You may remember gardening with your loved ones as a child helping your mother or father in the backyard, or maybe it wasn’t a hobby until you grew up. No matter the age, there are many mental health benefits of gardening. Not only is gardening a fun, rewarding hobby, but it also can have many positive effects. At Freedom Home Care, we have put together a list of the benefits below.

Number one, practicing acceptance. Majority of the suffering one goes through is from things that we cannot control. By being outside in nature, it helps you understand that you are not in control of most things. Gardening is a way to help you practice acceptance. All you can do is plant, water and tend to your garden, but the rest is left to the environment. Accepting what may or may not come from your garden after you have done all that you can is a great way to practice acceptance.

Up next is moving beyond perfectionism. Trying to make things perfect does not always work out and doesn’t have to! The same goes for gardening- you can’t have the perfect garden without bugs or weeds – they are inevitable. Gardening helps you better understand that things cannot always be perfect, and it can be a good antidote for perfectionism.

The third mental health benefit from this alternative therapy is it will help you to develop a growth mindset. With a growth mindset, you assume that you are constantly learning, and gardening is a great way to view things as an opportunity rather than a “failure” when things go wrong.

Connecting with others is another benefit to gardening. When you or a loved one can share the hobby of gardening with others, it allows you to connect with others and talk about something that you both enjoy doing.

The last of the many ways your mental health can benefit from gardening is by connecting you to the world. Having a garden means that you have a relationship with the plot of ground you are tending to. It connects you with the cycle of seasons and you feel a connection.

Are you looking for senior in-home care for your loved one? Our Chicago caregivers provide the best care right to your loved one’s home. Just search for “Highland Park home care agency” or give us a call today. We look forward to serving you!