Reducing Anxiety and Depression With Garden & Green Activities

A THERAPEUTIC GARDEN is defined as a space where you can accomplish gardening and green activities that specifically address a person’s psychological, spiritual, physical, and social needs. Therapeutic gardening can be far more than a traditional garden space: it can be expanded to include many outdoor landscaped areas, green spaces, and even activities that can be accomplished in a garden or open park expanse. Discovering an outdoor place where you can connect with nature therapeutically while performing green activities can be life changing. These “green activities” could be as specific as gardening, walking, running, or cycling in nature and garden-like locations, or they can be more widely interpreted in environmental conservation work.

BRAIN NEUROTRANSMITTERS IN THE GARDEN

While we know that the soil bacterium strain Mycobacterium vaccae has been shown to trigger the release of serotonin when a person has direct skin-to-soil contact, there is also further proof that dopamine levels increase in the brain when we participate in green activities.

Both serotonin and dopamine are pleasure-center neurotransmitters that are associated with happiness, pleasure, and love. Serotonin specifically regulates mood, memory, and impulse. Dopamine is closely tied to euphoria, enjoyment, and motivation. Dopamine is also responsible for those magical feelings of “falling in love.” When depression is caused by a chemical imbalance, it is often associated with an insufficient level of dopamine in the brain.

SUNLIGHT AND SEROTONIN

Another proven serotonin stimulator is sunlight. By exercising outdoors in the garden or walking outdoors daily, you are exposing yourself to the daylight spectrum. It is a good practice to expose yourself to daylight without sunglasses for 20 minutes every day.

Dr. David Edelberg, MD, confirms in his book, The Triple Whammy Cure, that improving serotonin levels can reduce stress levels. The book, although applicable to most people, focuses on women’s health. Dr. Edelberg states that the more serotonin you have, the better you are able to tolerate all types of extreme stress. He also proposes that women have less serotonin than men do, which makes them more susceptible to stress-related issues in general. He encourages everyone to try daily sunlight exposure.

Sunlight exposure also appears to be an effective treatment for winter-based seasonal affective disorder (SAD). This particular type of depression is related to changes in the seasons, starting as the daylight ebbs in fall and stretching through the season until there is more daylight exposure after winter. SAD saps energy and can make you feel moody and sorrowful. Performing green activities outdoors with regular exposure to daylight has a significantly positive effect on the patient.

There are certain eye conditions, such as macular degeneration, that worsen with exposure to sunlight. If you suspect you have this condition or something similar, please contact your doctor for his advice before spending more time in the sunlight. Also, it is very important to wear sunscreen while working outdoors. This is critical even on cloudy days as the sun’s rays are powerful and can easily overwhelm precious skin when least expected.

GREEN ACTIVITIES AND ENGAGING WITH NATURE

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistical website, data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 2005 to 2008 show that antidepressant use has increased significantly: “About 1 in 10 Americans aged 12 and over takes anti-depressant medication.” While there is no doubt that the stigma related to mental illness issues is dissipating, which encourages proper medication when necessary, it becomes critical to learn new ways to reduce pharmaceutical dependency whenever possible.

It is possible to reduce anxiety, depression, and related medication use by increasing green activities, enabling people to find an alternative path to their personal wellness lifestyle. Mind” is an organization in the United Kingdom that assists millions of people online to learn how to cope with anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. Mind also provides support directly through local chapters and conducts treatment studies through the University of Essex.

In one such report, “Ecotherapy—the Green Agenda for Mental Health,” 94 percent of test subjects commented that they felt green exercise had furthered their mental health in a positive way. Additionally, the study stated that participants felt their physical health improved with outdoor walking. Respondents also reported decreased levels of depression and felt less fatigued and tense after walking outside, with increased mood and self-esteem.

In other words, outdoor activities such as gardening and walking can significantly influence your state of mind by triggering dopamine and serotonin levels and by connecting a person’s very soul to the natural outdoor environment.