Gardening

The 21^st century is the era of instant everything – instant coffee, instant meals, instant orders, instant mails, instant communication and, most importantly, instant results. Theoretically, all these instant things are meant to free up your time. However, in reality, the more time you free up, the more chores you have to do. As a result, not only do you have to have everything done in an instant but also add more things that need to be done instantly. It is no wonder people burn out relatively fast these days. We are setting a pace that is impossible to keep up without negative consequences. Not only does our body protest through various conditions and syndromes but also our mind through mental illnesses and strain.

Gardening requires quite a bit of physical labour, a factor that makes many people reject it as too much on top of everything else. However, that is only one aspect of gardening. The other lesser known aspect, or rather the aspect that only becomes obvious when you actually garden, is the immense restfulness your mind can experience while gardening.

By its very nature, gardening is a slow process. There is no instant gratification here. Instead, it yields its best results when you take time over it and pay attention to details. More importantly, the manual labour exercises your body while leaving your mind free to ruminate over anything and everything – something that is becoming increasingly rare in the frenetic pace of life. It also teaches you the value of waiting for some things; they are better for the wait and you enjoy them more. Think of the fragile begonia plant that you have babied into blooming. The attempt takes time and energy on your part, but the end result is beautiful to the senses.

Gardening also allows you to be in the presence of nature even if that presence is a small potted plant. As the plant grows and thrives, you feel satisfaction from a job well done. The hours that you put into your garden yield beautiful results that please and satisfy your mind, lowering stress and allowing your mind to relax.

In a life that is increasingly fast-paced, frenetic and stressful, your garden becomes an oasis of calm and tranquillity. Spending even an hour working on your garden can help you relax, lower your stress levels and allow your mind to rejoice in the peace that your garden offers. There can be no better recreation for your mind.