Episode #19 Connection Between Gardening and Wellbeing

This episode is going to be a little bit 'Woo'. I am all about the Woo and anyone who knows me understands that I make decisions and take actions based on my intuition. If you are thinking what the hell is Woo and what the F does it have to do with growing your own food and being self-sufficient let me share. I know for many gardeners that their garden is their sanctuary, their happy place. It is the space they go to when they feel out of kilter or when they need to not people any more.  Woo, as I see it is just energy. The energy we have in our bodies, the energy we feel when we see someone we love or the opposite, that feeling when you know there is tension between people. It’s also the energy of your garden, the feeling you feel when you step into your garden and all the stress and tension just takes a backseat.  This energy comes from the vibration that everything on this earth has. The tree in your yard, the device you are reading or listening to this on, the chair under your bum or the floor under your feet. Now to go one step deeper, these vibrations have different frequencies.  Like the song good vibrations, we can pick up on good vibrations. That means we can also feel those heavy dark vibrations and lots of variations in between.  Take a moment to feel what vibe you might be in right now? Are you feeling loved and warm all over and are giving off vibes that say to those around you ‘hey, I am an open person who loves life’ or are you currently feeling annoyed or meh and giving off vibes that say to the world ‘stay away’? Think about how you feel in these situations and what energetic message you are sending out into the world… When you receive an acknowledgement from someone When things aren’t going right When your dog comes over to you for a pat When watching the news When your friend or partner gives you a hug When you're tired And when you are in your garden.  Being in your garden or any place in nature can help to increase your happiness and help you feel more at peace than you may think.  There have been various studies done that show being in nature for even a short amount of time can improve your mood and overall feeling of well-being. It’s a positive vibe, something that gardeners have known for forever.  Why do you think we all get out there as much as we can? Good vibes. Even this week in the crazy rain I got out there in my gumboots and raincoat and planted seeds, harvested veggies and talked to my plants.  Yes, I talk to my plants, more on that in a minute.  You see, for me being outside in my garden, with my animals and connecting with nature on any level is a must. My body and soul feel like they wither away like that bit of ginger in the back of your fridge crisper draw that has been there for months. I feel drained of all goodness.  Being in my garden, even the overgrown totally overtaken by weeds section fills my energy levels back up again. I observe the bugs, I talk to the frogs, listen to the birds, I even ask the red-bellied black snake we named Cecil if he is feeling good today, even if I can’t see him or her. This morning in the rain I just watched the droplets running down along the branches of the big gum tree in my garden. I noticed how they all formed perfect individual droplets but how they are all part of all the water on the planet. This made me smile. It helped me feel connected to something bigger than me and it allowed me to focus on all the possibilities, opportunities and positive things that exist in my world and the world as a whole.  So why is this relevant to actually growing food? Well, when we feel connected and inspired we take action. We don the boots and get started on things that would otherwise seem impossible or at least overwhelming because we can see how we are part of the bigger picture. Taking time to connect ourselves to what we are growing, to water our garden, to touch a plant or to just be with our thoughts in nature helps perspective enter our consciousness, and when we have perspective the things that seem like big scary things don't seem so big or scary anymore. It's then that we can see the possibilities available to us.   I mentioned earlier that I talk to my plants, and I totally do. It makes me feel good and I am sure it makes them happier too.  There have been studies done where people have spoken to plants in different ways and have seen marked differences in how they grew.  I am generalising here but the studies had 3 groups of the same plants. Group A, B and C. All plants had the same soil, same amount of light and same watering regime. Group A was exposed to positive words throughout the day. They were told they are loved, beautiful, appreciated, wanted, valued etc  Group B was exposed to negative words at the same rate throughout the day. They were told they were stupid, useless, ugly, waste of space, hated, disgusting etc. Group C was the control so had all the same growing conditions but were left alone and not spoken to.    Many of the studies showed that plant A grew taller, faster and looked more healthy overall than the control and that plant B looked stunted, had less growth and looked a little worse for wear.  Can I say that I felt sorry for plant B.. No one wants that kind of negativity thrown their way on a daily basis.  I am sure there are a heap of scientists out there who would have a counter-argument to this finding, but for me, it was no surprise that these plants reacted the way they did.  I have started to interact with my rose geranium plants whenever I go by.  I tell them they are lovely and smell so beautiful and they have responded in kind by increasing growth.  Plus I then smell like rose geranium which I lurve.  I also planted loofa late in the season and I started to tell it that I loved it no matter if it had time to produce fruit or not. It is valued and looks amazing and just a week later I have fruit. Could be my impeccable timing but I feel that my kind words and thoughts helped just a little. And, even if they didn’t, it makes me feel good.  When I feel good vibes I want to do more good things. That means I want to grow more yummy food and try things that I haven’t tried before. So my message for this episode is to get out of your head, get into your garden or if you don’t have a garden, start one. Or, just go and be in nature. Visit a park or go for a walk down a trail whatever you can do where you are to connect with nature.  I know this will help to boost your happy vibes and lift your mood just a bit more. I know we all currently need a little more of the good stuff in our world. More information Full show notes at www.sohfarmlet.com.au/podcast Blogs – www.sohfarmlet.com.au/blog Download Free – Chicken Keepers ‘Chicklist’ For Beginners Download Free Guide Getting Started With Composting Newsletter sign up  This Episode Sponsored by This episode is sponsored by my soon to be released Self-Sufficiency Made Simple Composting Masterclass. This masterclass will help you go from wasting food and money to creating your own gold star garden soil system without mess, cost or hard work. The masterclass will show you how to choose, create and get started with your own simple system, all in your backyard. Register your interest via email [email protected]   Reach me Instagram http://www.instagram.com/sohfarmlet/ Facebook http://www.facebook.com/sohfarmlet [email protected]   Subscribe Have you hit the subscribe button yet? If not click subscribe so you don’t miss an episode. Review I would be eternally grateful if you could give me a review as this will push the podcast out to more people, and it would make my heart sing, I’d love to hear what you have to say and what’s your favourite bit (and I will be giving a few shout outs each week). For apple listeners, you can review HERE. 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