The garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature halfway.
—Michael Pollan
Ever look out over your garden and find yourself transported to a place of Zen? If you’re like many people, the art of gardening can be absorbing to the point of being hypnotic. From nature’s artful combination of stunning colors to the magical symphony of scents and of course the butterflies and the Bumble Bees…
It’s captivating.
And the best news of all? That pure love you feel for your garden can do wonders for your physical health. It’s meditative, it’s great exercise, and both of those factors add up to fantastic stress relief.
Which can lead to better health, longer life and of course a reduction in your risk of heart attack or stroke. Many of us are aware that stress is a significant factor in incidences of heart disease and stroke.
However, what many of us may not realize is how epidemic stress is in our society.
According to Statistics Canada, 23% of people surveyed between the ages of 18 and 34 have high levels of perceived stress. That number jumps to a whopping 28% between the ages of 35 to 49.
From 50-64 26% of the population is under high stress, as are 11% of seniors over 65.
If you suffer from high stress, anxiety or any number of conditions, it’s vital that you manage it. And gardening is a beautiful way to do it.
How Gardening Alleviates Stress
We all have our guilty pleasures. Cultivating a protected area for the birds and the bees (or the squirrels!). Producing fat, juicy organic veggies to nurture our families. Or enjoying nature’s boldest, most colourful flowers.
No matter what your motivation, when you’re gardening, you’re doing great things for your body and your mind.
Some of the benefits of gardening include:
Working your body: Let’s face it, when you’re getting down in your garden, it’s physical. From digging and raking to planting and weeding, this is manual labour. And when it comes to working off stress, there are fewer things in life better than physical activity. It begs the question, which is better? A big glass of wine when you get home from a busy day on the job or a half-hour in the garden? We know which one we’d choose!
Soaking up the sun: Sun makes us happy, it’s instinctive. Flowers turn their face to it; people bask in it. For many of us, sunshine symbolizes happiness, well-being. It’s no accident that the sun signifies joy in popular culture. Or that the sun helps relieve stress and makes us feel our best. After all, sunlight triggers a rush of Vitamin D in the body. Which helps boost serotonin levels in the brain. This, in turn, works to improve our mood, making us feel… well, amazing. It’s yet another way that gardening beats stress and helps you feel great!
Calming Monkey Mind: Ever hear of Monkey Mind? That’s the state we get into when our minds are chewing on a million details. It happens when the stress of life has us jumping from one thought to the other, resulting in confusion.
So what’s the antidote?
Some calm, meditation, and chilled-out contemplation. And as anyone who’s ever worked in the garden knows, that’s what gardening is. And the introspection that gardening brings is invaluable. It allows us to cultivate mindfulness, to better direct our energy. It allows us to clarify our goals and clear our minds of clutter so we can best see the path that we must take. Above all, it allows us inspiration in terms of how to best express our natural talents so we can be of great service to the world. Meditation is essential to our well-being and keeping our minds clear.
Whether you’re pulling weeds or planting a cavalcade of colourful beauties, the process is slow and…. meditative. In this head-space, there can be no Monkey Mind, only calm and clarity. And that means no stress.
How to Beat Stress in Your Garden
Whether your garden is big or small, lavish or the epitome of simplicity, it must feel right to you.
So how do you practice meditation while gardening? It’s simple.
Keep it Manageable: If you aim to reduce stress, the last thing you want is to wrestle an unruly patch of land into submission.
Make sure your garden is a good fit for your schedule, and never take on so much that you’re overwhelmed. Remember, a garden is always a work in progress, as is your optimum health.
Plant Only What You Adore: Listen to your heart; if you’re a veggie gardener, go with that. Love flowers? Do that. Your garden is a form of art, and if you go with what you love, your time in it will be a time of great joy. And it’s so hard to feel stressed when you’re spending time in a space that makes you feel so… delicious.
Take Part in Communal Gardening: When it comes to stress relief, the social aspects of communal gardening can’t be beat. Connecting with fellow gardeners helps to forge strong bonds and reinforce a sense of friendship and community. And there’s nothing better for stress than forming meaningful connections.
So if you want to take action against stress, it’s time to get out those gardening gloves! Stress relief is only a step away with Oasis Orb! When you choose gardening, you choose to be healthy and robust.
And when you choose Oasis Orb, you choose amazing and healthful stress relief. Want to know more? Contact the Oasis Orb team today to find out more about what we can do to lower your stress and protect against heart attack and stroke!