THE BEST NATURAL ANTIDEPRESSANT

On the verge of a mental breakdown? Get gardening

From: Montreal Gazette
Date: June 15, 2019

If you’d told me four years ago that I’d start my 30th year working as a part-time gardener, I would have laughed in your face.

In 2015 I was juggling a combination of freelance jobs in advertising and journalism, and enjoying all the parties that came along with it. It was fun, but I was permanently stressed and the only outlet I had for my anxiety was the pub or the gym.

This high-speed lifestyle came to a sudden halt two years ago when my journey from central London offices into the glamorous world of gardening was catalyzed by a misogynistic, micromanaging horror of a boss who pushed me into something not far from a mental breakdown.

Soon I couldn’t sleep and was having daily panic attacks. My doctor prescribed medication and therapy. I prescribed a lifestyle change: it was time for me to spend more time outdoors. It was an effective combination of treatments, but it was the gardening that really made the difference.

Now, halfway through my first solo garden design and with a few years of odd gardening jobs under my belt, I’ve never felt better.

Turns out, my childhood growing up in a rural area had instilled in me a love for nature that needed to be part of my everyday life — it was the only thing that would stop me going completely mad.

I don’t think I’m alone in needing to spend a great deal of time outdoors, and I optimistically harbour a belief that we all have an innate love for gardening in us somewhere. Maybe that’s why so many people take it up in retirement.

Gardening is the perfect antidote to many mental health problems; it gets you outdoors, you’re around people, you’re getting fresh air and vitamin D, and you can see progress in the life of something else. In short, it connects you to something bigger.

Sadly, the amazing effect that gardening has on the mind is rarely discussed outside a green and “retirement activities” echo chamber. Sure, the horticultural world is full of brilliant people championing the physical and mental bonuses of gardening — but the conversation simply hasn’t made it into the mainstream.

We like exercise, despite our sedentary pursuits. While it’s great that so many of us are putting our money and time toward our health through gym memberships, just think what we could achieve if people put a bit of that energy into our local communities.

I’m not suggesting that we all cast aside our prescription pills and take up weeding, but as doctors start to offer a more diverse range of treatments for people who slip from “OK” to “needing help,” we will all benefit.

Countless studies have proven the health benefits of gardening. A pioneering study on chemotherapy patients discovered that soil contains a natural antidepressant that helped improve their quality of life.

And just earlier this month the University of Sheffield in the U.K. found that rates of depression were lower in areas with clean green spaces, while just spending time in the great outdoors can improve your mental well-being.

So no, I won’t apologize if you think I sound like a broken record on mental health and gardening. People who live in cities need this more than anyone, because they’re four times more likely to experience mental health problems.

And there is space for everyone to garden — anyone with a windowsill can grow stuff.

I’ve been lucky enough to see inside the houses of people who can afford gardens, doing maintenance or in my new role as a garden designer. When I work in this prime real estate, I feel incredibly privileged — and sorry for the people who own them, who are too wealthy, successful and busy to get to enjoy their own homes. At least they haven’t paved them over.

And let’s not forget the environmental benefits of gardening, something that is often attributed to my generation’s obsession with houseplants.

Cleaning the air in our small living spaces while feeling like we can do something (anything!) to help the planet? It’s a no-brainer. Particularly with the rise of “climate change anxiety.”

It’s also a pretty decent hobby. Free (unlike that gym membership), good for your fitness, and a nice, low-key way to meet people. From volunteering in community gardens to local parks and even cemeteries (yep, they need gardeners, too).

Plus, you can talk to people as much or as little as you’d like. This is something I personally find delightful; some days I want to be the centre of attention. Other days I’d rather garden in a remote corner as far away from everyone as possible.

This pace of life — and the peace that comes with it — are hard to find when you live in an urban environment. Often the only time we get to switch off is on a treadmill, plugged into an iPad watching Netflix. I know what I’d rather be doing.

It’s often said that gardening is good for your mental health because it gets you outdoors and moving around.

But I think it’s about more than that.

Running your hands through soil, growing things, watching things fade: in a garden you experience life and death in all its glory. Every day, on the front row. If that doesn’t give you perspective, nothing will.

This article was written in marketwatch.com ( https://www.marketwatch.com/story/use-this-9-item-each-day-to-improve-your-memory-2019-06-14 )

Don’t forget to take care of your brain.

Doing puzzles can improve your memory, according to research on over 19,000 people over 50 published this year in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.”We’ve found that the more regularly people engage with puzzles such as crosswords and Sudoku, the sharper their performance is across a range of tasks assessing memory, attention and reasoning,” wrote lead researcher Anne Corbett of the University of Exeter Medical School. She recommends doing these kinds of puzzles daily. Other things that research shows can help you prevent memory decline: learning a new language and brain training exercises.

So, With more than 80 crossword puzzles, this spiral-bound 192-page crossword book is Amazon’s No. 1 best-seller in the word games category. Those crossword puzzles aren’t a bad idea if you want to stay mentally sharp: A 2011 study published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society concluded: “Participation in crossword puzzles delayed the onset of accelerated memory decline in subjects who developed dementia by 2.54 years compared to non-puzzlers.”

… Some research shows that brain training works: “Our research shows that brain training can maintain or even improve cognitive skills among older people at very high risk of cognitive decline,” wrote psychologist Amit Lampit of his research that was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
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Here are some powerful books you can use …