Gardening and Anxiety: What’s the Connection?

Little kids love helping us garden! Then they grow up, grow a technical umbilical cord to their shiny new devices – and suddenly they’re anxious about all sorts of things. So what’s the connection between gardening and anxiety reduction?

The answer is that it’s practically impossible to stay in a state of heightened emotion and alert for future danger when you’re involved in the natural world.

And if we start them young and somehow manage to keep their interest, they also won’t develop phobias of flies, wasps and spiders (yes, I've seen them all!) but view them as part of the whole gardening business. Gardening and anxiety simply cannot co-exist.

So how are we to use this fact with our families? 

3 ways that gardening helps children to fight fears and anxiety and remain calm

1 The garden is a serene, calming environment. 

Even if you only have a back yard full of rubbish bins and a fence, you still have fresh air and sunlight – at times. I say “at times” because pollution and poor weather often conspire to kill off our natural instinct to get outside. But when we do, it’s calming. 

I’m hoping you can grow some bullying, chivvying instincts today! Because just like we take out toddlers come rain or shine, we need to keep up that habit. There’s nothing like the wind sweeping round us and rain hitting us in the face to totally forget about anything else.

How is this connected to gardening and anxiety reduction?

It’s because one problem with anxious children – and adults – is that a future fear (which is what anxiety is) can take hold of us with a mental grip that stops us thinking about anything else. Wind and rain can release that grip in minutes. Especially if you make it fun being outside in all weathers.

Obviously on the lovely calm and sunny days, you get them to help you garden, as in grow and tend things!

Just one pot in that back yard (or a little border in a larger garden) can become magic as you help them sow seeds or plant a flower and help it grow.

Make it their responsibility but also a shared gardening session. No devices, no music. We want them to hear and be calmed by 

  • the breeze, 
  • the hum of a bee, 
  • the tick of an insect, 
  • the buzz of a fly.

2 Caring for something else is part of dealing with anxiety.

Gardening and anxiety reduction are linked because anxiety is mostly quite self-centred and gardening is other-centred. How so?

Well, firstly, anxiety concerns the future, as we said above. “Will I manage the spelling test?” “I’m certain something bad is going to happen.” “I’m going to get punished for thinking bad thoughts.” This is all about the anxious child ruminating within themselves.

But secondly, it’s nearly impossible to care for plants, for the ecosystem in the garden, help it, protect it and still think about yourself. So your child's brain will actually welcome the relief of turning outwards to care for something else. They’ll get involved and immediately feel better.

The key is: how do we help them make that jump? There’s a lovely idea in the strategies section here about taking the chocolate out of a chocolate cake and you still have a cake (just not a chocolate one!). It’s to do with changing any one of: Body, Words, or Focus (best way forward).

Let’s apply that to gardening and anxiety reduction. Your anxious child is slumped in a mood, talking of future fears, and focusing on what they’re anxious about.

So – you can help your child: 

  • Change their position from slumping to running outside with you to do some gardening.
  • Or talk about how their plants are doing rather than using worry words.
  • Or focus on some topic you bring up with them (a plan?) about what to do next as you look at their garden patch or tub. 

Whichever you help them to do (and it will fall to you!), you no longer have a slumped anxious child! Just a child! They can now think about and care for something else.

And with a gardening project on the go, you have an excellent way of dealing with the risk of anxiety deteriorating. 

3 Contributing to the natural world brings things into perspective.

There’s a lot of worry circling round in everyone’s minds right now about climate change and possible extinction of the species. Concern is fine. But allowing it to dominate our minds means our children are also affected because they pick up our worry and magnify it in their heads.

So let’s take up cudgels and remember that gardening and anxiety are enemies of each other! And that gardening is also a grand opportunity to help look after the planet – whereas paralysing over-anxiety about the planet (in this sense) is static and helps no one. 

I know that view sounds odd. But think of it this way. 

  • Your child needs to feel they’re doing something positive about the planet.
  • They need to feel satisfied at their successes in that area.
  • They need a sense of companionship in a joint project with you.

Doesn’t gardening tick all the boxes? And doesn’t it seem to be one key to driving out anxiety? 

Well, maybe that’s simplifying it a little too much. But there’s plenty of evidence that gardening therapy works.  Lots of refugees and other traumatised adults undergo gardening therapy with great success.

In addition, gardening means:

  • growing something you can eat (in a plot or a pot) in place of consuming ultra-processed foods
  • helping to keep the ecosystem in balance
  • learning new skills and responsibilities that will be useful when they’re adults

What's not to like?

Ready to give gardening and anxiety reduction a go?

So – gardening is calming, offers a chance to care about something that matters, and helps bring things back into perspective. After that, you can talk about any specific worries your child has – now they're calm and ready to think straight!

Here’s an article that helps you on the way if you have a bit more space in your garden. If you only have a pot or a windowsill, choose something edible like cress, lettuce or radishes. 

The connection between gardening and anxiety reduction is magic. Even in the rain! And despite the umbilical cord pulling us all back to our phones and game consoles, it’s worth fighting for!

TAKEAWAY>>>>>

  • Gardening makes children feel calm and happy because they're outside in a peaceful environment.
  • Taking care of plants helps them stop worrying about themselves and focus on something positive.
  • Gardening is good for the planet, and children feel proud of doing something helpful.
  • It's like magic! Gardening can make worries go away, even if it's raining.
  • Children learn important skills and feel responsible when they garden.
  • Gardening is a fun activity that brings families together.
  • It's worth trying, even if you only have a small space like a pot or a windowsill. Choose something like cress, lettuce, or radishes to grow.
  • Gardening can be a special way to talk to your children about their anxiety when they're feeling calm and ready to talk.

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