Monday, December 26, 2011

Gardening Can Be Emotionally Healing

Gardeners have long known that a few hours spent digging in the dirt can improve their moods.  The sun, the focus on natural life, productive work; all of these things make us feel better about ourselves.

But a recent study shows that microorganisms in the soil have the ability to improve our brain chemistry, acting as an antidepressant.  One more reason we should let our kids and ourselves play in the dirt.  Perhaps our super sanitary way of living is harming our mental health.



So, get out the seed catalogs and start planning the garden.  A little dirt therapy is in order this Spring.



God bless,
Pam

5 comments:

  1. Well that explains why my sister loves gardening! What an interesting post. Blessings, Marlene

    ReplyDelete
  2. Another great reason to play in the garden.

    God bless,
    Pam

    ReplyDelete
  3. Did it say anything about how good it is to be "injesting" the dirt? Just wondering....DD has been sticking just about anything in her mouth lately!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Everything in moderation I believe. Eating a few bits of dirt probably won't hurt, but spoonfuls can't be healthy. I do need to caution about letting children play in dirt if there are cats about. Cat feces contain a disease that can be very bad for children or pregnant women.

    I miss the "everything in the mouth" days now that DD is a tween.

    God bless,
    Pam

    ReplyDelete
  5. I believe that gardening does improve our mental health. More people need to get back to nature and stop sanitizing their hands whenever they touch the dirt.

    ReplyDelete