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The feeling comes quickly, the knot in your stomach, the pain crawling up from your neck into your head. Tension and stress! You could take a pill, but a better solution is to go play in your garden. Try this when you feel like you've been sitting in a patch of prickly pear cactus.
Stop whatever you are doing when the feeling starts, and go outside. Find a corner with a bit of garden, a tree or shrubs. Turn your brain off to everything except the smell of the pine tree, the prick of the needles. Hear the breeze whisper relax, relax. Look closely at the color of the leaves, notice that they aren't solid, but spots of many shades. Describe the sky. Is it gray like your mood, or bright and clean? Do the clouds have pictures today or are they all smeared like a poorly erased chalkboard? Breathe in, blow it out. Calm, calm.
Garden therapy is a fast growing field, but you and I have known it all along, haven't we? Have a bad day, go pull some weeds while pretending it is your boss's hair you are pulling! Pinch those little bugs that are chewing away at the leaves of your flowering vines. Drown a few slugs from under the hosta. Ahhh, how satisfying is that? Plant seeds or bulbs trusting that spring will come again and your future will include food, or the beauty of flowers and butterflies.
My favorite thing is good soil. I feel a bit like Scarlet O'Hara when I pick up a handful of dirt, hold it, feel it, smell it. Warm in the summer, cold in the winter, but always promising that if I take care of it, good things will happen.
On recent bad day, the only thing that helped was to go out with my big old fork and just stab away at the compost heap. It was a damp cold day, with drizzle and overcast skies, and my mood matched perfectly. I had to put on boots, my coat, hat and gloves. My nose was red, my eyes were stinging. Take that, to the person who put grocery carts in the handicapped spot. This stab's for you, insurance company that didn't pay the doctor's bill. Whack Whack, for the person who hit my car and left. I'll show you, higher gas prices! Drenched and tired I finally quit, but boy did I feel better when I came inside, plus it counted as exercise!
Calmer now, I cut some wonderful smelling fresh rosemary for a pot of soup, checked on the water level under the bulbs I'm forcing in the window. The apple blossom amaryllis has grown almost an inch today, is that a bud finally forming? I should have fresh flowers blooming soon. This is so much better. I can hear the pic pic of the downy woodpecker on the suet outside. That sure beats the banging in my head earlier today.
So let's review: gardening provides hope, exercise, calmness and joy. You can let out stress, dream about the future, make plans, plant good things and pull out bad. Surely that is better than a visit to a doctor or taking pills? I thought you would agree with me. Wave if you see me in the garden as you drive by! I'll smile and wave back.
For more information about garden therapy, search Horticultural Therapy or Gardening Therapy.
Soil and compost heap pictures by mqiq77
Apple blossom amaryllis picture by Floridian
Downy Woodpecker picture by Marilynbeth
Other pictures by Cathy4
About Cathy M Wallace
I'm rediscovering the joy of being in the garden, playing in the compost, remembering gardens from my childhood and dreaming of those to come. Physical challenges are helping me learn all about raised beds, lasagna gardening and new tools. In addition to our yard, my husband and I take care of several gardens at church. We love our family, friends, travel, writing & laughing.
Posted by greenconnection (from san fernnando city,
(Philippines)) on February 14, 2008 at 2:13 AM:
Is any member in here growing adeniums? they are also called dessert rose...I harvested my first seed pod yesterday of white adeniums and i got 79 healthy seeds. I would like to trade some with "tibouchina jules". I'll tale some pictures and post it here sometimes...or you can search the internet to take a look on some pictures of adeniums...thank you
Elena
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Posted by cathy4 (from St. Louis County, MO) on February 14, 2008 at 2:25 AM:
Elena, I think you have the wrong place for this, try the trading areas.
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Subject: Thanks for a nice article
Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on February 13, 2008 at 7:31 AM:
I can relate. Having had a stress-ful and gardening-empty week I am itching to get back out there and work out some of that frustration!
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Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 13, 2008 at 8:10 AM:
Amen, once I started gardening again, I no longer have to take bp meds. My bp is back to normal, the Dr was amazed. Great therapy and so relaxing. ;) Thanks for the article, Cathy. It's good information!
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Posted by LariAnn (from Miami, FL) on February 13, 2008 at 10:05 AM:
Wonderful quiet moment reading this! I often go just outside the back door and look out over all the plants and trees. At that time, seems I just drift into them and blend with them, and nothing else matters. It is very soothing and blissful to just BE with my plants.
Watering my plants is also very relaxing; I'm doing something for them and they are doing something for me.
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Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on February 13, 2008 at 10:24 AM:
Believe it or not, my husband usually tries to convince me that it's worth it to spend money on seeds and 'stuff', as long as the 'stuff' is within reason. It keeps everyone saner in two ways: first, by having plants around, and second, by having me be happier. Lovely article! Now, which weed is the fire hydrant that hit my car yesterday? lol.
x, Carrie
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Posted by Indynannyof8 (from Brownstown, IN) on February 13, 2008 at 10:39 AM:
This one hit the nail right on the head. I need to get at my frozen compost pile. Maybe I can break that inch layer of ice!!!!!
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Posted by Sashagirl (from by the Muddy Miss., IA) on February 13, 2008 at 11:58 AM:
Bless your heart!
This is, indeed, what I needed this morning! May you all have more sunshine than dark days. :-)
Great, uplifting article!
Sasha
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Posted by adinamiti (from Bucuresti
(Romania)) on February 13, 2008 at 12:57 PM:
Great article, very well written and so funny ! I had to read it all from the first line to the bottom ! I oftenly use gardening for relaxing and calming down after a bad day! Thanks for such a wonderful article!
Hugs,
Adina
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Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on February 13, 2008 at 2:09 PM:
Ahhhhh, nothing like gardening in every form to relax me - great article Cathy :)
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Posted by Lindawalkabout (from Holden, MO) on February 13, 2008 at 2:28 PM:
Made me laugh and smile, heading out to the compost with pitch fork in hand cuz my house that needs spring cleaning is stressing me out, "take that duty house"
As always enjoyed another one of your delightful articals. : ) , linda
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Posted by victorgardener (from Lower Hudson Valley, NY) on February 18, 2008 at 1:28 PM:
Very nice Cathy. My garden has certainly been a soothing tonic many times - especially after 9/11. Thanks.
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Posted by cathy4 (from St. Louis County, MO) on February 18, 2008 at 1:36 PM:
Victor, what a horrible day that was... I cried & prayed all day.
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Posted by victorgardener (from Lower Hudson Valley, NY) on February 18, 2008 at 1:40 PM:
If it were not for my garden, the following weeks and months would not have been bearable.
