5 Ways Growing Grows Gratitude and Happiness

We’re all looking for ways to cultivate more happiness in our lives. And as psychologists everywhere have discovered, happiness comes largely from developing an attitude of gratitude in your life. So how do you become more grateful? Grow!

When you grow good things with Gardenuity, you’re growing more than just delicious eats. You’re growing gratitude and, if you have kids, you’re teaching gratitude too. Developing a regular practice of gratitude invites joy into our lives by strengthening relationships, helping us to appreciate the beauty in every day, and filling our hearts with happiness — not to mention that it literally helps us develop healthier physical hearts.

Nature’s beauty is a gift that cultivates appreciation and gratitude.

Louie Schwartzberg

Here are five ways to grow gratitude and happiness in your life.

1. Take a moment.

Trust us, we get it. You’re busy. The world’s always spinning, things always need to get done, and there’s always a new Netflix show we have to watch. That being said, taking a moment to ignore the hustle-and-bustle of life is imperative to growing happy and grateful hearts.

While you’re gardening, your mind is free to slow down and wonder. Whether you’re spending half an hour planting or taking thirty seconds to smell your fresh herb, you’ll have a precious moment to reflect on all of the things you have to be grateful for.

2. Acknowledge the beauty in the world.

Beauty is everywhere. It’s in the faces around us, in the art we see, and in the life we live. But, beauty is especially found in and on the earth. As Thoreau (the ultimate nature expert) said, “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our head.”

Getting in touch with the earth reminds us of the beauty that surrounds us all the time. Think about the spectrum of colors you see in fruit, the vibrancy of the sun’s rays, and the wonders of the weather you’re experiencing. The earth inspires us to recognize all of this beauty, and gratitude inevitably follows.

3. Appreciate the huge and miniature in nature.

As you follow your plant from seed (or youngling) to an adult producing fruit, you’re taking part in a creative act. As you observe your plant’s growth, you’ll be reminded of all the small parts that go into making this plant a whole. We don’t just mean the soil and the fertilizer. We’re talking about a cellular level — all of the minuscule tasks a plant completes to grow and thrive.

Growing in the garden helps you appreciate how ginormous nature is (the sky, the vast earth, massive trees) and how small and intricate a size it all begins in. All of nature works in this wondrous way — yourself included.

4. Participate in an age-old ritual.

One of the best ways to feel gratitude is to look back at who and what came before you. After all, it’s how we got where we are. For centuries, our ancestors have been digging holes in the earth and planting seeds. How they’ve done it has changed from small garden plots to agricultural kingdoms, to container gardens.

But whatever the method, you participate in a ritual nearly as old as humanity itself when you garden. Take a minute to reflect on the meaning of this. There’s no doubt we all have a reason to express gratitude for those who have grown before us!

5. Taste the fresh harvest.

The earth feeds us — literally. Whether you’re growing your food personally or shopping for mini-wheats at a supermarket, our strength comes directly from the earth. When you garden, you see the earth-to-table link up-close. Growing is feeding us, our children, and our loved ones. Be thankful for it!

At Gardenuity, we make it part of our daily practice to grow and be grateful. It feeds our souls, brightens our lives, and makes us feel closer to us. Let us know how growing encourages your practice of gratitude!

To help you get started here are 13 Gardening Tips for Beginners!