Mindfulness in the garden

Practicing Mindfulness is all about being in the present moment and being able to control our reactions towards thoughts and external influences.

Digital Detoxing

The recent phenomenon of Digital Detoxing is gaining a wider audience and gardening provides a perfect escape to detox yourself from the digital world.

Recent research suggests that we check our digital devices about every six minutes and spend an hour each day on social media. This causes our nervous system to be constantly on alert which is very detrimental to our health.

A place to escape

There was a time, not so long ago when people who wanted to contact you whilst you were doing something else and not available, just had to wait until you were. This is the whole reason that voicemail and email came into being.

Now, we are entangled in a sticky cobweb of answering e.mails, responding to texts and checking our social media sites, all of which people expect to be replied to instantly.
We need to escape from this relentless cobweb, so think of your garden as your personal space which nobody can invade.

Detoxing from your digital world is important to allow the brain to function on a different level, releasing the good chemicals that help our bodys’ repair processes and psychological well being.

An article published by Michigan State University states that;

According to the Journal Biological Psychiatry, some experts even say the fresh air can help prevent Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and result in higher test scores among students.”

Stress relief

Gardening has also emerged in recent years as a scientifically proven stress reliever. Stress can cause irritability, headaches, stomach aches, heart attacks and worsen pre-existing conditions in the body.

Horticultural Therapy is now a clinically accepted way to help treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. (PTSD)

An experiment published in the Journal of Health Psychology compared gardening to reading as a stress-relieving activity; test subjects that gardened experienced a more significant decrease in stress when compared to the subjects that were assigned to read.

Take an hour in the garden, tending patio planters or window boxes but make sure that you detach yourself from all communication devices and outside interference such as listening to the radio or music.

Go for a walk or run in the park, join a community gardening project and interface with people face to face.

Make a special weekend of your digital detox by spending time at one of the many specialist retreats where you can also partake in learning outdoor skills and craft sessions.

Be disciplined;

*no telephones
*no tablets
*no wearable communications devices
*NO RADIOS

Listen to the sounds of the birds singing, insects buzzing around, the breeze in the trees!  Take time for yourself and connect with the planet we live on.