Gardening may seem like a hobby for the milder temperatures of spring and summer, but winter gardening has its benefits. Although there may be fewer gardening tasks to take care of in the winter months, finding some green-fingered pastimes in the coldest season can do wonders for your wellbeing. Let’s take a look at three ways that gardening can support your mental health in winter.
- Gardening can help you get more sunlight in dark months
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that occurs during the winter months that appears to be caused by reduced exposure to sunlight. Lack of sunlight can lead to higher production of melatonin, the hormone that makes us sleepy, and lower production of serotonin, the hormone that helps regulate mood.
Inadequate sunlight exposure can also interrupt our body’s natural internal clock and impact our sleep routine. All of this combined can lead to seasonal depression that begins in late autumn and lasts until early spring. A good way to alleviate symptoms of SAD is to increase exposure to natural sunlight as much as possible during winter. By making gardening a priority in winter you have the perfect reason to get outdoors and soak up some sunlight.
- Time outdoors increases happiness
According to reports, 82% of adults find being out in nature makes them feel happy. The great outdoors and exposure to green spaces can do wonders for improving our mood. It can help us take a break from the stresses of daily life, encourage us to be more present and mindful, and make us feel more connected to our surroundings. All of this can help us to stay positive, which is particularly important during the winter months when miserable weather can make us feel glum.
For those with a history of depression and anxiety, getting time outdoors could be particularly helpful for their mental health. There’s lots of evidence that natural environments can reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression.
- Winter gardening tasks help you look to the future
It’s easy to feel down when the dark nights start drawing in and the weather declines because there seems to be little to look forward to. When you concentrate on winter gardening, you can look ahead to the spring months and feel excited about the future.
Many autumn and winter gardening tasks focus on preparing plants to thrive next year. Wisteria, shrub roses, climbing roses, blackcurrants and gooseberries all need pruning in winter so they can produce plenty of flowers and fruit when summer comes around. You can also dig over soil in the garden to improve its texture or incorporate new organic matter to boost its quality ready for planting next year. Physical tasks like this also help to get your blood pumping and your muscles working hard, which can boost your mood and help you stay physically healthy.
Now that you know all the benefits that winter gardening can bring to your mental health, it’s time to start planning all those cold-weather gardening tasks for the next few months.
Photo by Jon Eric Marababol on Unsplash, Annie Spratt on Unsplash.
