Yesterday we took a look at how microgreens can boost not only your overall physical health, but also your mental health–in particular your overall happiness.
While yesterday’s article focused on the mental and cognitive benefits you can experience from ingesting microgreens, today we’re going to look at it from a different angle–how the act of growing microgreens can have a positive impact on your overall mental well-being.
~ Connect with Nature
According to the Mental Health Foundation, regular interactions with nature can significantly improve your overall mental heath and reduce stress levels. This holds true for houseplants, and even very small microgreens gardens. The Foundation’s report highlighted “nature is an important need for many and is vital in keeping us emotionally, psychologically and physically healthy.”
Simply being around plants, whether houseplants, walking through the woods, and even tending to microgreens gardens can have a quick and powerful impact on overall happiness!
Whenever you are creating beauty around you, you are restoring your own soul.
– Alice Walker
~ Therapeutic Physical Activity
While simply being around nature is believed to boost overall mental wellness, actually performing the act of gardening is known to provide a long list of mental health benefits:
- Reduces the symptoms of anxiety and depression
- Improves attention
- Interrupts harmful ruminations (a symptom of anxiety)
- Lowers the stress hormone cortisol
- Lowers BMI
- Increases overall life satisfaction and quality of life
~ Enjoy the Sense of Achievement
Never underestimate how good it feels to actually achieve something.
Giving the brain a dose of achievement can greatly boost your self-esteem and confidence–two things that are the first to go out the window when we get down. Microgreens have a very short, two-weeks-or-less growth cycle, so you can consistently give yourself a sense of achievement twice a month!
Simply put, whether it’s growing microgreens, reviving the neglected aloe plant you have sitting in the living room, or fertilizing a patch of dead grass in your backyard, find some time to spend with nature where you live. Plant something, watch it grow, help it grow and know you will be growing more than just a plant!
~ Mike
Leave a Reply