Forget the to-do list and focus on #onegardenthing that gets you outside for a sense of achievement, a sense of joy, or just allows you to feel sun, wind or rain on your face. Focusing on one thing may just be enough for today.
So set your watch or phone for 15 minutes and choose one thing to get you outside.
We are quick to notice plants that look less than perfect in or garden so try focusing for a quarter of an hour on plants which are doing well. Concentrate on those with lush foliage, about to burst into bloom, or in full, glorious flower. Take a quick tour of your garden or an area within it to really look at the planting. Learn to appreciate what your hard work and Mother Nature has created.
Go outside and for quarter of an hour, close your eyes, open your ears, and listen to the sound of your garden. Focus in on the rustling of leaves as the wind passes through them. Bamboo leaves have a particularly calming sound so if you have bamboo in your garden, sit close to it, or to any other rustling leaf sound in the garden.
Deadheading of blooms needs to be done regularly to extend the flowering season of most plants, by preventing the flowerhead from going to seed. It is a job which can be done in a quick 15 minute’s nip outside, without needing to don your heavy gardening gear. It will not only make you feel better but will make your garden look better too, with the added bonus of encouraging more blooms to look forward to.
Ditch the gardening gloves. Soil contains the bacteria Mycobacterium vaccae which triggers the release of serotonin, the happy hormone, in your brain. Further research suggests that this common soil component could promote resilience to stress and reduce inflammation, so make the most of short bursts of time in the garden by doing a quick weeding or planting job, glove-free.
Sitting down, yes, actually sitting in the garden, to soak up the sun is more than a pleasant way to switch off for 15 minutes, it is good for your health too. Exposure to ultraviolet-B radiation in the sun’s rays causes skin to create vitamin D which is important in the activation of immune system defences. 5 to 15 minutes of sunlight penetration on your ams, hands, and face at least a couple of times a week is enough to enjoy vitamin-D boosting benefits so make sure you have a seat in the garden which invites you to sit. N.B. Staying out in the sun for any longer will require use of a sunscreen.
Focus on #onegardenthing to lose yourself in for 15 minutes - it will do you the world of good!
