As stress and poor mental health increases (four in five of us admit to being stressed), technology has been said to be a contributing factor to poor mental health. Recently this seems to have been covered a lot in the press with addiction to technology becoming a popular theme; for example, many of us feel guilty for not responding to a text instantly which leaves us feeling like we are unable to adequately switch off. Communicating via messaging can often leave you with released endorphins and dopamine, much like face to face communication, which can increase happiness levels which is one of the reasons we become addicted to tech.
This is particularly common for millennial’s. However, using tech to communicate can be “a problematic psychological experience that can come from good intentions to maintain positive relationships with others.” This is because you are expected to have seen and read a message instantly, even when busy. If we do not reply quick enough, this can leave both the sender and receiver with anxiety, as it can be construed as intentional disregard or that it was considered unimportant. This is probably not the case as people are just simply busy but making yourself available to speak all day can often leave us experiencing a burnout, sleep problems and stress.
29% of millennials are taking an interest in gardening!
Pinterest saw a 90% increase in indoor plant searches for 2017
According to a recent study by Airtask the reasons behind the increase of interest in gardening are;
1. Improve physical and mental health
2. Improve wellness
3. Improve responsibility
4. Improve social cred
Gardening can improve mental health and relieve stress due to:
– Sunlight: getting out can improve your mood. This has been proven by a known disorder called ‘seasonal affective disorder’ which is said to affect people in the winter months due to lack of sunlight. Also, sun brings about benefits like vitamin D.
– Getting fresh air allows you to breathe fresh oxygen, which can make us feel more energized. Being outside in the fresh air promotes a sense of well-being and good mental focus.
– The beauty: nature is a natural stress reliever. Seeing landscapes, hearing nature sounds or watching flowers bloom can improve our stressors and distracts us from our problems, it allows us to stay calm and bring us to the now.
– Creativity: being creative in the garden and getting a desired outcome, such as growing vegetables that are actually edible, can reap benefits and is a perfect stress management technique. It can be exciting and very rewarding.
So has gardening become trendy? Even Google searches for ‘air purifying plants’ and ‘aloe vera’ increased by a massive 550% year on year in 2017!
Ref:
http://www.sound-mind.org/gardening-reduces-stress.html#.WzO3v1VKjcs
https://www.airtasker.co.uk/blog/uk-gardening-trends-are-evolving/
