Gardening: why it is so good for us OCDers and our carers. ******************************************************************************* I personally think that the reason why gardening is so good for people with OCD, depression, anxiety, PTSD and brain injuries is that it is so creative. The thoughts we OCDers etc have are very destructive. Thee anger and negativity which accompanies the thoughts can hurt us and others around us. So gardening is very healing. In Cindys post, a connection was made between plants and natural prozac and there is so much more to gardening than that. In my opinion, there are few more awesome sights in life than watching seeds or bulbs you planted growing and flowering. It is truly amazing to see a plant you thought was dead surviving. My mum gave me a tiny tropical shrub a few years before she died and I moved it from its pot this year as it just kept failing. It was bare rooted and I thought it was dead. Three months later it is full of leaves.... maybe next year it will flower for the first time ever. Now as you know, I have severe contamination OCD and do find garden gardening hard and sometimes impossible. But when I do spend a day out there working instead of sitting, I have hours of peace and happiness. Planting flowers which attract bees, butterflies and dragonflies (blue and scented often does the trick) means there is loads to watch. If you are lucky and put out a few feeding posts and a bird bath, you may be accompanied by robins and blackbirds too. Once they are attracted to your garden you are likely to keep them for years and meet their new brood each year. We have kept the same blackbird for years and it nests and brings down its babies (sometimes when I am sitting quietly). So, why not give gardening a try? If you do not have a garden, a window box, large tubs outside your door or hanging baskets will be just as therapeutic especially if you have summer and winter displays, grow easy vegetables, sun flowers or bulbs. Anne.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 09:19:09 +0000
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