| There are several types of depression, and although | | | | the smell of the grass and plants, the warmth of the |
| gardening can be helpful to everyone, it certainly is | | | | sun and the sound of birds singing. This creates a |
| not a cure. Severe depression requires treatment by | | | | sense of peace and you totally relax. You are in a |
| a doctor. | | | | different world removed from the concerns and |
| But let's think about situational depression which | | | | worries of your day to day life. There is something |
| affects everyone at some point. The death of a | | | | close to spiritual when you dig in the soil and tenderly |
| loved one, job loss, divorce, financial problems and | | | | place those small plants or seeds into the earth. As |
| other negative life events can result in short term | | | | your garden flourishes, you will experience a sense of |
| depression. Gardening can lift the dark clouds of | | | | accomplishment and pride. Whether you plant flowers |
| depression and ease the pain. | | | | or vegetables, there is tremendous satisfaction when |
| After the death of a loved one, I stumbled on this | | | | you see or taste the results of your efforts in the |
| therapy quite by accident. Unable to sleep, I spent | | | | garden. You also benefit from the fresh air, sunshine |
| many early morning hours outside in the back yard. | | | | and physical exercise. |
| During one of those 4 AM visits to the back yard, I | | | | Gradually you will realize that the black cloud of |
| started pulling weeds near the rose bushes. After an | | | | depression has started floating away. Temporarily |
| hour, I went inside. As I washed away the dirt, I | | | | you have focused on nature and not your sadness. |
| realized that somehow I felt some peace. After a | | | | And then one day, life feels better! Now that you |
| week of these early morning visits, the weeds were | | | | have discovered gardening and its many benefits, |
| gone but not the sadness and pain. I contemplated | | | | you will want to make this a life long hobby. |
| pulling weeds from the neighbors flower bed but | | | | Gardening is inexpensive, simple, and appeals to both |
| thought I might get arrested for trespassing or taken | | | | young and old. |
| to the psychiatric hospital as the "unstable neighbor | | | | Since my discovery of this simple therapy, I have |
| lady". At that point, the entire back yard was | | | | learned that psychiatrists have actually been using |
| transformed into a vegetable garden. A few months | | | | "gardening therapy" for quite some time. Why? |
| later, after daily work in the garden, the pain had | | | | According to Dr. Cosmo Hallstrom, "It is a treatment |
| eased and the sadness not as pervasive. | | | | of proven benefit." Dr. Hallstrom is right, and I will |
| Why does gardening help? First of all, it is a simple | | | | continue to use this wonderful tool and enjoy the |
| task that does not place stress on the mind. As you | | | | hobby of gardening. |
| work outside, you experience nature - the fresh air, | | | | |