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Gardening for Stress Relief
by Susan Stewart
In its purest form, gardening is about connecting
with the earth and resetting our clocks to the simple, natural rhythms
of life. Try as we may, we can't really speed up a tomato plant and
make it grow by our time table. We must adapt and in doing so, gardening
offers us a gentle reminder about what's really important in life: food,
water, warmth, a bit of loving attention, and some room to grow.
Gardening is one of the fastest growing pastimes in the U.S., as well
as one of the healthiest. Beyond its spiritual aspects, gardening can
be a great stress reliever. Digging, raking, planting, pruning, and
harvesting are physical activities that provide a constructive outlet
for tensions that build up in our bodies. Gardening activities draw
on your endurance, give you flexibility and strength, build muscle and
strengthen the heart and lungs, as well as helping with weight control.
And with numerous studies showing us that regular physical activity
reduces your risk of premature death, heart disease, obesity, high blood
pressure, adult-onset diabetes, osteoporosis, stroke, depression and
colon cancer, it’s clear that we all must take responsibility for ourselves
and do what we can to stay healthy. So if you think you might enjoy
gardening, here are some ideas to get you started:
Start small and plant things that you will enjoy. If flowers make you
happy, plant a few flowers. Over time you will find what works and what
doesn’t. Don’t worry too much about the best way to do things. The most
important thing is to just get started.
If you are hoping to reduce stress through gardening, it's important
to make sure that working in the garden doesn't simply create additional
stresses. That means, take it easy. Keep your gardening to-do list short.
Stretch before and after working in the garden to minimize aches and
pains. Take breaks to sit back, rest and appreciate what you've accomplished.
Listen to music while you work.
If a large garden sounds like too much work or you don’t have the room,
think about trying Micro-gardening. Grow your own plants - food or flowers
in containers rather than in a plot of ground. The size of the garden
is completely up to you. There's micro-gardening, and then there's MICRO-gardening.
If you have access to outside areas such as a patio, balcony or porch,
your micro-gardening opportunities increase greatly. You may not even
need to buy special pots. If you have old flowerpots, buckets, half-barrels
or even concrete blocks, you have the makings of great gardening. Make
sure the containers are clean and have drainage holes. If there aren't
any holes, start with a layer of pebbles before adding the dirt.
Herbs grow particularly well indoors. Depending on your cooking style,
one plant each can produce all the parsley, dill, thyme, basil and oregano
you need for an entire season of meals. Follow the seed packet directions,
or buy individual seedlings, and you're on your way.
Remember that when container-gardening, the plants count on you for
their moisture. They might not receive enough rain and dew to grow well,
so water the plants when the dirt starts to dry out.
Growing your own makes it easier to get the minimum "five-a-day" servings
of veggies and fruits the experts now recommend for health. Recent research
confirms that most common fruits and vegetables come packed not only
with the vitamins and minerals already known to support good health,
but also with "phytonutrients" demonstrated to boost the immune system,
retard the aging process, and help heal or prevent many chronic diseases.
Gardening is good exercise, especially if you take a pass on all the
latest power tools and put your muscle to the tasks of digging, turning
and spreading compost, collecting and spreading mulch, hoeing and picking
rocks. Activities like these burn calories, build muscle and strengthen
the heart and lungs.
Even a small vegetable garden can save money. To ensure savings, though,
a backyard gardener needs to stick to the basic tools and supplies and
keep a tight rein on the temptation to own all the newest gadgets. For
the biggest savings in energy, dollars and space, look into intensive
gardening, the art of producing a lot of food in a small space.
You just can't beat gardening for stress relief. The simple acts of
planting seeds and tending plants can restore balance and perspective
during the most wrenching life crises. Research has demonstrated that
people heal faster after surgery when exposed to natural scenery - even
looking at photographs of green plants speeds recovery. So what are
you waiting for? Get started today!
Susan Stewart is co-founder and partner of It’s
My Nature, a home based business in Florence, Oregon that provides Aromatherapy
and Herbal Comfort Products. See their large, informative website at
http://www.itsmynature.net
or a catalog is available by calling 1-888-445-5051. Monthly newsletter.
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gardening
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If you could write an article on stress relief
and or gardening for the elderly please contact us.
Senior Citizen? Over 65, 75, 85, 95? or even younger!
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need old age designers, Old but Healthy Article writers, Gardening editors,
experts on old age and Gardening,
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old age or the elderly Senior Citizen.
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