The enforced lockdown during the pandemic has forced many professionals to work from home. It sounds wonderful for many people, but working from home created a struggle to maintain a work-life balance for some. Many people in creative roles crave the stimulation that comes from brainstorming with team members and even the daily commute. Others need personal interaction to prevent getting stress and anxiety.

Having a Garden at home could be better for your mental well-being as well as your productivity. Though it may not directly help you at your job, seeing greens and nature in the middle of a workday at home can be beneficial to you in many ways, such as:

Gives you an opportunity to have a physical activity

When working from home, it’s easy to set aside physical activity unless you make an effort and discipline yourself. Gardening and yard work is a great form of moderate aerobic exercise, which we all need every day for at least 30 minutes. While tending the garden doesn’t need the vigorous activity required of activities like running or jogging, it will still be beneficial for your body.

Pulling some weeds, reaching for different tools and plants, walking to and fro your garden and garage, and bending and twisting as you tend and the plant will work muscles in your body. Gardening is an activity that will work new muscles in your body, which can help with your strength, stamina, fine motor skills, and flexibility.

Good for mental health and overall mood

As much as possible, the ideal home office area has large windows that can give you a view into your garden. We all get distracted from time to time, and it’s better to look out of a window to enjoy the natural views than to reach for our phones to check on social media.

Looking at a garden and the activity of gardening itself is an excellent stress reliever. Gardening can fight stress even better than other hobbies, according to one study. It’s a mood-boosting project that can help you combat loneliness and stress. Exposure to fresh air and sunlight, contact with plants, and repetitive tasks can help release serotonin in the brain.

When you’re at home, you can get distracted by household chores that you need to do. Building a garden office can let you have the distinction between work and life and let you focus on doing your job before handling housework. It gives mindfulness and tranquility that can help a lot with our day-to-day well-being.

Increases vitamin D exposure

If you’re working from home, you’ll be spending a lot of time indoors, which can negatively affect your health and behavior. A family garden gets you outside, enjoying and experiencing nature.

And while you gain outdoor time, you also expose yourself to Vitamin D. This vitamin increases your calcium levels, which benefit your bones and immune system. Exposure to sunlight does not only benefit babies and children – but it can also help older adults achieve adequate serum vitamin D levels.

Outdoor activities like being busy with the garden are a perfect way to get your dose of sunshine while pursuing fun and fulfilling hobbies. Just don’t forget to put on sunscreen to protect your skin and wear sunglasses for your eyes. Also, don’t stay under the sun too long between 10 AM and 4 PM as it can increase the risks of sunburn. It’s best to do your gardening in the early morning while the sun’s rays are still friendly.

Gives you better sleep

All of the above activities – physical activity, being outside, reduced stress, and improved mood – can contribute to a better quality of sleep. And better sleep can translate to better performance and increased alertness which can help your job performance.

Encourages healthier eating

If you grow your own vegetables, you and your family will be more willing to taste unfamiliar veggies, which is the first step to incorporating new flavors into your diet. Adults who take time to the garden are also more likely to eat more fruits and vegetables than non-gardeners.

Lacking space for a vegetable garden? Fear not! You don’t need to have a wide backyard and tilled soil beds for growing veggies. You can install a square foot container garden on a limited space and still have the chance to have a bountiful harvest.

Decreases risk of dementia

A scientific study found out that gardening can lower the risk of dementia by 36 percent. This study involved more than 2,800 people over the age of 60 for 16 years and concluded that physical activity, especially gardening, can reduce the incidence of developing dementia in a senior’s future years.

Creates an opportunity to have family time

If you struggle with work and life balance when working at home, gardening can create an excellent opportunity for you and your kids to have quality family time. Children can do a lot of the work for your garden, either independently or alongside an adult. It will also be a big learning opportunity for them and to give them a reason to part ways with their gadgets for quite some time.

Depending on their ages, kids can help improve your garden by:

• Watering plants using a sprinkler or hose
• Raking leaves
• Collecting sticks and other debris
• Digging holes for plants and seeds
• Harvesting fruits and vegetables
• Bringing biodegradable waste to the compost pile
• Sprinkling plant food
• Weeding
• Spreading bark or mulch
• Rearranging small stones for landscaping
• Mowing the lawn

Whatever you choose to do, make sure you’re teaching them along the way to make it an educational activity as well.

Adds value to your home

Depending on your location and the nature of your garden office, you can add significant resale value to your property by having a well-tended garden. A garden is a less expensive way to add an extension to your house, and it’s also a far less invasive job to undertake.

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