College life is tough. Tests, papers, and projects loom for students, and the workload can get to be way too much. But have you ever considered that a shovel and some dirt could be the answer to your mental stress? Maybe not quite in the way you're thinking. Gardening can be a great way for students to manage academic stress, while also seeking help in writing a paper from researchers to keep up with their studies. Academized.com offers essay writing services, providing support for students who need assistance with their academic work while balancing stress-relief activities like gardening.
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The Growing Problem of Student Stress
Students in college today are much more stressed than when I was there some million years ago. Classes, jobs, social lives and worrying about getting good grades and what they want to do with their lives in the future. No wonder so many are walking around with their heads about to explode.
But the thing is, way too much stress isn’t just a drag, it’s actually bad for your health and grades too: the more stressed you are, the harder you’ll find it to concentrate, remember things, and perform well, two non-oreintantal suggestions that are probably a recipe for disaster when sitting your finals or penning an essay.
Planting the Seeds of Stress Relief
And what about gardening? Take time with plants, too. Doing anything other than ruminating on worries and troubles, using your hands, getting outdoors, participating in some sort of exercise, connecting with nature and even a bit of meditative thinking such as a rake-induced Zen moment – all can help to moderate stress levels.
Gardening is not only about growing plants. It’s about growing people. If you plant a seed and wait for it to become a flowering plant, you learn the qualities of patience and perseverance, which can help you cope with the challenges of your studies and life.
Digging into the Benefits
Let us be more precise about how gardening can help students manage academic stress. For starters, it gets you moving. Exercise is one of the best stress-reducing activities, and gardening is a fun way to be active without your workout feeling like a workout.
There is also an element of satisfaction that comes from gardening: you feel really good about yourself if you manage to get the first tomato off the vine that you planted from seed, or if you look down and spot the first head of lettuce pushing up through the soil. It gives you additional confidence, and perhaps that will extend to your schoolwork.
A big advantage of gardening is that it gets you into the mindful moment: when you’re weeding or watering, you’re not thinking about the test or the paper you have to finish. Tending to your chrysanthemums and fuchsias can be a way to put aside the stress and take a breather so you feel ready to tackle your schoolwork again.
From Garden to Classroom: Transferable Skills
Gardening can help students manage academic stress by providing a calming break from studies, and an Academized LinkedIn review shows how their services can assist with academic workloads, allowing more time for stress-relieving activities. The things you learn from gardening are useful for school work. You learn how to plan ahead, be patient, and solve problems. These are the same skills you need when you have a big project or hard test coming up.
Secondly, gardening teaches you about how to recover from failure. There are times that, no matter what treatment you give your specimen, it will die. Being able to deal with this and move on is very useful in dealing with the rollercoaster that is college.
A Green Break for Your Brain
When you do crack open a volume, make sure you take regular breaks – not to check your Instagram feed but to get down to some gardening. Even the shortest interludes of weeding, say 15 minutes, can clear the cobwebs from the mind and boost your concentration when it comes to returning to your textbooks.
Secondly, gardening will help you sleep better, which is important for keeping stressed out and for performing in school. Physical activity will help you get better sleep at night, and sleeping well makes it much easier to pay attention in class.
The Science of Green Stress Relief
And so some science: being surrounded by plants lowers your blood pressure and reduces the level of stress hormones in your body – even the bacteria in soil has a positive affect on your mood.
| Gardening Activity | Stress-Reducing Benefit | Academic Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Planting seeds | Promotes hope and positivity | Improves motivation for long-term project |
| Weeding | Provides a sense of control | Enhances ability to focus on details |
| Watering plants | Encourages routine and responsibility | Develops consistent study habits |
| Harvesting produce | Boosts self-esteem and satisfaction | Increases confidence in academic abilities |
| Pruning | Teaches decision-making skills | Improves critical thinking for essays and research |
Getting Started: No Green Thumb Required
At this point, I can hear your reaction: this sounds nice but I know nothing about gardening. Don’t worry! You don’t need to be a gardening pro or have a lot of space to enjoy some of these benefits. In fact, caring for a small potted plant on your dorm room windowsill can help.
If you have slightly more space, start a small herb garden. Most herbs are easy to cultivate, and you can include them in your cooking. Isn’t it a great idea to add fresh basil that you grew to your ramen noodles!
Space-permitting, it might be wise to invest in a few vegetables: tomatoes, lettuces and peppers are all straightforward to nurture and will help you to ease your mind as you tend to them, as well as to fuel you through your study sessions when they bear fruit.
Overcoming Obstacles: Finding Time and Space
One of the main barriers I see for students who want to begin gardening is the perception that it will take too much time and space. Sure, we all wish for multiple hours every day to invest in our horticultural projects, but the truth is: it’s not necessary.
And yes, even with minimal time – just a couple of minutes a day is fine – you can garden. Have a minute or two a day to tend to a plant on your desk? That’s fine! Treat it like a brief ritual in the middle of your busy day.
If space is an issue, check out community gardens nearby your campus. Often colleges have garden spaces for students. This could be a great way to become involved in gardening and meet other students who also share the same interest.
The Social Side of Gardening
As far as meeting other students, sometimes gardening can be social. Especially if you get involved in a gardening club or community garden. Often it can be a good networking thing, making new friends. It’s another avenue for coping with stress.
Gardening with others lightens the physical labor because you can split tasks, and it’s also more enjoyable. You can share knowledge, split costs on supplies, and celebrate successes together. And explaining to others what you’ve learned about gardening can help you reinforce your own knowledge and feel more confident.
Bringing Nature Indoors
If you can’t get out to garden, try bringing plants indoors; many of the same stress-reducing benefits of outdoor gardening can be had from indoor vegetation, and air quality is improved, which is good for both your health and your ability to focus.
Some great indoor plants that can withstand a little neglect are spider plants, pothos and snake plants. They’re all pretty hardy and can survive some periods of drought if you’re too busy to water them. Your own plant maintenance can give you a little green ‘brain break’ while you’re studying.
Gardening as a Lifelong Skill
The benefit of learning how to garden in college is that you will be using this skill during the rest of your life. In fact, you can use gardening to maintain your physical and mental health long after your graduation.
Your garden might change as you go through the stages of your life – from a few pots on a windowsill when you’re a child, to a small vegetable patch when you buy your own house, and, one day, a big backyard garden – but whatever the form it takes, this garden can be your place of peace and growth.
Cultivating a Balanced Life
Ultimately, the garden is not about what we grow, but about who we are becoming. When we garden, we learn to cultivate ourselves, to be patient, to tackle problems and to take joy in the simple things. These lessons can help us to cope with the stressful environment of the college campus – and beyond.
So the next time you are swamped by essays and exams, take some time out to nurture your body. Dig a hole, plant a seed, water a plant, or just sit and engage with the green. I think you will find that it helps you to flourish as a student and as a human being.
Remember, like a garden, college success is not something that happens overnight, it takes time, effort and care but if patience and effort are used, it can result in a wonderful garden as well as a balanced and successful college career.
