Gardening for Wellbeing
There is a lot to be said for getting out in the fresh air and your hands in the dirt. When you have health conditions that consume a large part if not all of your life, gardening is one of the best and probably the cheapest therapy there is.
I created my garden while going through a pretty serious health crisis. Diagnosed with depression 14 years ago and on medication for that whole time, My health took a further nose dive in 2016 and I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2017. Its hard to describe what fibromyalgia actually is as it seems to be a bit of a catch-all phrase for random pain in the body that doesn't seem to have any physiological source. Its a frustrating condition where the person affected appears in perfect health through blood work but can have a range of symptoms from chronic fatigue to sensitivity to light and sound, a foggy brain and of course a whole host of manifestations of pain. The cause it seems is a mystery and yet it is surprisingly common and I suspect that it has its roots in our way of life in the 21st Century.
How to garden through ill health...
When you have days where the pain or fatigue are just to much, get out into your garden and sit and imagine, you will be amazed how quickly you will spot something that needs attention and even if its just a thought in your head or an actual physical action every little bit you do gets you closer to the creation of your garden. And those little things are as if not more important that the big things. Its great to be able to crack on with your hard landscaping and go from nought to sixty but that's not always realistic or possible.
Get a number of seats positioned in the garden...better still invest in a kneeling stool, you won't regret it. Not only will it help you get back up from a kneeling position, but you just flip it the other way and you have an instant seat when your muscles spasm or you get that sudden feeling of lactic build up.
Its important not to be hard on yourself, much easier said than done of course. There are days when you really can't move far from the sofa and these are the days you watch gardening on YouTube or sleep. Even if the sleep is not fully restorative, when your body demands it, you have to go with it, don't fight it.
Depression it seems is also not fully understood, either in cause or treatment. I've found gardening invaluable as a self-care practice for depression. Its an exercise in mindfulness. Whether you are pricking out seedlings or visiting other gardens for inspiration, the act of gardening (when depression allows you the energy to participate...) gives you an element of control, leaving behind subconsciousness for conscious thought patterns. Its creative, and you can see the results of your efforts. It never cease to amaze me that the tiniest seed sits doing absolutely nothing in a packet until you release it to some light, some water and a growing medium and a little love and before long its a seedling. I just can't get enough of this process.