CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Gardening can add great beauty to your landscape and it can also do wonders for your mental health. Here with more is Ellen Mary, horticulturalist and author. If you are dealing with anxiety and depression a great way to relieve stress is to start gardening. Gardening will help release endorphin to make you feel good. Gardening will help you to focus on something other than the issues you are currently facing. It will also change your mood.
Here are some activities that should you try.
Sowing seeds
There is a certain beauty that happens sowing seeds. As you watch the germination process you will see little, tiny seed become something big and beautiful. The anticipation allows you to be hopeful.
Pruning and Thinning
Pruning plant, such as deadheading techniques allows you get rid of the old and invite the new into your life. The very act of pruning promotes future growth and can is good for your mental health. It is a sign of good things to come.
Weeding out negativity
Weeding in your gardening is essential. It is symbolic of getting rid of negative thoughts that hold you back. Sometimes the weeds can be long complicated and stubborn but when you get rid of them, it frees you from those negative entanglements.
Digging for stress relief
Digging may seem laborious but it has a necessary function- it makes room for new plants. Digging allows you get rid of the stressors in your life. Take a shovel and dig and throw away that stress. These activities will not only improve the look of your garden but your mental health as well. For more follow Ellen Mary on Instagram @EllenMaryGardening.