Wellbeing Wednesday: Get your vitamin G!
Over the last year, many of us have relied on our gardens and other green spaces to help us to maintain our mental and physical wellbeing.
Last week, National Gardening Week encouraged people to celebrate the feel-good power of plants and gardens, and get a daily dose of Vitamin G (Green)!
“Aim to bring green into your daily life as much as possible for maximum benefits. There are dozens of ways to connect with nature, and you don’t even need to have your own garden to get your Vitamin G.”
There are lots of ways to get your daily dose of Vitamin G and boost your personal wellbeing - from working in your own garden to a walk in the park, to putting a houseplant on your desk.
See the Royal Horticultural Society website for more inspiration!
Wellbeing Benefits of Gardening
John Greatrex, Group HR Director is an avid gardener and promotes the benefits of this for both physical and mental health:
"I thoroughly encourage gardening - taking the time each morning to walk around the garden and check my seedlings gives me fresh air and a time to get focussed for the day ahead.
"Similarly, at the end of the day and at weekends, it is a great way to unwind from work and get some exercise after sitting at my desk for the majority of my working day!
"I particularly enjoy growing my own vegetables - they always taste great and support a balanced diet to help keep me healthy. This also helps me live in a more sustainable way - it reduces the need to buy food from the supermarket which has been transported (producing carbon emissions) and often has excess packaging and plastic waste. So it is a win-win for me and the environment!"
In 2021, the RHS survey conducted research with over 6000 people which showed a significant association between gardening more frequently and improvements in wellbeing, perceived stress and physical activity. Watch the video below to find out more about their findings.
Creating green spaces at work
Colleagues across Unipart have also used their green spaces on sites to create places that colleagues can use to get their dose of Vitamin G as well as reflect and remember colleagues that are no longer with us or help create environments for nature to thrive.
I find gardening very relaxing and therapeutic and it gives me great satisfaction of seeing a plant grow from a seed to full maturity.
Our Employee Assistance Provider called LifeWorks, has a wide range of resources that can help you to maintain your well-being.
If you are struggling with any aspect of life, you can get free, confidential support from independent caring counsellors 24/7, via the phone number on 0800 169 1920 or through unipart.lifeworks.com or the LifeWorks mobile app.
If you don't already have a login, find out more about how to sign up here.
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