Gardening: Nature’s Cure for the Blues

Originally published on the "In Good Company" blog on April 11, 2021

It’s been one of those days. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. All you want is for the workday to end, allowing you the luxury of escaping to the quiet, calming solitude of your garden. It’s what your mind and body have been craving all day – a chance to soothe away the stress, anger, and frustration that’s been threatening to boil over.

It’s hard to describe the all-encompassing sensation you experience as you inhale the scent of the disturbed earth and feel the grainy texture of the cool soil as it runs through your fingers. It’s so relaxing – sifting through the dirt, being surrounded by lush vegetation, listening to the buzz from insects, all while becoming one with nature. The garden serves as your refuge from the world, a safe place to get rid of all your nagging cares and worries. It’s your happy place.

Gardening Help Us When We’re Feeling Blue

Thanks to Mother Nature, the solution for getting rid of the blues lies right under our feet.

There’s a microbe in the soil called Mycobacterium vaccae, which has a similar effect on the brain as Prozac. The microbe stimulates serotonin production and makes us feel relaxed and happier without any adverse side effects or the possibility of chemical dependency. And the natural effects of the soil bacteria antidepressant can last for up to three weeks.

Lack of serotonin has been linked to depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, PTSD, and bipolar problems. The number of folks being diagnosed with one of these disorders continues to increase at an appalling rate. Many of them have to rely on daily medications to keep their symptoms at bay. Could gardening help some of them to reduce or stop using chemical antidepressants?

Natural remedies have been around since ancient times. Healers didn’t know how or why they worked. They just knew they did, and that was good enough for them. With the advent of modern medicine, many old practices languished, relegated to the ‘don’t need them anymore’ pile.

Not everyone forgot, though. This recent scientific discovery of nature’s ability to ease stress and help a person relax is no surprise to farmers and gardeners who’ve always known the mood-soothing power of dirt.

And now there’s proof. When a gardener claims to feel better after spending a few hours playing in the dirt, science has proven she does not just imagine it. Inhaling the M. vaccae bacteria, absorbing it by topical contact or getting it in the bloodstream through a cut, produces an increase of chemicals called cytokines, resulting in higher serotonin levels. In other words, working or playing in the dirt actually does make you feel good.

If you have a large garden in the country or a small plot in the city, you get the same result. The best way to come in contact with the bacteria is by simply getting your hands dirty. But the microbe can also be ingested through water sources or by eating lettuce, carrots, or other veggies grown in your garden.

But Wait, There’s More

There are other benefits to being outside working in the garden. When was the last time you went barefooted? Admit it; feeling the soil squish between your toes is just as much fun now as it was when you were a kid.

According to holistic wellness practitioners, earthing or grounding yourself helps with anxiety or stress. So how do you do that? Walk barefooted outside. Bruce Lynch, a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), explains that negatively charged electrons constantly renew the earth. When bare skin (hands or feet) comes in contact with the surface, electrons enter our bodies, activating our para-sympathetic nervous system, lowering cortisol levels, and reducing inflammation and stress.

So whether it’s through microbes or electrons, we benefit from gardening. Christopher Lowry, the neuroscientist responsible for the breakthrough studies on M. vaccae in mice, notes that this is just one strain of one species of one type of bacterium found in the soil, but there are millions of other strains in soils. “We are just beginning to see the tip of the iceberg in terms of identifying the mechanisms through which they have evolved to keep us healthy. It should inspire awe in all of us.”

Lowry also believes in the theory that we’ve been living too clean. People who don’t spend time working or playing outdoors aren’t exposed to the harmless microorganisms in the environment that train our immune systems to ignore benign molecules like pollen. This results in higher incidences of illnesses such as allergies and asthma.

He has published numerous studies demonstrating a link between exposure to healthy bacteria and mental health. For example, one showed that children raised in a rural environment, surrounded by animals and bacteria-laden dust, grow up to have more stress-resilient immune systems and may be at lower risk of mental illness than pet-free city dwellers.

So, the moral of this story – gardening is good for you! Go ahead, get that trowel and play in the dirt. I guarantee you’ll feel a whole lot better.

And if anybody tells you you’re crazy for referring to your garden as a happy place. Just smile. You know better.

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Greta

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Greta

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