Mental illness is increasing. Are you one of them? Well, I am here to tell you how to avoid the wave of depression. To put it simple; plant a seed. Why, you may ask? There are several benefits with proof from science and I will try to explain some of them. Hopefully you’ll get inspired and motivated to plant an illegal seed in the park.  

Approximately 50 % of all diagnosed mental illnesses in Sweden are due to stress. And the amount of sick leave days due to mental illness is higher in urban areas. At the same time there are several studies that prove the importance of vegetation in cities. Also horticultural therapy is being more and more noticed by different health care institutions. Horticultural therapy is basically gardening. It combines the physical and mental benefits that nature has on our well-being. You move your body which increases both our physical and mental health. And you reduce the amount of stress when you spend time in nature.

So our stress reduction from nature is based on evolution. There are several theories concerning environmental psychology and you can read more about them via the links down below. But as a crash course in recovery from nature the benefits come from our survival instincts. When we experience vegetation we feel calm because we connect green areas with food. If we have food, there is no need to be stressed because we will survive. 

Guerilla gardening is a movement where you grow plants in urban spaces without permission. It has long been a way for the population to claim the public land and to show the governments that green cities are important. It is an active action to show disapproval to how city planners take nature for granted. Guerilla gardening had in some way a peak during the years around 2010, is it not time to have a revival of that? 

Around 50% of the urban green areas in Sweden consist of lawns. That is not only bad for the environment but also bad for the amount of mental recovery that we can get from the area. The higher level of biodiversity that an area has, the higher amount of recreation we can get from it. So if we improve biodiversity we can at the same time increase our mental health which is also good for the environment. A win-win situation. 

Social interaction is the most essential part of our well-being and therefore we need to be stimulated to socialize. By visiting a park there will be people there, and if you plant a seed someone might ask you why. And that is social interaction. So by starting a guerilla garden you increase the amount of socialization, not just for you, but for the whole community. And if the community is more social the mental health increases. 

The majority of the population lives in cities and mental illness is increasing. That means that the cities need to be optimized for handling that problem. But unfortunately urban gardens are not prioritized when expanding the city. That is why the population has to inspire the city-planners to implement gardens. Many sustainable and green urban gardening areas today have been ideas from the population. With that said, it is of great importance that if you can plant a seed, you should. By cultivating the city the overall mental health can increase with the community growing. 

Anxiety towards climate change is a real problem. And by growing your neighborhood you are doing something concrete about it. The act of planting a seed in an urban area decreases the effects of climate change and can also inspire others to do the same. 

Okay. How do you increase your mental health? By physical activity, by socializing and by reducing stress. All of these factors can be fulfilled by just planting some seeds and starting a garden. An urban garden is not just for one person, but for an entire community, and that increases the benefits. By cultivating plants together more people can harvest the positive effects, like social interaction and the physical and mental benefits.

Mental illness is increasing and there are many of us suffering. But on the bright side, there are several ways that we can increase our health and also the planet’s health. To put it simple; plant a seed. Now you know some of the benefits of urban green areas. All we have to do now is to get this ball rolling and inspire our neighbors and our city planners to take action. So, with that said, I will see you at the park. 

Further reading:

Crane, A., Viswanathan, L. & Whitelaw, G. (2013). “Sustainability through intervention: a case study of guerilla gardening in Kingston, Ontario”. Local environment, 18(1). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263719489_Sustainability_through_intervention_A_case_study_of_guerrilla_gardening_in_Kingston_Ontario 

Kaplan, R. & Kaplan, S. (1989). “The Experience of Nature ”. First edition. Nordamerika. University of Cambridge. https://www.hse.ru/data/2019/03/04/1196348207/%5BRachel_Kaplan,_Stephen_Kaplan%5D_The_Experience_of_(b-ok.xyz).pdf 

Ulrich, R. (1984). “View through a window may influence recovery from surgery”. Science. 224(4647). 420-421. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/17043718_View_Through_a_Window_May_Influence_Recovery_from_Surgery 

Waterman, T & Zeunert, J (eds) (2018). “Routledge Handbook of Landscape and Food”. Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9781315647692/routledge-handbook-landscape-food-joshua-zeunert-tim-waterman