I love researching the effect of gardening on health and writing. I believe there’s a bigger plan behind all coincidences.
Whether gardening will help you write or not will depend on whether you ready to take up the challenge and let me know a year from today.
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When I wrote the book about How to walk, write, and garden for a Healthy life, I was a fan of walking. But after the 2020 scene of lockdown and generally crazy, walking, gardening, and writing has become lifesaving.
There are studies about the effect of the therapeutic effect of gardening on older people, but few studies on the emotional and mental wellness of the working adult population. Before I started gardening, I lacked focus. I wanted to do a lot of things but felt a disconnect and discontentment. But with gardening and writing joining hands in my life, I have realized peace and contentment like everything else, starts inside.
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If you ask me what comes first, walking, writing, or gardening, I will be in a fix. When I miss out on any of these activities, I feel uneasy, and my mood swings and I focus on all the dark misery and feel the weight of the world. Going for a brisk walk on the treadmill puts me in the right frame of mind, tapping away on the laptop. Trimming a few plants and watering them makes my heart sing, and my brain full of ideas.
If family, education, and a higher power have brought me so far, then walking, writing, and gardening have been the fruit of those trees. Writing and taking care of your garden need right-brain thinking. Creating, nurturing, and finding new ways to use the old. They make you intuitive and creative, showing you glimpses of magic and untold mysteries of finding wisdom lost. The insights are borne of sweat and toil. Writing and gardening will take your time, make you tired, but will fill your heart with gladness.
I am a reader. Even now, I can spend days with books. Fiction or nonfiction if the topic piques my interest and the book is written well, I read it. I am not a natural writer. Writing happens with toil and sweat. It occurs after fighting with imposter syndrome, of feeling not good enough and worrying about what I am doing with my life thing!
But if 2020 has taught me anything in the last several months is this:
Every path my God shows me is a path of service. I need to embrace it and have faith.
While being a doctor is a dream come true. being an author is an unplanned journey. Writing has helped me heal. It helped me become more patient and find ways, to tell the truth without breaking a bone. It had helped me find points of view, when I thought only my way was the right way. It has helped me find my own self.
A small exercise for your writing brain if you are not a gardener yet.
Get a small potted indoor plant. Keep it where you can see it when you write. Water it and give it sufficient light. After one year write to me telling me at dramrita@healthwealthbridge.com about what happened in your writing life,I would love to know.
Walking, writing, and gardening is what’s in my toolbox for feeling better. What’s in yours?
I love gardening, getting out in the fresh air and nature can clear your mind and forgot troubles at least while gardening. I enjoy sharing my gardening love with Lia and we also get exercise together while pulling weeds!
Not sure there’s data to substantiate the benefits of gardening- unless one is accruing flowers or vegetables.