2026-06-03
Overcoming Modern Depression: The Power of Touching Soil for Just 10 Minutes a Day
Discover how community gardening and touching soil can heal depression and loneliness. Learn about the miracle of urban farming for all ages.


Hello,
This is Geomjin Gaja,
filling your body and mind
with health.
Regardless of age or gender,
we all face depressing moments,
and when those moments persist,
daily life becomes increasingly difficult.
They say the world has become a better place to live,
but why do people conversely say
it has become harder to survive?
There is a ‘best medicine’
that washes away depression and loneliness
even without a doctor’s prescription.
A miracle that costs nothing
and changes your daily life
in just 10 minutes a day.
Check it out right now!
The Miracle of Sanse Village Blooming from a Trash Heap
In a residential area in Seoul,
there is a community garden
created voluntarily by residents.
In the past, it was abandoned land
filled with odors and trash,
but residents joined forces
to clear 30 tons of waste.
In the garden born from that effort,

the elderly plant cabbage together
and prepare a ‘Tuesday Table’
using the harvested produce.

Seniors who used to eat alone in loneliness
have become one large family through the garden,
and their mental ailments have vanished.
Soothing the Loneliness of Young Single-Person Households
The miracle of the garden
is not limited to
the elderly.
On the rooftop of a villa in Mapo,
young people living alone gather
to tend a small garden.
These young people, often called the ‘Sampo Generation’
(those who give up on dating, marriage, and childbirth),
were experiencing extreme stress and
loneliness in their daily lives.

Research shows that the level of depression
in those living alone is twice as high
as that of the general population.
As these young people began gathering every weekend
to touch the soil and grow vegetables,
an amazing change occurred.
By sharing their worries and
cooking together with the vegetables they grew,
severed human relationships were restored
and daily life became enjoyable.
Healing Spaces Noticed by Global Cities
In Seattle, USA,
similar community garden programs
are achieving great success.
Gardens were allocated to
immigrants and refugees who felt
extreme alienation due to unfamiliar cultures and languages.
They cultivated the soil,
grew vegetables from their homelands,
and found mental stability
by naturally communicating with neighbors.

Young people who were wandering
due to running away from home or career issues
also learned responsibility in the garden,
overcame depression,
and began to dream of a new future.
The Powerful Healing Effect of Soil and Life
The real ‘miracle drug’
that modern medicine is paying attention to
is the connection with nature.
Even for just 10 minutes a day,
looking at green plants instead of a smartphone screen
and touching warm soil instead of concrete
stabilizes our body’s sympathetic nervous system.

The fact that there is a life
I can care for with sincerity,
and the value of being able to share that
with neighbors, is what treats depression.
It doesn’t have to be grand-scale farming.
A small pot on a balcony or
a weekend farm plot is excellent.
I have also personally reserved a garden plot on a yearly basis
and cultivated it myself.
I gained the joy of sharing the harvested crops
with my family, neighbors, and friends.
I gained physical strength from the activity
and also acquired knowledge about crops.
What became most certain is that
I learned how to be more grateful
when I eat.
If your heart is drained
from the exhaustion of busy daily life,
try bringing a small patch of green
into your life right now.
The comfort provided by the soil
will warmly embrace
your weary heart!
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