How do you relieve stress?

16 years ago

Hi folks,

We are putting together some content regarding how gardening relieves stress. Do you find that being out in the garden really does make you less stressful? Is it the actual gardening itself -- or just enjoying the finished results?

Specifically, we'd love to see pictures of your garden -- your own Shangri-La. It doesn't have to the entire garden -- maybe it's just a quiet corner or your favorite spot in the backyard.

Feel free to upload your picture to this post or to our Garden Galleries or you can even send it to me directly. Just include a short description of what you love about it or why it's so special to you.

Best,

Tamara

GW Community Manager

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Comments (39)

chris_ont
16 years ago
Well, I think it's evident that, for many people, exercise itself is a super stress reliever. Digging up a new bed or some other, heavier, garden chore would certainly qualify as a fair bit of exercise. I always feel very good after spending some hours getting dirty!

But even just planting a few new things, doing some weeding or other light chore, tying up things that trail, or cutting back things that have wilted are, to me, super stress relievers. Thinking about what plant to put where, what is ready for division or what new perennial to try means that other matters are temporarily out of mind.
I always try to get at least a little time in the garden at the end of the day. When I garden I think only about the garden. It just happens :)

Also, the smell of earth and plants is very soothing to me. Without pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and other chemicals, it seems like the "real world" is far away, my garden seems very natural and I feel connected. Gardening without gloves on seems to amplify that feeling. Even the compost under the fingernails seems right.

Here are my favorite image of my previous garden. The one at my new house is not ready for display :)
libbyshome
16 years ago
Creating something beautiful brings happiness and relieves stress.

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I seem to recall a "why do you garden" post last year that covered much of this topic, most likely on the Vegetable Forum; but I can't find it. It may have passed into the archives, or whatever afterlife good threads go to when they fall off the site. But other threads wander off-topic, and contain more than meets the eye; the one below discusses some of the non-material benefits that gardeners gain from their hobby - including stress relief. For the most part, I am a vegetable gardener, so I tend to view gardening primarily through that lens. There can be stressful times for a vegetable gardener... the hectic Spring planting, fighting off herbivores (and sometimes thieves), destructive weather, the frenzy to preserve a bountiful harvest before it spoils, rushing to cover plants when frost first threatens. A garden rewards you for your labors; the more effort you put into it, the more you (usually) get out of it. Some years, when all goes right, the harvest can be enormous. My family & friends eat like kings from August to October, and the canned & frozen produce lasts all Winter. But as rewarding as the harvest itself may be, I believe just being in the garden is relaxing. A garden is a three-dimensional painting of our own design, a living expression of our individuality. No two gardens are alike. It takes planning, foresight, perseverance, and hard work... it is more of a journey than a destination. When I am in my garden, even if that garden is not on my property, I am "home"... until the frost comes, and the canvas is wiped clean. Kind of like a Picasso drawn on an etch-a-sketch - BANG - gone. That used to be a depressing time for me. But when I began saving seeds seriously, gardening became a nearly year-round activity... no more "cold turkey" for me, thank you. Now I process seeds until December, swap seeds all Winter, and begin planning the next year's garden in February. It lets me spread the joy, so to speak. Gardenweb also helps bridge the gap, since I can spend time with gardeners of like mind... dreaming of growing things while the ice still reigns outside. A garden (be it flower, vegetable, orchard, landscape, or a manicured lawn) is a good metaphor for life; all of the basic lessons are there. It is a sanctuary, a quite place we can retreat to when the world wears us down. It can be adventure, beauty, fulfillment, and a labor of love. It is more than stress relief - it is renewal. Here is a link that might be useful: You can buy it cheaper than you can grow it
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Josh...... A couple of questions: Do your night temps cool off significantly in your garden ? Is what you are calling water stress seeing the rose look like it is wilting in the afternoon ? If the answer to the two questions above is "yes", you don't have true water stress. What you are seeing is that the transpiration rate ... the loss of moisture in the top growth ... is higher than the plant can pull moisture up to the top growth from the root zone. No matter how well watered a plant may be, if the transpiration rate is higher than the plant can get moisture up to all of the top growth, you will see the rose looking wilted. When your night temps cool off, the transpiration rate goes down and the plant continues to pull moisture up throughout the night. By morning, the plant has caught up and the rose is fine. You can help the plant by spraying it down in the high afternoon heat as the leaves will absorb moisture. Also, the humidity inside the plant is somewhat higher. To avoid disease issues, you want to make sure the plant can dry off before the cooler temps hit. Spraying the plant with water helps make it easier for the plant to survive the high temps, but the plant can only pull up as much moisture as it is genetically programmed to do. Disbudding does help, but if what you are calling "water stress" is just a temporary imbalance for part of the day, the rose is not water stressed in a technical sense. A water stressed plant will start abandoning anything it cannot support to survive, including foliage. Smiles, Lyn
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Yes, Stinky. That is pretty much me in a nutshell. Funny, while preparing for the party, I gave my niece and daughter assignments. My SIL was playing tourist in our town and wasn't there. Jaime was chopping olives, Aimee was tearing 6 heads of lettuce and I was assembling the eggplant and reheating sauces. The twins (8 yrs old) were entertaining us by speaking German with a Brittish accent. We were busy working and laughing when SIL walked into the kitchen. This was around 1:00 and the party was slated for 3:00. We had plenty of time! SIL announces that everything must be totally done by 2:00. The mood instantly changed as Jaime and Aimee suddenly felt stressed. I said, Marlene, the food will be done when the food gets done. Dinner is on us. She said, the olives are being chopped too small. Jaime's face turned beat red. I said, "Marlene, rest assured that I checked the specs and the olives are perfect. We are used to cooking together and you are just going to have to trust us. Can you do me a favor and set up the beverages on the deck? The bags of ice are in the freezer, the beer and drinks are in the fridge. The tub is on the deck next to the garden so we can dump out the water afterwards into the garden. That will help us finish faster." When she walked out, we didn't say a word about it but we all just started cracking up and went back to our conversation and tasks at hand. But sheesh, it was as if she had a rain cloud over her head when she walked into the kitchen. She set up the beverage center flawlessly and I was grateful. SIL and I talked on the phone about the incident later and I laughed and said, that was a true 'only child' moment. She admitted it was but still thought the olives were chopped too small. I laughed. I would hate to live my life around self imposed deadlines.
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I take me time. I usually head for a day near the ocean. A walk near the beach breathing in the ocean air relaxes me. Then I take myself out for a really nice dinner. If I can't leave the house for some reason I will hunker down in my cave. No phone calls,a good book,no housework or cooking unless it's something for me. Most important: Learning to let it go. Whatever your religious beliefs the "Serinity Poem" applies to many situations.
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lindakimy
16 years ago
I agree that gardening - all the work of it - relieves stress. Very primal and close to the earth - physical and simple and, well...earthy. Being forced to switch my schedule for nature's timetable. That's a big one.

But now if I could just figure out how to avoid the stress of seeing these incredible photos of gardens that look so much better than mine!! AAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGG!
carrie630
16 years ago
I feel "cool" with certain colors in the summer and that helps relieve stress

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but then I also feel "happy" when I see lots of bright colors:
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chris_ont
16 years ago
Carrie, what's that plant in the front of your last image? The one with the orangy-peachy daisy-like flowers.
Love the foliage! And the shape of the clump. I must have it or I'll be very stressed.
carrie630
16 years ago
LOL... chris - it's merely orange profusion zinnia.. grown from seed (one seed,one clump) Here are more:

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seamommy
16 years ago
In the psychology of color, green is very soothing and calming. Being outside and close to growing things relieves stress for me. The fresh air clears my mind and the heavy labor of working in the garden relaxes me. I tend to think through stressful job-related events while I'm gardening and when I come inside at the end of the day, I feel happier.

When you create something beautiful in your garden you get the immediate reward and gratification of seeing and enjoying the fruits of your labor, unlike many job-related tasks where some incompetant bozo is just waiting for the opportunity to jump in and take credit for your work. That never happens in your garden, your work is yours to enjoy. The neighbors know it, passersby know it and you know it.

Gardening chores are always there for you to do. You never get finished in the garden, you can always weed, deadhead, trim, mulch, fertilize, water, plant, sniff, touch, divide, gather, walk and look. Every day of every season has something to offer and something for you to do. I am as content no where else in the world as I am in my garden.
Cheryl
carrie630
16 years ago
well said!

Carrie
lavendrfem
16 years ago
Working out in the garden is something I look forward to every day after work. I actually enjoy pulling weeds. I guess that's the way I relieve stress. But the finished result gives me a great sense of accomplishment and beautiful flowers to look at too!

this is my other house - my new one is only in it's first season and I don't have pictures developed yet, but will soon.

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primgal36
16 years ago
Love the pictures of your gardens!!! I know it definately helps me with my stress. I get out there and you're just looking at everything, and suddenly, all the crap from the day is gone. Sometimes I get stressed out there when I'm pushing planting all these things at the last minute, but I have done this everytime, and I always get it done, I'll say, never again, but there I am. I want it to be done right, so I pressure my self that way. Would I trade it? No way!
I took some of your tips on places to go like Lowes. We just got them here in Minnesota. Their stuff is pretty nice, and reasonable too. I got some goldenrod, coreopsis, hellebore, hydrangeas and lots more for around 80.00 !! It was all half price. I even found a red hydrangea. I can't wait to see it all next year.
ellen_s
16 years ago
Beautiful gardens! Just looking at those photos is a stress reliever for me...it's eye candy :-)
todancewithwolves
16 years ago
I would say a bottle of wine and sitting the garden enjoying the fruits of your labor :-)
silverlaker
16 years ago
I categorize gardening as one of the base pleasures that go back to humans' earliest days. Like cooking or carpentry, there is a gut gratification and good feeling about working the land. I also get a great amount of gratification from the knowledge that I've improved the neighborhood or provided enjoyment to others through the garden. The best of all worlds is growing your own vegetables, cooking them yourself and then eating them ona table you built yourself - now that is stress relief!
jackied164 z6 MA
16 years ago
I guess the digging and hauling of rocks building and repairing garden beds in the spring is a great stress reliever but right now dragging my hose around and watering is what does it for me. I have become very primative with this chore. The sprinkler has been in the shed for 2 years gathering dust and this year I removed the nozzle/gun thing and am using my thumb. It really gives me a sense of control and also allows me to focus the stream at the roots of plants. This is something I need to do since I only have time to water after work and grow lots of plants that would suffer horribly of fungal diseases if their leaves were constantly getting wet at night. Oh and there may or may not be a "cup" of wine nearby while I do this. It may deserve some credit.
ellen_s
16 years ago
Working in my garden is my decompression chamber...it takes my mind off the details of my life and immerses me in the slower cycles of the earth. I find great peace and joy just puttering around, looking at what has grown, what needs to be moved, what needs some help or weeds that need to be removed. It's a creative process that helps me slow down and relieve stress. If I'm too tired to do anything but sit in a chair under the hemlock tree, I enjoy watching the life that thrives in our backyard habitat..from birds and butterflies to frogs, snakes and minnows in the pond. Much better than TV :-)

The companionship of horses also brings me great happiness, and the routine work their maintenance requires also keeps me grounded...I'm lucky enough to have my horses living right in my gardens. Their manure helps everything grow too :-)

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hoya-honey
16 years ago
Working in my backyard is something I look forward to each spring. But during the winter months we have a sunroom conected to our sparoom that are both full of plants, both tropical, exotic and some things I grow outside each year and bring indoors. Spending time in the sunny, warm rooms surrounded by all of that is very stress-relieving. And especially during a quiet snowfall... I'll escape there any chance I get.
suzannie41
16 years ago
The first thing I do in the morning, with my cup of coffee, is go out onto my deck and observe the grounds around the house. I get ideas in my head of what I want to accomplish for my gardens. We moved here a year ago, and there were no gardens on our one acre plot. Slowly, we are planning little gardens around the house. I just love planting new things, and seeing how they work in certain areas. I could - and do - work for hours pulling weeds, raking leaves, positioning rocks where the gardens will be, and for me I don't think about anything but the garden and imagine what it will look like when we are finished (finished??never!!) The exercise I get from all of this, is my work-out for my mind and body, and it is so very relaxing and rewarding.
gottagarden
16 years ago
Just playing in the dirt, touching the plants, seeing how my "friends" are doing every day makes me feel relaxed. It's the journey, not the destination . . . although the end result is rewarding as well.
FlowerLady6
16 years ago
This is a great thread and I love all the pictures of your stress relieving gardens.

Our gardens are our individual works of art. Working in and with them, we feel peace seeping into our very beings. There is plenty of hard work, but oh the joy we receive from our gardens. Part of that joy is from the doing, planning, weeding, planting, our building projects. Part of the joy is also from enjoying the fruits of our labors.

May we all grow in peace as we work, play and learn in our gardens.

FlowerLady

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clbravo
16 years ago
I relieve stress by hours of toiling in the beds, deadheading roses and weeding. But also watching visitors like this blue heron drop by and mingle with my plantings.
Clint

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FlowerLady6
16 years ago
Clint ~ What a wonderful picture! I hope you don't mind, but I made that my desktop. This is the first time I've used anyone's picture for my desktop. It just did something for me. I can't explain it. I would love to see more of the paradise where you and your wife live and garden, especially what must be a lovely brick wall from those old bricks, the gas lanterns and the iron gate with rose motif. Just thinking about that, has inspired me to keep on working in our gardens down here in tropical s.e. FL. Please more pictures! What new projects do you have in store for your new tractor and backhoe? Have fun.

FlowerLady
mendocino_rose
16 years ago
I have to admit that I don't relieve stress by gardening. I adore my garden but it is a full time job, my life's work. I feel better when I step back from it for a short time and then return. Here are a few photos.
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clbravo
16 years ago
Flowerlady,
Your more than welcome to use the pic. If my wife and I didn't garden on this property, it would be a crime. It has stately live oak trees,buford hollies, old hedge bamboo screening the front of the property. The pond is fed by an old artisian flow well, which in turn I use to irrigate the lawns and plantings. I was passed on 50 year old crinums, hurricane lillies and huge formosa azaleas. Upcoming backhoe projects include planting more golden goddess and mosa bamboo. Additional Japanese maple trees and old garden roses, louisiana irises, salvias and perennials.
Clint

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francoise
16 years ago
Hello,
What wonderful pictures !
I agree with you, gardening is incredibly de-stressing - even in a small urban garden
I am busy to arrange the garden that was of my grandfather, then of my mother, then mine (after 16 years without garden) - with a lot of old plants that I have always known, some have disappeared, I brought a lot of new ones, especially irises and peonies
Even if the garden is still a mess for the moment, I have a great pleasure to go in every morning, with my coffee and before to go to work, looking at the flowers, insects, tritons, ... It gives me strength for the busy day ;-)

I try to put some pictures of the garden, but I'm not really skillfull about that...

PS Sorry for the wording, I'm French speaking but you conversation and pictures are so relaxing, I just would like to participate
aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
16 years ago
Welcome to Cottage francoise, you will find as I have the people on this forum are a great bunch so do join in whenever you can.

Annette
FlowerLady6
16 years ago
Gotta garden ~ I LOVE your purple/blue color scheme.

Mendicino ~ Love all of your roses. I'm trying to plant more old garden varieties too as they seem to do best down here in tropical s.e. FL.

Clint ~ Thank you for posting more of your paradise. Love your brick wall, it is fantastic. Great salvage project there. Did you build it? What is the rose that is covering the wall in that picture? Also what is the rose next to your home, overlooking the pond? Love your irises also.

Francoise ~ Welcome to this forum. You did very well in expressing yourself. Do come back and I hope you can share some pictures with us here.

I just got out and mowed, it's 85, but with the heat/humidity index it feels like 93. It feels good to be back in the air-conditioning. I still need to get out and weedwack but that will be a morning project when it's cooler.

Gardening definitely puts one in a different frame of mind. You feel great when things look good, you get to see and enjoy new happenings in your gardens almost daily.

Happy Gardening everyone and do keep posting pictures.

FlowerLady
clbravo
16 years ago
Flowerlady,
Thanks for the reply. I had the wall built by a couple of mason's out of Mississippi. They built the columns first then the double walls between each column. That is climbing Clotilde Soupert on the wall and climbing old blush on the deck overlooking the pond. Mendocino Rose, I got your slideshow link from the Antique Rose forum and am blown away! Your garden is now my inspiration. It is amazing how much joy old garden roses can give!

Clint
francoise
16 years ago
Hello
I don't find the way to include pictures in my message
can you help me ?
thank you
clbravo
16 years ago
francoise,
Go to photobucket.com and open an account, it's free. Follow the instructions on uploading your pictures to photobucket. It will give you 4 options on copying and pasting to e-mails, forums etc. You go back to the gardenweb forum and post a message pasting the url into your message. Preview the message to see if the picture pops up. If you used wrong option from photobucket, it will show the url address, not the picture. Make correction and preview again to see if it works. Good luck.

Clint
natalie4b
16 years ago
How do I relieve stress? I stuffed my front bed with 165 daffodils today. It was very therapeutic. And it provided a space in my fridge for fruit and vegies again. Or I can get another helping of spring flowering bulbs! There is no such thing as too many daffs, tulips or hyacinths, is there?
angelcub
15 years ago
By looking at Libby's pics. : )

I'm fortunate to not have a lot of stress in my life (touch wood). My gardens definitely help but so does having a sense of humor. I don't take anything too seriously, with the exception of health matters. After 54 years I've found most things that seem overwhelming work themselves out and soon are a distant memory. My DH and I have a saying: "It's just a ____ " (fence, cabinet, car - fill in the blank) and keep on smiling and loving. : )

Diana
libbyshome
15 years ago
pssssssssstt. This thread is from last year.
Was grnthumihavenot posting in the wrong thread or was that some kind of spam?

Thanks anyway, Diana :)
PRO
Nell Jean
15 years ago
I think grnthum is a troll, happily trying to sneak in some 'free advertising' for his product. Nice of him to use a thread with purty pichures wasn't it?

Maybe one of those nice monitors will notice and pull it.
angelcub
15 years ago
LOL! Yeah, I thought it was spam, too, but I realized I missed this post (think I was on vacation ? ) so went ahead and added my 3 cents. ; )

Diana
bouquet
15 years ago
It doesn't matter if I'm inside or out, it always helps me feel better to see the garden.

This is a great idea!
redrumed
15 years ago
Sitting and look at my garden, but what really does it for me is my german sheppard honey bunny :)
gdntherapy1
14 years ago
There is nothing like getting filthy dirty, feeling the dirt crumbling under your fingertips, hauling rocks, pulling tree roots and then standing back and looking at the art you created. Since it is ever-changing, there is always something to do and it is completely mindless for me. It allows me to forget everything and just be creative. I find it to be great exercise and therapy. I go inside after hours in my gardens exhausted and sleep like a baby. Then I can't wait to get up in the early am and go see what's in bloom today!
Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca
14 years ago
These pics are sooo nice, i cant wait for spring!!
neverenoughflowers
14 years ago
I just love seeing everybody's gardens, I am always inspired. When I finally take some good pictures this year I will post my garden beds and hopefully they will be as pretty as those here. I find that gardening is the best stress reliever in the world; and when the day is done, there is nothing like pouring a glass of wine and taking a garden walk to admire the beauty.
Carol

How do you relieve stress?

Comments (39)

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