My Kids Are Cuter: Gardening is Great for Your Mental Health
- Willow Williams
- Jul 11, 2024
- 4 min read
In December, I moved into my own apartment. I LOVE it. I'm on the third floor, so there's no one above me. (Hopefully I'm not that annoying neighbor above someone else!) I also feel safer on the third floor, and I can leave my windows open! I face southwest, so I get a lot of late afternoon sun. I also face the Columbia River (which I can't see), but have a nice view of the highway, a nearby farm, and some tumbleweed fields. Third floor and late afternoon sun = a toasty apartment, which makes my lizard side very happy. Third floor and facing no one in particular = I can wear whatever I want, which is usually, ahem, not much. And I LOVE the white noise that comes off the highway. If it wasn't 10,645 degrees right now, I'd have the gentle hum of the highway in the background while I write this. (Even a lizard has limits!) I am also centrally located and right by a highway exit, which makes getting most places I go super easy. Like I said, I LOVE this place!
The only thing I don't have is a yard. cue the world's smallest violin
I know not having a yard is not the end of the world. I can live just fine and contently without one. What I didn't realize, though, is how good taking care of a yard is for my mental health.
And the interwebs agree. Overall, gardening is great for your mental health. It gets you moving. Gets you outside. Gives you a growth rather than a defeatist mindset. It keeps you present. The Japanese even have a phrase for it. The expression "shinrin-yoku" can be translated as "forest bathing," which nicely captures the experience of being immersed in green. (1) I highly recommend forest bathing. There's a ton of wisdom in a crowd of trees, let me tell ya! Nature reduces stress. (2) And like my favorite online news creative V Spehar always says after delivering heavy news, "Go look at a tree or something!" It's not just a catchy phrase. It's science! (3)
So what's a yard junkie like me to do? I have a few house plants. For my two fans, you may remember my post from earlier this year about my peace lily. I am happy to report; she is doing much better! I took her out of direct sunlight and am watering her differently. She is even getting a flower! Finally! That's how you know you've recovered a plant, when it wants to reproduce.
If you'd like, you can read about my peace lily saga here: https://www.beautifuldisasterlit.com/post/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-planet-that-can-kill-a-peace-lily
I am really much better at outdoor gardening, so I have four pots on my patio, one with some flowers, one sage for smudging, and two lemon verbena for my tea. Their care takes me exactly 4.35 minutes per day. It's not the hour or better of puttering I did as a homeowner. Those were the best of days! A great way to decompress after a long workday. And I like I said, I love the heat!
So I did what any yard junkie does best, I went looking for a fix. In early May, it just so happened that Friend D mentioned that she wanted to do some things around her yard. And it also just so happens that she lives two miles from me. And furthermore, she has the bankroll to fund yard projects. And the best part for me, she has a ridiculous work schedule and no zero time to garden. So I volunteered to do it for her. Well… voluntold her we were doing it is more accurate.
Now her roses are trimmed on the regular. Her flower beds are weeded. We planted 3 new mini roses, and I rescued some roses that were in sorry shape. And I think there are 12 pots of flowers that need dead-heading constantly on her patio. Yard junkie heaven!
I've even go so far as to call the plants my "kids", and I refer to them like they are to Friend D. This drives her quite mad, a joyous perk I wasn't expecting for sure. I've said things like:
"I'm going to come give the kids haircuts tonight."
"I can't believe how much the kids have grown!"
"We need to have the safe propagation talk with the kids."
"Turn me into PPS for neglect. I am a terrible mother!"
"I have to cancel tonight's visitation."
See, there's something about being responsible for the care and nurturing of another lifeform. It gets your focus off yourself and on to helping someone else. I was in a terrible place this spring, and all of this gardening has been better than therapy. It has truly helped me survive. Also, I have a place I can go escape to when I need it. Half the time, Friend D isn't even home when I'm visiting the kids.
And besides, my kids are cuter than yours.
(3) You can find V Spehar at @underthedesknews on Instagram and at https://betches.com/podcast-channel/american-fever-dream/
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