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Why are classes in the garden, vegetable garden, in the country useful?
Soil is not only a valuable material for growing food, but also an excellent antidepressant.
It’s time to prepare garden gloves for the next season. And not only because digging and weeding are great exercises and keep you in great physical shape for a long time, but also because gardening improves mental health.
Scientists have found that people living in vegetation-rich areas have improved physical and mental health, as well as decreased levels of depression. Professor of the City University of London Tim Lang is confident that for a large number of people in modern society (both children and adults) who have physical and mental health problems, gardening can be especially beneficial: “This activity can relieve the symptoms of serious diseases, in some cases to prevent their development, so it is important to introduce people to this lifestyle that can help improve their well-being in the long term. And even if you feel good, gardening is just a very enjoyable activity. “
Doctors in London have already started prescribing gardening times for patients. This is made possible through the Lambeth GP Food Co-operative program, which aims to achieve therapeutic benefits in the cultivation of local produce. The program was launched in the British capital in 2013, and now, in several hospitals, unused outdoor space has been turned into gardens for patients, where they grow vegetables and fruits. So far, special emphasis is placed on garden therapy for patients with chronic diseases – diabetes, arthritis, asthma. For the most part, these are elderly people, socially isolated and lonely, therefore, therapy that would be enjoyable is especially important for them.
Why is gardening important to you too?
1. Soil is a good antidepressant
Soil has a similar effect on the brain to mood-lifting antidepressants. Studies in mice, conducted at the University of Bristol in conjunction with University College London, have shown that when exposed to “friendly” bacteria, which are usually found in the soil, the behavior of rodents changes, as if they were given an antidepressant. The team studied the brains of these mice and found that bacteria activate a group of neurons responsible for the production of serotonin (which regulates mood). Summer residents-gardeners can simply inhale these bacteria, having direct contact with them.
2. Gardening improves mindfulness
You feel too tired to be aware of different events, including the little things. But research shows that awareness of events and mental involvement can have a huge impact on stress levels, help prevent anxiety, reduce the risk of depression, increase productivity, and avoid insomnia. Gardening is exactly the kind of activity that allows you to get into a state of flow, involvement, in other words, become more attentive. As psychotherapist Hilda Burke points out, gardening is unique, unlike cooking or knitting, for example, because it literally binds us to the earth. And working with the land, growing plants, patient care are all invaluable experiences for everyday life.
3. Gardening improves brain function
This activity trains not only your body, but also your brain. In the process of working in the garden, a number of important brain functions are realized, including the processes responsible for learning, problem solving, and perception are activated. Research has shown that gardening is particularly beneficial for patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s. In addition, scientists say horticultural therapy can help reduce pain, improve focus, and reduce the effects of stress.