercial spaces, such as office blocks, where people now spend a lot of time, through the use of large planters and even green walls to bring the outside in. In our increasingly urbanised and technologically driven world, reconnecting with nature can have a huge impact on mental health. It also helps people to feel more at one with the world and overcome feelings of self-absorption that can increase mental health issues.

But, if you have an untidy garden, this can feel overwhelming in itself. Having your garden re-designed into a tranquil, calming space will do wonders for the way you and your family live your lives.

Give us a call now on 0116 210 0760 to find out how we can transform your outdoor space.