Gardening can be an amazing stress reliever. The world is full of stressors to handle in life: jobs, family, friends, global politics—you name it, it’s probably stressful to some degree. Having access to somewhere you can garden is crucial in healthily handling these stressors. Here are just a few ways a garden can help your physical and mental health.

Physical Activity

Exercise and other physical activities are often suggested as a way to handle stress, anxiety, and depression. However, it’s difficult to find time to head to the gym when you have a busy schedule, and working out in a gym can become dull and monotonous after some time. Use this time instead to work in your garden! It’s a great alternative to using exercise machines and still provides the physical benefits you’d get through the gym. Mowing the lawn, digging in the dirt to plant seeds and get rid of weeds, and sprucing up the space with garden furniture are just a few ways to get yourself moving while taking care of something beautiful.

Growing Food

There’s nothing quite like fresh food at dinner. Going to the supermarket to buy fresh food can be expensive, though, and the price can quickly rack up to more than you’d like. Instead of spending all that money buying fresh produce at the grocery store, why not grow your own food at home? Becoming self-sufficient will save you money, get you outside to exercise while you tend to your garden, and encourage you to have a healthy eating habit thanks to the rich, fresh ingredients used from your own garden.

Vitamin D

Many people spend most of their time indoors and away from the sunlight. Did you know that sunlight provides our bodies with Vitamin D? By building a garden and working outdoors to maintain it, you’ll be exposed to sunlight galore and, as a result, Vitamin D. This vitamin grows calcium within our bodies, which helps keep bones and teeth strong and healthy. It also bolsters our immune systems, regulates the flow of insulin, keeps the heart and lungs healthy, and reduces the risk of cancer. Vitamin D also makes us feel better emotionally, reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.