Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer lifeLive your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletterLive your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletterAs the nights draw in and the chill of winter approaches, many grapple with the seasonal blues, or even Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). However, experts suggest that the garden offers a powerful antidote, providing solace and boosting well-being during the darker months.Dr Stephanie Fitzgerald, a clinical psychologist and SAD sufferer, whose new book The Gifts Of Winter explores finding joy in the colder season, champions gardening as an invaluable tool. “Gardening is one of those amazing tools to have over autumn and winter,” she explains.For Dr Fitzgerald, gardening proved instrumental in her own battle with SAD. “Gardening gave me hope in winter,” she recounts. “I used to observe winter through a misted-up window, cranking the heating up and thinking, ‘I can’t wait for this (period) to be over’.” open image in galleryBook cover of ‘The Gifts Of Winter’ by Dr Stephanie Fitzgerald (Penguin Random House/PA)Her perspective shifted after spending time outdoors with her dogs. “It was getting dogs and going out in the garden with them in the morning and spending time outside in nature which served as a reminder that there’s so much growth happening in this season and that winter arrives on the shortest day and every day it brings a little more light. Gardening brought me in tune with that.”Fitzgerald identifies three key psychological components where gardening can significantly impact mood, winter blues, or SAD.Serotonin Production”We rely on serotonin to feel good and without it our mood takes a dip,” Fitzgerald notes, explaining that levels often drop in autumn and winter due to factors including a lack of vitamin D. Crucially, physical contact with soil exposes us to Mycobacterium vaccae, a bacteria that encourages the brain to produce more serotonin, thereby generating more feel-good hormones. She stresses that prolonged exposure isn’t necessary: “It’s more about frequency rather than length of time. It’s not a case of, if I put my hands in the soil for an hour I’m going to get more benefits than five minutes. It’s more that regular contact with bacteria. Get your hands dirty to feel better.”Cortisol Reduction Being immersed in nature has been shown to reduce cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone. “When we are very anxious or stressed or inflamed with lots of cortisol, anxiety and depression are best friends. Where one goes, the other follows,” Fitzgerald states. “Contact and being in nature is shown to reduce cortisol, so just being outside, being among plants and the natural cycle of life, can reconnect you.” She highlights how modern life often disconnects us from seasonal rhythms, but gardening helps to restore this balance. “Yet when you’re outside in nature, gardening really reconnects you with that seasonal living and you get that reconnection with nature.”Dopamine HitThe brain’s production of dopamine, linked to satisfaction, is another benefit. “We know that if we grow something on a windowsill, or nurture a plant that was maybe looking a bit sorry for itself and manage to give it another zest for life, that sense of satisfaction gives us a dopamine hit in the brain,” Fitzgerald explains. This is particularly valuable in an age where “smartphones have wreaked havoc with our dopamine receptors.” Simple acts like planting bulbs or tidying the garden can provide this crucial sense of accomplishment.Beyond these physiological benefits, Fitzgerald offers practical advice. Simply walking around the garden in autumn and winter can significantly improve mood. “We are really missold winter because we are told it is a dead, barren season when nothing happens. It’s just not true,” she argues. Observing the subtle growth of tiny buds and shoots, which will eventually blossom in spring, can be profoundly uplifting and “changes our winter mindset.”Milly Sell, information service lead at the UK gardening for health charity Thrive, suggests further strategies, including their winter wellbeing calendar, which features activities like winter nature photography, cloud spotting, or making frozen plant art.Sell also advocates for outdoor exercise. “As the shorter days kick in, it’s tempting to snuggle up, hibernate and be more sedentary, but a bit of movement – it doesn’t have to be heavy physical activity – even things like a short stroll around, will release endorphins, which support mental wellbeing and reduce that sense of fatigue that can come in the winter months,” she advises.Finding motivation can be challenging when the weather is uninviting, but Sell recommends starting small. “Sometimes there’s this idea that if you are going out to do something it has to be something big or lengthy. But sometimes, just put a coat on, stand in your outdoor space and look around,” she says. “What often happens to people is that once you start doing the thing, then the motivation follows. Start it small. Be kind on yourself and the expectations of what you are going to achieve.” This could be as simple as breaking ice on a birdbath or refilling feeders. “You may not be digging a new bed in winter, but you can go and check and enjoy seeing what the garden is giving and sometimes it surprises you with the colours and what’s actually growing. Some flowers bloom through the winter, then you get those little heralds of spring which can be really uplifting.”Finally, joining community gardens, allotments, or gardening clubs can combat winter isolation, offering opportunities for seed swaps or group visits to winter gardens.The Gifts Of Winter by Dr Stephanie Fitzgerald is published by Penguin Michael Joseph, priced £16.99, and is available now.
Source link
How gardening can help banish the winter blues
