Garden design solutions: 3 very good reasons our gardens are beneficial to our health & wellbeing
So many of us seem to have such busy lives, and it is all too easy to quickly feel overwhelmed. To counter this, it is important to regularly take a few moments to pause, reflect and take a moment or two to acknowledge how much we can be grateful for. But how many of us give some thought to the important contribution our gardens play in our lives? Gardens can easily be taken for granted, but there are lots of reasons to love our outdoor spaces from a health and wellbeing point of view. Here are three of my favourites:
1. The ultimate social space
Our gardens are often a wonderful backdrop for spending happy times with other people. Whether it’s a children’s summer birthday party, a BBQ with friends, or simply a cup of coffee and a catch-up with our neighbours, our gardens provide a fabulous social space.
Let’s not also forget that our gardens are often the largest space we have. Research shows that the rooms in our houses tend to be getting smaller over the years (for example, livings rooms in houses built in 2019 were 45% smaller on average than those in houses built in the ‘70s), so it makes sense to venture outside when we need more space for a get together.
2. Gardening for physical health
We all know that exercise is good for us, but not all of us have the time, budget or inclination to join a gym. Regular gardening can, however, be a very good way of keeping active and supporting better health. Thrive, the UK horticultural charity, says that gardening can help us use as many as 250-500 calories per hour, whilst botanist and broadcaster James Wong has claimed that gardening “can burn more calories than a hard-hitting gym session, despite feeling easier”.
3. Gardens and mental health
Awareness of mental health issues has vastly increased in recent years and this has got to be a good thing. Many of us will be impacted by mental health issues at some point in our lives, and we are becoming ever more aware of the need to find ways to maintain positive mental health. Gardens and gardening can definitely contribute, with the RHS recently quoting a study by the King’s Fund which found gardening can significantly reduce depression and anxiety, and can also help maintain independence and prevent cognitive decline.
Just being outside is also key, with mental health charity Mind saying “spending time in nature has been found to help with mental health problems such as anxiety and depression”. They went on to also say that “being outside in natural light has been found to help can be helpful if you experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD), as type of depression that affects people during particular times of the year”.
Most of us have always known the enormous benefits our gardens provide, and it seems that the research confirms that we were right. Let’s ensure that find ways to spend even more time enjoying our gardens from now on.
Tythorne Garden Design provides professional fixed-fee garden design solutions for customers in Grantham, Stamford, Newark and surrounding areas. Let's see how we can help you to enjoy your garden more. Call us on 07900 224 239 or 01529 455 355.