Why Gardening And Using Your Decking Is Great For Your Mental Health

It’s been a really tough 12 months or so for everyone, to say the least, and unsurprisingly, it’s led to an increase in the number of people experiencing mental health issues. 

Being indoors for a sustained period and unable to see friends and family for so long is bound to have an impact on a person’s mental state. 

Activities such as exercise are great for fighting it off – a bit of outdoor air and releasing some energy can do you wonders. 

Regular gardening can also help, and not just with mental health, but also for relieving stress. And each time after you’ve cut the grass and tended to your plants and flowers, you want to sit out and relax on your decking. 

Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week (May 10th – 16th), we thought it would be worth sharing the reasons why gardening and spending time in your garden will benefit your body, mind and soul:

Sense of achievement

When you see all of the hard work you put into your garden pay off, and watch the flowers and vegetables you planted blossom and grow, it makes you feel fantastic inside. 

Each time you look at the space from your deck, you won’t be able to stop yourself from breaking into a broad smile.

Gives you a purpose

On similar lines, gardening will provide you with a sense of purpose and could be the hobby that you’ve been looking for. 

It’s the type of pastime that you can quickly become addicted to when you get into it, one that you may previously have found to be a tiresome chore. Once in the ‘zone’, gardening will take your mind off other things and keep you busy.

Keeps you fit

We’ve already said that exercise is good for mental health and rigorous, frequent gardening can help you burn off just as many calories as you might do during the monotony of running on a treadmill in the gym. 

You will get a real sweat on when gardening in the summer and the intake of Vitamin D will aid so many different organs in your body, including your brain.

Don’t currently have decking in your garden, but after reading this blog post would like some? Request a quote from Lakeland Verandahs for a price for a UPVC deck.