How to Boost Your Mental Health Post Festive Season

Christmas has been and gone and we’re well into January, which may be leaving you feeling deflated. Add these post-festive blues to the lockdown lifestyle and you’ve got a recipe for low mood and energy levels. In these unprecedented times, it is imperative that we take steps to nurture ourselves and our spaces to keep us positive and motivated to continue fighting the virus. Many of us are affected by the changes in seasons, especially when the daylight hours become shorter. This is often due to a lack of vitamin D, therefore spending as much time outside and in the natural light is sure to make you feel better and like yourself again. Starting with your garden, you can create an environment where your mental health can improve and thrive; some of the improvements are even free to do!

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Have a Garden Tidy Up

The first step to truly enjoying your garden and using it as a place for tranquillity and peace is to carry out some maintenance. A garden full of clutter can make the space a real turn off, but as we are spending more time at home, it is important that we have our own outdoor area in which to get our fix of fresh air. If you’ve tidied your garden but it still isn’t giving you the relaxed atmosphere that you hoped, try moving your current furniture and decor around until you find the perfect spot for each piece.

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Create a Dedicated Unwinding Area

Having a dedicated area for unwinding and processing your thoughts can often be overlooked but is actually the key to having an enjoyable garden. Some of us like to read, meditate or listen to music to help boost our mood, so an outdoor space where you can do these things will allow you to enjoy these relaxing hobbies while taking advantage of the natural light and air. For those of us that have smaller gardens, the area doesn’t have to be large or even permanent, you can invest in a small bistro set or just take a blanket and some cushions out with you and use these on drier days.

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Introduce a Garden Shelter

The English weather can be very unpredictable. It could start the day off with rays of gorgeous sunshine and then by lunchtime all of the seasons would have passed. This may be why you aren’t spending as much time in your garden as you’d like, but there is an easy way around this. Introducing a garden parasol or pop up gazebo over your seating area will allow you to make use of it during less favourable weather. Be careful when you use them however as wind and heavy rain will damage them, but they will easily fight drizzle and keep you dry so you can sit outdoors.

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Make Your Garden Cater to the Whole Family

Your garden should be an area that the whole family love to use, especially if you want to get your little ones away from their gadgets. With a play set, swing, football goal or trampoline, your kids will love spending time in the garden, which will also motivate you to spend more time outside. Spending time together as a family is great for making us feel good, so playing as a family in the garden will do wonders for how you feel, boosting your mood while also strengthening your relationship as a unit!