It’s no secret that mental health has taken a hit lately. Stress levels are through the roof, more people are struggling with sleep issues and many are feeling just plain bored. While there are different ways to boost mental health right now, experts say there’s one tool that’s often overlooked: gardening.
“Just putting your hands in the dirt can help one to feel grounded, which many of us do not feel when we are anxious and overwhelmed,” Dr. Jen Hartstein, Yahoo Life Mental Health Contributor and practicing psychologist in New York City, tells Yahoo Life.
“It’s a way to reconnect with the natural world and remind us that there’s something greater than ourselves all around us,” Rinad Beidas, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, tells Yahoo Life. “It’s a really nice opportunity to center yourself and be in the moment. That can be really protective for mental health.”
