When the world went into lockdown, many thought it would be a few weeks of relaxing at home with their loved ones. But after a few days, the fights started with the TV remote, people got tired of cleaning and cooking, and there is only so much time one can spend online without hitting the wall of boredom.
The idea of being quarantined was losing its appeal, and fast!
If this hits too close to home, we urge you to get into gardening! Find your green thumb as a way of relaxing amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown tensions that followed.
What better way to regain some sanity than by spending it outdoors in the safety of your garden? It is a perfect time to build a new garden, transform an existing garden, or simply tidy up and do the maintenance you never had time to do.
If you live in an apartment, there are loads of ways to get creative with gardening. Planting microgreens and potted plants on your balcony is an ideal way to renovate your small outdoor space. Or make use of windowsills to add life and color with indoor herbs or vegetable plants.
So, if you have an outdoor garden or live in an apartment, either way, gardening is a therapeutic activity for our minds and bodies. It helps lift the spirits and enhance the feeling of healing.
Through gardening and working with nature, we learn the art of patience and acceptance. We have to wait for things to grow but we have to nurture them too, and realizing Mother Nature is unpredictable teaches us to accept what is beyond our control.
This does not mean we give up because through gardening we put in our best efforts and then let nature takes it course. Gardening promotes a growth mindset because we are learning every day what works and what doesn’t. We aren’t all born with botanical knowledge, so it is a peaceful and fulfilling way to learn and practice through trial and error.
Gardening lets us experiment with creativity and we can do this alone or with our children or partners to quieten our minds. In fact, it is the best way to spend real quality time with those you love without the noise and distraction of the TV or the Internet.
While gardening lets us connect with people, it also lets us connect with the earth and give us some grounding. Feeling your hands through the soil while tending to seedlings, leaves a sense of satisfaction that’s hard to match with material things.
It is also a way to get in touch with our health and awareness of the foods we eat. Research has shown that gardening flowers, as well as growing herbs, fruits, berries, and vegetables, has a positive effect on our psyche and well-being.
Gardening ensures you are present in the moment, concentrating on hope and life, so we can for just a few minutes, take our minds away from the sadness and the stress that we are all currently facing, and that might be here to stay till the second wave will have passed. Finding refuge in your yard can be grounding, calming, and healing!