According to many studies, gardening is therapeutic for people experiencing stress or mental health issues. It can also boost your immunity and help you maintain mental health.

Regular Exposure to our natural environment is one very important factor to recovering from stress. Close contact with nature has many psychological and physiological benefits, from increased pain tolerance, recovery from stress and anxiety to relaxation and enhanced wellbeing.  ​

Gardening allows you to slow down and be in nature for a while. It provides an opportunity for reflection, allowing your mind to wander freely, with only your thoughts keeping you company for a while. It’s easy to lose track of time when you are surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers, completely forgetting about everything else going on in your life! When you spend time in your garden, you’re concentrating on one thing at a time—pulling weeds or pruning branches.

Gardening gives you a purpose. Even if it’s simply planting an herb garden, having a goal gives you something to work towards. Having a purpose can help alleviate stress. When people don’t have enough to do, their brains are more likely to focus on stressful thoughts and feelings.

Having a purpose can reduce your overall stress level.

Many people share a unique bond with their plants and enjoy seeing them grow. Even when they’re sick, they continue to tend to their gardens out of a sense of duty. Eating vegetables straight from your garden are known to increase your immune system as your body receives all those nutrients!

Physical activity relieves tension: which is why gardening makes such a great stress reliever: It’s easy to do All you need is a patch of dirt and a little bit of energy. Plant, water, and tend to the garden. It might not feel like exercise at first glance, but gardening can be. Because it uses many parts of your body at once—your arms, legs, and hands—gardening can be considered a whole-body workout. And aside from being good for you physically which reduces stress even more.

You can garden with your family. As you work in your garden, you'll foster a close relationship with your children, spouse, and other family members. As the seeds you plant together begin to grow, so will your relationship.

If you don’t have family nearby, why not join a community gardening group? Many groups across America get together to the garden for fun or charitable purposes. You can learn how to get involved at local community centers or church organizations.

Watching the plants that you've planted start to grow is an incredible achievement. When the planting is done, it makes the entire process even more meaningful from start to finish. You get to harvest your fruits of labor.

If you think about all of these benefits together; it shouldn’t be hard to understand why individuals who garden feel healthier and happier than people who don’t garden.