I have shared many times how reconnecting with nature may help bring emotional support. Did you know that there are actual studies that support that notion?
According to Wikipedia: Ecopsychology is an emerging, therapeutic technique and ideology that tries to treat people psychologically by bringing them spiritually closer to nature.
One practice of reconnecting with nature includes horticultural therapy (aka gardening), a common activity this time of year.
Some consider gardening as one of the basic and direct experiences with nature that most anyone can engage in. From gardening in pots, raised beds and even pods in your kitchen!
According to Ruth Page, a gardening expert, “The very action of planting a seed in the soil requires hope; by encouraging and in some senses almost imposing a sense of hope onto someone, a personal journey may begin.”[i]
For me, gardening calms, grounds and empowers (I feel more in control over my basic survival with my vegetable garden). When I watch those green shoots rise above the ground – regardless of the type of plant, I feel hopeful, excited and happy.
[i] Ruth Page, Ruth Page’s Gardening Journal (Boston: Houghton Miffin, 1989), 29.
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Domestic violence affects many friends and families (whether extended family members or members of the nuclear family unit).
With the social distancing, self-isolation and stay at home orders in place due to Covid-19, the number of reported instances of domestic violence are down.
Read our blog to learn why this is NOT a good thing!