Gardening and your mental health during the coronavirus outbreak

I should start this post by making it abundantly clear I am in no way expert or have any type of qualifications. This article is based purely on my experience.  

The world and their wife seem to be talking about health and wellbeing, mindfulness, mental health etc these days and perhaps understandably with all the country has been through over the last twelve months. There are a thousand and one articles in print and online on how to look after your mental health during the coronavirus outbreak. 

A question I have been asked is has gardening helped me through the lockdowns? In short yes, I think it has. 

For months now I have been unable to attend any of the sporting events I usually would, no nipping to the boozer for a few pints with the lads as I would normally at least once a week, no having family and friends over for drinks and a BBQ. In fact, I have gone days at a time with no actual human contact as such other than video meetings on Microsoft Teams and alike. No doubt many of you reading will have been in similar situations - or perhaps worse locked in with the family all driving you round the bend! I honestly think my bachelor lifestyle may have made surviving lockdown easier for me than for many living in a house full. 

There is no doubt for me that being able to get into the garden, be it with plenty of jobs to do in spring and summer, or even in winter when it was more a case of twenty minutes pottering about, having that opportunity just to be out on my little plot has been beneficial. Even when not gardening my plot has provided that outdoor space just to sit. Earlier this week I found myself sat in the garden for half-an-hour or so just listening to birdsong and watching what was going on. Not long, but after yet another day sat at the dining room table homeworking on the laptop it was a  nice distraction and I don't care what anyone else says a damn sight more interesting than being slumped on the sofa watching one of the soaps!!

Us gardeners, and I assume you are one if you have kindly stopped by to read this blog, have known for years that gardening is good for your health, be it mental or physical. Science has now proven this and the internet is full of articles packed with scientific evidence highlighting the importance of plants, gardens and gardening to our physical, mental and social wellbeing. 

I will give you dear reader one piece of advice in this article and it is perhaps the only bit of advice I am remotely qualified to give. Turn off your phone, laptop, iPad or whatever device you are using to read this and get out in your garden. Thank you for reading, and do please come back for more of my bletherings, but for now get out there, do a little weeding, sow some seeds or simply have a sit and do nothing. Just get out in your garden and enjoy it and all the benefits mental and physical it can bestow on you. 

Cheers 🍺