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“PLANTING A SEED OF WELLNESS”: A HANDS-ON APPROACH
IN REDUCING STRESS AMONG STANISLAUS
STATE STUDENTS
A Project Presented to the Faculty
of
California State University, Stanislaus
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
of Master of Social Work
By
Mai Ka Yang
May 2017
CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL
“PLANTING A SEED OF WELLNESS”: A HANDS-ON APPROACH
IN REDUCING STRESS AMONG STANISLAUS
STATE STUDENTS
by
Mai Ka Yang
Dr. Jane Rousseau
Assistant Professor of Social Work
Dr. John A. Garcia
Professor of Social Work
Date
Date
Signed Certification of Approval page
is on file with the University Library
© 2017
Mai Ka Yang
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
iv
DEDICATION
This Graduate Project is dedicated to all college students. When you feel
stressed out and you’ve lost hope remember that you made it this far already. Keep
striving for any goals you set forth. Make time for yourself and practice self care.
Know that you are important and you need to care for yourself in order to achieve
your dreams. There is a light waiting at the end of the tunnel.
v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to take this moment to express my profound gratitude
to my fiancé, Xie Moua. Thank you for the support and encouragement during my
journey in the MSW Program. Xie, you stood by me at my worst and till this day
you’re still standing by me, I cannot express how grateful I am of it. To my parents,
Chong Koua Yang (Ntxoov Kuam Yaj) and Youa Vang (Ntsuab Vaj), thank you for
believing in me, the lessons in life you’ve taught me, and for letting me live my life to
the fullest. Kuv niam thiab kuv txiv ua tsaug rau neb ob leeg txoj kev hlub thiab kev
qhuab qhia, tiam neej no kuv yuav pauj tsis tau dab tsis rau neb ob leeg tsuas muab
txoj kev hlub ntawm ib leeg ntxhais xwb.
To my sister, Nancy Yang, MSW, alumni of Stanislaus State MSW Program;
for every question I had, every challenge I faced, every moment of struggle; you were
always there for me. I will be forever grateful for your guidance and words of
wisdom, encouragements, and motivation you instill in me since day one of starting
this journey. My dearest family and wonderful friends no words can express how I
felt through this journey for the abundance of support and being there for me when
needed, thank you.
A special thank you to my Graduate Project chair, Dr. Jane Rousseau, for your
patience, guidance and gracefulness. Jane, you stood by me and continued to push me
when I lost hope in myself. To my dear cohort, without you guys the program would
not have been a thrill experience; I will continue to treasure every moment. I wish
vi
you all the best on your endeavors and continue doing what you do best. Thank you
to Stanislaus State Student Health Center and Stanislaus State PEER Project; this
graduate project would have not been completed without your collaboration.
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
Dedication ............................................................................................................... iv
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................. v
Abstract ................................................................................................................... viii
Description of the Project ....................................................................................... 1
Objective of the Project .......................................................................................... 4
Significance of the Project ...................................................................................... 5
Review of Related Literature .................................................................................. 7
Stress and the College Student Experience ................................................. 7
The Human Plant Relationship ................................................................... 9
Gardens and the Therapeutic Interventions and Settings ............................ 9
Summary ..................................................................................................... 11
Methodology ........................................................................................................... 13
Conclusions and Recommendations ....................................................................... 17
References ............................................................................................................... 22
Appendices
A. Survey Questionnaire .................................................................................. 26
B. Poster Board Gardening Facts .................................................................... 27
C. Motivational Quotes on Avery Labels ........................................................ 28
viii
ABSTRACT
This project was focused on developing and implementing a hands-on gardening
activity for Stanislaus State students that would assist students in stress reduction and
lead to the idea of self-care, well-being and having a healthy lifestyle. The objectives
of this project were accomplished through the collaboration between campus
organizations and students. A tabling planting activity was provided for students
along with information regarding student stress and how gardening could help
students with stress relief and ultimately the idea of self-care. Students are able to
walk away with therapeutic benefits without the clinical aspect. Planting a Seed of
Wellness would be influential in the overall wellness of college students if applied to
different universities in the near future.
1
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
The Planting a Seed of Wellness is a Master of Social Work graduate project
that explores a non-traditional practice approach for individuals, in this case
Stanislaus State students, to manage stress. The project aims to inform students about
the effects of stress among college students as well as the importance of finding self-
care strategies to develop more positive physical and mental wellbeing. This outdoor
event seeks to connect students with nature and the environment. Planting a Seed of
Wellness is intended to be a collaboration between students, faculty, staff, and
administrators to achieve better stress management and self-care among students
through a non-traditional approach.
According to Segal, Smith, Segal, and Robinson (2016) stress is the body’s
way of responding to any kind of demand or threat. Stress centers on a negative
impact that one is feeling or experiencing. Stress among human beings is common.
As human beings, we have all experienced stress at one time or another in life. There
are no concrete guidelines for how an individual can address or overcome stress
completely. The human body and mind handle stress differently and approach stress
in various ways.
Students who enter a university setting experience many challenges and
significant life changes. Many college students leave their homes, make decisions
based on career ambitions, establish a social life, find romantic partners, and with the
stress of paying for their college education often need to work part or full time to
2
support themselves. Dealing with financial, environmental, and social factors
accounts for some of the underlying stress that college students experience.
According to the 2015 National College Health Assessment, 30% of students reported
that stress had negatively affected their academic performance within the past year,
and over 85% had felt overwhelmed by everything they had to do at some point
within the past year (Reed, 2015). There are many ways that university students can
reduce stress. Students can attempt to practice stress reduction techniques provided in
articles and pamphlets they see on campus, visit on site campus counselors, or web
search basic topics such as coping with stress. Though information and advice are
available, not everyone handles stress the same way, and everyone copes with it
differently.
Gardens and gardening can represent an intimate connection with life itself
through concepts of caring and being a steward for living organisms that also
reciprocate with nourishment, aesthetics, and existential meaning in the context of
senescence (Wright & Wadsworth, 2014). When someone invests time in caring for a
living entity, he or she becomes connected to it. Gardeners take care of their plants,
and how the plants grow and respond allows them to determine how they will further
care for the plants. A sense of responsibility becomes abundant as they continue to
care and nurture their plants. This allows the gardener to see plants as a living system
reflecting the idea of nurturing oneself. Plant life cycles and ecosystems coincide and
interweave with the human life cycle (Simson & Straus, 1998). Other factors may or
3
may not cause the plant to sprout or grow, but allowing care and nourishment is
essential for the plant surviving.
Historically, farming and gardening have been a means of food production as
well as creating aesthetic beauty through landscapes. Francis (2016) suggests
gardening as a non-traditional approach to relieving stress. A drop in cortisol levels,
the hormone produced by stress, is found to result after thirty minutes of gardening.
Quite surroundings and constant repetitive motions while gardening sometimes act as
a form of meditation. Horticulture therapy is a recent field of study that focuses on the
effects of the process of gardening on rehabilitation, providing both a sense of control
and a distraction from worries, pain, and stresses (Perry, 2005). Other research has
found that gardening has an influence on physical and mental health wellbeing.
Horticulture therapy can be a major component of gardening programs. According to
Moore (1989) “correctional centers use horticulture to provide a more normal, relaxed
environment for group interaction for mental health inmates” (p. vii). Community
gardens are beginning to expand to school, hospital and even penitentiary settings.
4
OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT
This project was focused on accomplishing the following objectives:
(1) Develop a practical stress management activity for students at Stanislaus State.
According to Sincero (2012), “Ecological Systems theory states that human
development is influenced by the different types of environmental systems…it helps
us understand why we may behave differently when we compare our behavior in the
presence of our family and our behavior when we are in school or at work.” When
these sub systems cross paths, the student may or may not be able to balance nor
manage their stress. (2) Inform students about the issue of and factors that contribute
to student stress. (3) Provide Stanislaus State students an alternative approach to
manage their stress through gardening. Saleebey states, the wellness perspective
recognizes the extremely strong and important relationship between “body, mind and
environmental and health and wellness” (pg.300). (4) Provide students with the idea
of self-care through gardening.
5
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT
It is important for populations that social workers work with to practice stress
reduction and self-care. As stated by the National Association of Social Workers
(NASW), social workers promote the general welfare of society, from individual, to
local, to global levels through the development of people, their communities, and
their environments (National Association of Social Workers, 2016). Social workers
advocate for living conditions conducive to the fulfillment of basic human needs and
promote social, economic, political, and cultural values and institutions that are
compatible with the realization of social justice. Planting a Seed of Wellness
contributes to promoting an individual’s self-care, management of stress and
appreciation and mindfulness for living things.
This graduate project provides social work practitioners with a better
understanding of how the dynamics of stress management and self-care affects
college students through a non-traditional, alternative and tactile approach. This
project provides an example for how college campuses can provide non-traditional
services and outreach to college students. It attempts to bridge the gap in students
who may be reluctant to engage or access more formal services, by providing an
alternative approach that offers strategies to help college students struggling with
stress management in a less clinical, non-threatening and more accessible way.
The relevance of the project to social justice is acknowledging the
environment, which so many people are sadly disconnected from, with the general
6
welfare of individuals, groups and communities. College students at Stanislaus State
experience multiple pressures, with many as first generation learners from
marginalized and oppressed communities, and this approach provides an alternative
way of strengthening their current and ongoing resilience through self-care and stress
management. Social workers aim to promote equal access and opportunity for
everyone. They provide service, advocating for the well-being of the community,
addressing societal problems within the community as part of the social work
profession. Being an advocate for college students, many who are first generation
learners, and assisting them with their needs with a beneficial resource may lead them
to a healthier and more productive lifestyle.
The Planting a Seed of Wellness event also had the effect of potentially
creating an interest among other students on campus for a continued event in future
years. There is potential within Stanislaus State PEER Project to continue to offer
Planting a Seed of Wellness event in future years to be led by other student
volunteers. The event is systematically outlined through this report so that it can be
available to the Stanislaus State PEER Project. The detailed outline will help future
interns or volunteers with developing another Planting a Seed of Wellness event in
the future. Having this method available will allow Planting a Seed of Wellness to
continue without the current project leader’s presence.
7
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter is broken up into three sections in a context to help understand
how gardening and Planting a Seed of Wellness is essential in helping college
students with stress relief as well as achieving the idea self-care. These sections
include traditional or modern approaches to stress relief, the connection between
humans and plants, and gardens and their therapeutic interventions and settings.
Stress and the College Student Experience
In 2016, using the National College Health Assessment (NCHA), Stanislaus
State Health Education & Promotion found that 29.4% of student stress affected their
individual academic performance (Stanislaus State, 2017). College administrators are
increasingly becoming aware of the high levels of stress students are experiencing
through challenging academic programs. College students are increasingly facing
stressors that normally would not affect college students a few decades ago: high
tuition cost, cost of living, and personal stressors.
Stress has become common among college students and is related to issues
such as financial concerns, academic success, and time management. In a study done
by Britta, Mendiola, Schink, and Jones (2016), a double ABC-X stress model was
used to identify how resources and perceptions modify the amount of financial stress
felt by college students and how it affects academic achievement. The study
concludes that students with more financial and life stressors reported greater stress.
The study suggests that financial counseling and psychological counseling could be
8
beneficial to student awareness, to address financial, and other potential life stressors
among them.
In 2015, Peer, Hillman, and Van Hoet did a study that focused on 20
emerging adult college students with regard to how stress affects their lives. In this
study, four stressor areas were identified: school, finances, family relationships, and
personal relationships. Participants described school as causing stress in multiple
ways. Grades and career concerns caused significant stress. Other aspects of the
academic experience noted as stressful included achieving a certain grade point
average, taking exams, and working to achieve deadlines. Several students stated that
debt and their inability to pay bills triggered significant stress. Parental expectations
for exceptional grades, and conflict with parents regarding career direction were also
reported to trigger stress for students. Finally, effectively maintaining romantic
emotional closeness in relationships and feeling supported by their partners were
reported as stressful for participants in the study.
The participants were asked a series of questions which then were regrouped
in regards to three categories: positive mental health affect, negative mental health
affect, and negative health affect (Peer et al., 2015). Under positive mental health
affect, some students were compelled to succeed when under stress as well as using it
as a form of motivation. Some students reported that for negative mental health, the
effect of stress affected their mood, anxiety, irritability, depression state, nervousness,
etc. Negative physical aspect of the stress causes students to experience issues such as
irregular sleep habits, appetite changes, increased heart rate, stomach and cramps.
9
This often resulted in the need to address therapeutic intervention between counseling
professional and students to assist in helping students adapt with their stress.
The Human Plant Relationship
The relationship between humans and plants has emerged with civilization.
Humans depend on plants to live. Through time, plants and vegetation were our
source of food. Manufactured materials such as wood for housing, cotton for clothing,
grapes for wine, all derived from different plants. Medicinal use of plants and their
roots cultivated society and the ways in which humans use them to heal. Plants as an
environmental component play an important role in our Ecosystem.
As we have become less involved with the physical nature of plants, we forget
that plants are obliviously interlinked into human life. The usage of the natural
environment has varied through the centuries and reflected each culture’s beliefs and
values (Soderback, Soderstrom, & Schalander, 2004). Our everyday environment
affects the way we behave and feel as individuals. Gardens, and gardening itself, have
the ability to help people grow and heal. The people-plant relationship presently is
referred as Horticultural therapy. Horticultural therapy involves interventions
mediated by nature-oriented views and spaces such as gardens to aide in the health
and rehabilitation of people.
Gardens and the Therapeutic Interventions and Settings
Horticultural therapy is the engagement of a client in horticultural activities
facilitated by a trained therapist to achieve specific and documented treatment goals
such as increase cognitive, physical, psychological, social functioning and overall
10
wellness (American Horticultural Therapy Association, 2017). Hospitals, clinics,
psychiatric hospitals and mental-health programs, hospice programs, cancer centers,
correctional facilities, community gardens, and schools are some of the settings where
horticultural therapy is being used to address mental wellness (AHTA, 2017).
A study by Retzlaff-Fürst (2016), focuses on gardening and its influence of
student self-esteem and blood pressure. The test subjects were university students
studying to become primary, middle and high school teachers. The research
concluded that all groups benefited from gardening but primary teacher students
benefited more particularly due the audience and their needs. Retzlaff-Fürst (2016)
states, “The results of the study “blood pressure” showed that stress-induced blood
pressure changes after light and heavy physical labor in the garden. The study
suggests that gardening in situations of stress increases self-esteem more, which will
eventually lead to an improved well-being in general” (p.1856).
A study was conducted at Danderyd Hospital Rehabilitation Clinic focusing
on the use of horticultural therapy and gardening among patients with neurological
and musculoskeletal diseases from 1983 to the 2004 (Soderback et al., 2004). The
therapeutic garden at Danderyd Hospital not only focused on rehabilitation but on
improved mental health. The study found that using horticultural therapy as a
rehabilitation interventions resulted in improvement in emotional, cognitive, and
sensory motor function. There was an increase in social participation as well as health
and well-being.
11
Summary
The start of adulthood for many signifies independence and self-
responsibility, but if not managed well it may lead some individuals into stressful
situations and negative decision-making. Almost one-third of Stanislaus State
students are feeling some type of stress from a survey conducted in 2016 by the
Stanislaus State Health Education & Promotion (Stanislaus State, 2017). It is
important that the needs of university students are being met both physically and
mentally. Providing students with freelance projects or activities that can benefit on
the behalf of students is an essential aspect that any university can offer.
This chapter addresses the impact stress can have on student mental health,
academic achievement, and psychical nature. Without some type of stress reduction
intervention or prevention methods negative mental or physical symptoms may rise
from stressors. Though universities are able to offer counseling services for students
to meet their psychological needs they may still be hesitant to the idea. Students may
also be reluctant to seek mental health prevention and interventions services due to
the impact of stigma and negative beliefs about seeking treatment (Eustis, Williston,
Morgan, Graham, Hayes-Skelton, & Roemer, 2016).
This chapter also summarized relevant literature regarding the therapeutic
benefits of exploring the human and plant relationship. The main purpose of this
project was to develop an activity for Stanislaus State students to help with the
reduction of stress and introduce the idea of self-care. We may often forget that
gardening itself one of the oldest methods of healing, and in many ways, plant life acts
12
as a metaphor for human life. The research reviewed in this section suggests that
gardening promotes well-being and helps reduces stress. By approaching stress-reduction
in a non-clinical way, the project may be able to provide students with a therapeutic
intervention free of the stigma and barrier of having to reach out for formal intervention.
Horticultural therapists say gardens produce the most positive effect on mental health by
providing a sense of control – a psychological counter response to stress and anxiety. The
integration of this small-scale project could influence how students perceive how to care
for themselves as well as take charge of their lifestyle.
13
METHODOLOGY
The focus of this project was to develop and implement a gardening activity
(intervention) designed to provide an analogous experience for Stanislaus State
students to focus on their own health and wellness. The project involved collaboration
with Stanislaus State PEER Project and Stanislaus State Student Health Center.
Stanislaus State PEER Project provides many mental health and wellness seminars
and educational workshops for students and the community. PEER Project’s mission
is to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issue and to promote wellness. As a
former PEER Project intern, I have had past experience developing a similar event on
campus. The experience with those previous events helped me with the process of my
graduate project Planting a Seed of Wellness.
To ensure the success of this project a meeting was scheduled between PEER
Project coordinator Jennifer Johnson and Stanislaus State Student Health Center
Megan Rowe on November 28, 2016. I presented my graduate project proposal and
outlined any topics or items that needed to be change in order to meet both PEER
Project’s and Stanislaus State Health Center’s requirements. After the agreement and
finalization of both parties support and their involvement was obtained, I contacted
the current PEER Project intern via email to see if she would be interested in
volunteering for my event.
The location of the graduate project was determined to be at the Stanislaus
State Quad, as there would be more students in the area. It was best to conduct the
14
project during early March as that was also planting time for seeds. March 8, 2016
from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. was the initial time period since students would be out of
classes during that time. The date, time, and location for the graduate project was
requested by the Health Education Coordinator. I emailed a short description of my
event for the request as it was needed to reserve space on university grounds. The
request was made via Stanislaus State’s website by using 25Live Calendar a campus
event scheduler. Included in the request was equipment that included a canopy tent,
two tables, and two chairs. The PEER Project intern was unable to assist me for my
event due to her scheduling; I was able to get two student volunteers. I trained and
provided information to both of them about student stress and the concept of
gardening and self-care. I prepared the volunteers by informing them about the
outline of Planting a Seed of Wellness day’s systematic details with respect to what to
expect regarding engagement from the student participants.
Before the Planting a Seed of Wellness event, I scheduled a meeting with the
Health Education Coordinator in February 2017 to shop for gardening items for the
event at Orchard Supply Hardware. Items that were purchased for Planting a Seed of
Wellness were biodegradable gardening pots. Due to previous similar events, there
were still leftover potting soil and flower seeds located in the PEER Project office.
Non-monetary items included motivational quotes printed onto Avery sticker labels, a
sign in list for the event, a five question survey, and a handmade poster board that
informed students about the purpose of my graduate project.
15
The day of the event consisted of setting up a table at the quad area. The
gardening pots were filled with soil and lined up ready to be used by students who
came up to the tabling area. The student volunteers were instructed by me to talk and
get students attention as they walk by the tabling event. Before students began with the
planting activity, I referred them to the poster board and informed them of some statistics
about the amount of stress were felt by college students nationwide. To engage the students, I
asked them what they do to reduce their stress when they feel stressed out. I explained to the
students the purpose of my graduate project and also gave them some facts regarding
gardening and stress relief and reduction. I wanted to introduce gardening as a stress reliever
and reintroduce the potential of gardening, that at times gets overlooked, into the life of a
busy college student lives.
After this engagement and introduction to the purpose of the activity, the
students chose their gardening pots then picked a motivational quote out of the six
different options available. They then placed the label onto their pot. Students then
chose from the different packets of flower seeds. After the planting process,
instructions were also given to students to water the seedlings and provide it with sun
light. The final step was completing a quick five questions survey to be entered into a
drawing. Before completing the survey, I refreshed students about the relationship
between gardening and stress reduction, in hopes that the students would walk away
with the connection of the plant care to self-care.
On April 2017, a name was drawn out of the completed surveys. The student
was contacted via email and informed that a twenty-dollar gift card to Jamba Juice
will be with the Stanislaus State Health Education Coordinator. The winning student
16
presented proper identification in order to receive the gift card. The requested student
feedback form consisted of questions regarding (1) if students can provide themselves
with self-care, (2) whether they would reach out to someone else in need of help, (3)
whether they would consider participating in a similar activity in the future, (4)
whether they think gardening is an approach to self-care that they can see themselves
engaging in the future, and (5) will the student continue to take care of the seedling in
reference to taking care of themselves. The feedback helped established whether the
project was successful in increasing student awareness of stress and wellness.
17
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Planting a Seed of Wellness provided Stanislaus State students with a hands-
on gardening activity to aid in stress relief. The idea behind this project was to help
students to focus on the idea of self-care by means of being a care taker of the plant in
reference to their own lifestyle. This project met its objective to: (1) Develop a
practical stress management activity for students at Stanislaus State. (2) Inform
students about the issue of and factors that contribute to student stress. (3) Provide
Stanislaus State students an alternative approach to manage their stress through
gardening. (4) Provide students with the idea of self-care through gardening.
The first objective was achieved by working and collaborating with both
PEER Project and the Student Health Center of Stanislaus State. This was achieved
by getting in contact and working with the PEER Project Coordinator and Health
Education Coordinator. This effort was based on working with the existing student
organization PEER Project to meet the needs of Stanislaus State students who
experience college related stress.
Objective two was accomplished by providing information on stress factors
for college students through the development and use of a poster board the day of the
event. Through direct interaction the project facilitator, and student volunteers,
provided information and education regarding the relationship between college
students and stress at the tabling event. The intent of objective two was to make
students aware that college students nationwide are experiencing the same stressors.
18
As well as to emphasize that it is normal to experience stress and that they are not
alone.
Objective three was accomplished by setting up a gardening station at
Stanislaus State quad area for students. At the end of the activity, we informed
students about how to care for the plant and that is when we add that for a plant to
thrive and be healthy it must be taken care well. At that point, we posed the idea that
for the student to grow and thrive they must become less stress and provide
themselves with a healthy positive lifestyle. We hope that this Planting a Seed of
Wellness activity allowed the students to foster the idea of caring for the plant:
needing water, sunlight, and a healthy environment. As to self-care: making the
connection that they, themselves need to care for them and to be in a well-being state
of mind and relieve some stress in their daily life.
Lastly, by providing students with a hands-on activity, there is hope that
students would make healthier choices on stress reduction. My goal was to instill
students with the idea that being connected to environment and some form of nature
would have a positive impact on one’s life. Being able to care for their own plant and
seeing it grow and blossom metaphorically implies to the health and well-being of
their life as well.
The Planting a Seed of Wellness offered student participants a gift card if they
completed a survey at the end of the event. The survey consisted of five-questions
with three response option: No, Maybe, and Yes. The result of the thirty-one students
who surveyed stated that if Question (1) they can provide themselves with self-care:
19
(0) 0% stated no, (6) 19.4% stated maybe, and (25) 80.6% stated yes. Question 2, if
they would nourish themselves differently than before the event: (2) 6.5% stated no,
(14) 45.2% stated maybe and (15) 48.2% stated yes. Question 3, if they would be able
to assist others about living a healthy lifestyle: (1) 3.2% stated no, (5) 16.1% stated
maybe and (25) 80.6% stated yes. Question 4, will the students continue to take care
of this seedling in reference of taking care of themselves: (0) 0% stated no, (3) 9.7%
stated maybe, and (28) 90.3% stated yes. Question 5, asked if gardening would be an
approach to self-care students could see themselves engaging in the future: (0) 0%
stated no, (7) 22.6% stated maybe, and (25) 77.4% stated yes.
In conclusion, the Planting a Seed of Wellness Graduate project was a success
with the collaboration of both PEER Project and the Stanislaus State Student health
center. The strengths of the project were that students were able to enjoy non-
complex hands-on activity on campus. Stanislaus State students were exposed to a
different style of stress reduction. The weakness of the project mainly focuses on the
follow through of the students and their plant. It would have been useful to perhaps
follow-up with students as their plants began to grow to see if there were any ongoing
therapeutic benefits in terms of their ability to feel inter-connected. Another, more
practical observation is that the bio-degradable pots did not work well with students
that lived on campus dormitory; they were left to wonder where to plant the flowers
when it grows bigger. A useful recommendation may be to collaborate with other
organizations or university administration to determine if there is a way to plant on
university grounds and to then organize a way to follow up with students on a regular
20
basis where the discussion and links to stress reduction may continue. Another
recommendation would be to target faculty and school administration personnel who
may also be interested in taking part in the event as well. With broad support from
students, faculty, administration and related campus organization; Planting a Seed of
Wellness the event could become campus wide and be continued not only at
Stanislaus State but also serve as a model for other universities.
REFERENCES
22
REFERENCES
American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment II
(ACHA-NCHA II). (2016) Retrieved from California State University,
Stanislaus, Health Education & Promotion website:
https://www.csustan.edu/health-ed/about-us/acha-ncha-ii
Britt, S. L., Mendiola, M. R., Schink, G. H., Tibbetts, R. H., & Jonese, S. H. (2016).
Financial Stress, Coping Strategy, and Academic Achievement of College
Students. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, 27(2), 172-183. doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/1052-3073.27.2.172
Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. (2016). Retrieved from
National Association of Social Workers website:
http://www.socialworkers.rog/pubs/code/code.asp.
Eustis, E. H., Williston, S.K., Morgan, L.P. Graham, J.R., Hayes-Skelton, S.A &,
Roemer, L. (2016) Development, Acceptability, and Effectiveness of an
Acceptance-Based Behavioral Stress/Anxiety Management Workshop for
University Students. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2016.03.011
Francis, M. (2016) Get Growing and Get Happy. Retrieved from
http://http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:qnmNks10rbkJ
:www.hgtv.com/outdoors/gardens/get-growing-and-get-
happy+&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
23
Horticultural Therapy: History and Practice (2017) Retrieved from American
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APPENDICES
26
APPENDIX A
SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Can you provide yourself with a self-care?
No Maybe Yes
2. Will you nourish yourself differently than before this event?
No Maybe Yes
3. Will be able to assist others about living a healthy lifestyle?
No Maybe Yes
4. Will you continue to take care of this seedling in reference of taking care of yourself?
No Maybe Yes
5. Would gardening be an approach to self-care you can see yourself engaging in the
future?
No Maybe Yes
27
APPENDIX B
POSTER BOARD GARDENING FACTS
Gardening With Your Mind, Body, and Soul
Five Facts:
Gardening is known to help improve memory,
critical thinking, socialization and language skills.
Horticultural therapists say gardens produce the most positive
effects on mental health. They do this by providing a sense of
control - the psychological counter to stress and anxiety.
Much of the science behind just how gardening affects the mind and
brain still remains a mystery. What scientists do know is that
gardening reduces stress and calms the nerves. It decreases cortisol, a hormone that plays a role in stress response.
Studies show that gardening promotes physical health, mental
health through relaxation and satisfaction, and better
nutrition.
Gardening has also emerged in recent years as a scientifically
proven stress reliever. Stress can cause irritability, headaches, stomach aches, heart attacks and worsen pre-
existing conditions in the body.
The American Horticultural Therapy Association
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-193859/Proof-gardening-healthy.html#ixzz3Gp3ZJTog http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/02/17/147050691/can-gardening-help-troubled-minds-heal
http://permaculturenews.org/2013/06/05/wellbeing-gardening-gardening-for-the-body-mind-spirit/ http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/what_are_the_physical_and_mental_benefits_of_gardening
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APPENDIX C
MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES ON AVERY LABELS
“Always do your best. What you
plant now, you will harvest later.”
-Og Mandino
“Even the smallest steps move you
forward.”
-Oprah Winfrey
“A person who never made a
mistake, never tried anything new.”
-Albert Einstein
“We may encounter many defeats
but we must not be defeated.”
-Maya Angelou
“Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the
rest of your life as a champion.”
-Muhammad Ali
“All our dreams can come true if we
have the courage to pursue them.”
-Walt Disney
