Explore your garden. Enhance your mind.
Gardening is an activity where everyone can experience regulated contact with nature. Today, many people today live in cities which do not offer enough meaningful access to nature. For places like Brow Wood, there is a community garden so that each household doesn't have to worry about headache of running a garden alone. They are able to reap the benefits of getting physical exercise and interacting with nature, while living in community.
But no matter if you have your own garden or work with others, the garden is more than a grocery store in your backyard. Gardening has enormous benefits to your health and mental state. Gardening can also function as a coping mechanism for serious health problems such as cancer. This is why Brow Wood values our Community Garden so much.
Manual Labor
Gardening is an easy way to get some exercise while being distracted by the beauty of nature and working towards a goal. In exercise terms, gardening is equated to playing tennis or going for decently paced walk. There is a correlation between gardeners and low body fat, so it may be worth stopping by the Community Garden instead of taking that walk you were going to go on. With exercise comes a healthy diet. Gardening provides fresh, organic food for home cooked meals. For many, gardening helps to educate us about what a healthier diet looks like. In fact, many who grow their own food actually have a preference for fruits and vegetables.
Mental State Remedy
Aside from exercise, there are large mental health benefits to gardening. There is an associated greater life satisfaction among those who garden, as well as better self-esteem and less fatigue or depression. Additionally, just the act of growing products and working towards goals generally improves people's moods. Gardening is known to reduce feelings of tension, depression and anger. There is something to be said about being outside in nature.
In a community garden, the act of being around other people and interacting with them is associated with the benefits of mental health. Becoming apart of the Brow Wood community and interacting in the garden is an easy way to be involved with your neighbors and allows a platform to share knowledge, experience and skills of gardening. Connections like these create friendships. And people who have strong friendships and social networks have longer life expectancy and better response to stressful events.
Come out to the Brow Wood garden when you get a chance and learn about the joy of gardening!