The Sanctuary: Nurtured By The Earth

When you think of the hustle and bustle of life, it can be hard to picture a garden. To many, it may seem that gardening doesn’t fit into the 21st century. We are so divorced from nature, and we don't believe it matters. It's true: there are numerous instances when life appears to be accelerating. We are stressed, busy, and frequently feel as if we do not have time to stop and take a few deep breaths. But what if that's just what we needed?

On the face of it, gardening seems like an old fashioned hobby. But to those who've experienced it, gardening is far more than a hobby or weekend activity: it's one of the most profoundly healing activities you can do for your mind, body, and soul. Gardening can be a restorative experience—a way of connecting with nature and nurturing not just plants but your own inner spirit—and it might just be exactly what you need to get through these stressful times. Due to its multiple advantages, gardening remains one of the most popular hobbies in the world.

Gardening has been demonstrated to help people cope with stress and anxiety while also improving their mood. It improves your health and creates a haven of peace in the midst of all the chaos. When you step out of your house and into your garden, you're transported from the mad rush of life to a place where time slows down and everything feels peaceful. Think about it: When you garden, you're totally in the moment. You're focused on small tasks like watering and pruning, which means when you look up, your mind is clear, and your body feels at peace.

Gardening may even improve your physical health. It boosts your overall happiness and self-esteem. It also aids in the reduction of problems such as tension, anxiety, sadness, irritability, weariness, bewilderment, and aggression. Gardening may seem like hard work, but it has been shown to make people happier, healthier, and more relaxed—even when they don't get any actual gardening done.

Your garden is also an opportunity for your own personal growth. It provides you a sense of purpose. You might find that gardening improves your outlook on life. When we garden, we're not just feeding our bodies—we're feeding our souls. We're giving ourselves an opportunity to see life grow, change, evolve before our very eye and we get to be a part of that process. It's like getting a front row seat to one of life's greatest miracles.

Witnessing nature's perseverance at work is one of the most rewarding elements of gardening. When you spend time planting and caring for plants, you learn a lot about how much they need—and how much they give back. Research shows that gardening can promote stress relief by helping us get in touch with our senses while we connect with nature and the earth. This kind of sensory stimulation is known to reduce blood pressure, improve circulation, and increase energy levels. Simply being outside has been shown to enhance the immune system and lower stress hormones. Planting seedlings in the ground has even been found to alleviate depression.

Gardening can also be a fantastic bonding experience with family members or friends. When it comes to gardening, I've always thought of it as a hobby for the skilled and patient. I could never be bothered to grow my own plants, but my mother was a huge fan of gardening. My mother used to plant different types of flowers in our garden. She would be busy planting various kinds of plants and my siblings would be busy watering them. We had a small garden at home but she was able to fill it with her favorite plants. In fact, when we started gardening together, it was one of the first times we felt like we were really connecting as family. It was so incredible to be able to work on something together in an environment that was all about slowing down, enjoying the moment, and focusing on being present with one another.

Gardening is great since it doesn't require a lot of room or a green thumb to get started. There are plenty of easy-to-grow flowers that thrive in small spaces and with little maintenance. You can start by planting some marigolds in a window box, or even growing indoor herbs on your kitchen counter. So even if you don't have much space for a garden—or no space at all—you can still get all those benefits from a small potted plant on your windowsill or desk!

Think about all the things you might like to get away from during your day-to-day life: your hectic schedule, traffic, noise pollution (or even people pollution), the stress of social media. If you've been feeling overloaded lately or like you're in a constant state of chaos and stress, try adding a little balance to your life. What if you could have an oasis where none of these things exist; where the only thing you have to focus on is tending to the plants?

Yes, your garden does that for you. So go out there and grow some plants that will bring joy to your life!

All photos are mine