Why Gardening is good for your Mental Health

I had a conference call this afternoon, it lasted 1 hour when it was meant to last ½ an hour only. My kids got home from school half an hour in and I was officially on ‘their’ time – and they knew it!

It’s a Friday afternoon and I simply cant get away from the fact that I was encroaching on their mummy time…guilt floods in and one feels pulled in all different direction…then a robin appeared out side my window; just as I was answering the same question for about the third time and trying to keep my cool a little robin red breast comes to remind me that there is a much higher purpose in this life and that nature really does have all the answers.

I ended my participation in the call at a convenient moment and switched into mummy mode, gave the kids some tea and toast and we all trooped out into the garden to help little Mr robin red breast and his friends. We filled up bird feeders, placed them all over the hedges I look over from my home office, cut the Lavender back, made piles of leaves, trimmed hedges and my goodness did we all feel the most wonderful sense of satisfaction and completeness afterwards, we really deserved our supper I can tell you (ham hock, parsley sauce, mashed spuds and carrots, YUM) and felt an enormous sense of achievement which I know had a confidence boosting effect.

My point here is that gardening and nature is therapeutic, there is absolutely no two ways about it. As long as its not a pressure and kept on top of, its one of the great joys in life and doesn’t stop giving, rather like roses I think, they just exist for our sensory pleasure, just incredible. The children were tired but that lovely tired that goes hand in hand with a sense of worth and self esteem and bed time was just an happier affair.

I have since done some research and there are some wonderful stories of how gardening has really helped people on the RHS website. Over 7 million people have taken up gardening either during or since covid and according to a poll done by Sky News, people who garden regularly have well being scores that sit over 6% higher than those that don’t garden. Stress levels are over 4% lower as well.

This all ties in so well with our ethos of brining joy to pets & their parents through natural products. What better way to enjoy our green space than ensuring its as beautiful as we can make it. Dog Rocks can help with this if you have pets. They are a natural rock mined in