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Gardening for Mental Health

Daily writing prompt
Describe one habit that brings you joy.

Well, this one is a tough one. Not the joy part–the “one thing” part. I treat joy like a full-time job. Overindulgent? I don’t think so.

I was struggling through the worst symptoms of Endometriosis when I caved and went the hormone route. Before then, I was reading book after book on my illness and natural pain management to learn to live. Living is hard when you’re in constant pain with overwhelming fatigue.

In Beating Endo, the authors taught me about managing my pain through managing my neurobiology. I spoke about this in depth in my post about how to cure burnout. Another message that really stuck with me was to try everything at once. Endometriosis is an inflammatory illness, as is depression. There are many ways to reduce inflammation through diet, exercise, sleep, exposure to allergens and pollution, heat, supplements–the list goes on.

Previously, I used the scientific method for problems in my life. If I chose to try to fix something at all angles, how would I know which thing worked, and which was a waste of time?

Free science printable available on littlebinsforlittlehands.com

The authors of Beating Endo gave me permission to focus on a swift outcome–feeling better–rather than scientific discovery. The worst case scenario with this method is you feel good but you don’t know why. Every choice is good for whole-body health, so you’re not setting yourself back. If you run out of a supplement or break a good habit and continue to feel fine, you know that specific variable may contribute to overall health but may not necessarily impact pain symptoms.

Applying this method to joy

Endometriosis is a hell of an illness–people who suffer with endo go through extremes to rid themselves of the symptoms, from a hysterectomy at 31 to suicide.

You know what’s also a hell of an illness–a leading cause of rash decisions and low quality of life? Anxiety and depression, both of which I’ve suffered from throughout my life, as did the women in my family before me. My life is better when I’m okay. My relationships are better and their lives are better, too. I stay ahead of potential depressive episodes by attacking it from all angles–dopamine decor, self care, dopamine dressing, ritual, avoiding social media, making art, building community, practicing gratitude–the list goes on.

The one I want to expand on today is gardening.

Gardening for Joy

Gardening offers so much. The benefits include:

Need I say more?

When I embarked on an attempt to break down the benefits of gardening, I knew there were many, but didn’t realize the extent. After fulfilling the research required for the links provided above, I don’t think there is an activity more beneficial for human life. On a more spiritual/evolutionary history level, I believe homo sapiens were quite literally built for being stewards of the land. Fulfilling the task we were made for, rather than a simulation, feels natural.

my newly-planted full-sun pollinator garden I’ve been working on this summer

  1. […] favorite place to experience abundance is in my garden. I started gardening for mental health and to save the world a few years ago, and it brings me so much delight to see a diverse abundance […]

  2. […] may have noticed that the environment is important to me, be it my physical environment indoors or saving the planet through gardening. This year I decided I’d make the same statement with my Halloween Costume by going as Dr. […]

  3. […] I’m being completely honest, spending time with my husband and gardening are probably my first and second favorite forms of physical activity. But I’ve written about […]

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