We are living in hectic and chaotic times. Our senses are bombarded with technology and noise that we seem unable to escape. Anxiety is one of the biggest mental illnesses in modern times, and it is on the increase. There are more people using medication for depression and the way it manifests itself, every year. Doctors are inundated with people looking for help, while being criticised for administering the drugs that will. This is, of course, all down to the cost of the medication which is the only concern of our present government.
There are things everyone can do to help treat anxiety conditions. It is an accepted fact that relaxation techniques can reduce the feelings of anxiety and panic that sufferers experience. It is difficult to find relaxation in the outside world but with a little effort, your own garden can become a tranquil tool to help towards your recovery or anxiety management.
We will give a few examples here of ways you can use your garden.
Keep Prying Eyes Out
A major symptom of anxiety is the awkwardness felt with strangers or feelings of terror when subjected to a crowd. Now some treatments will involve deliberate exposure to these situations in order to lessen their mental impact over time. For your tranquil garden, however, privacy is the key. Make sure your posts and fence panels are in good order.
Running Water
A water feature of some kind gives a relaxing sound to which you can meditate. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate affair as the one in the image. Water features are widely available in a range of designs from your garden centre or DIY shop.
Rustling Plants
Tall plants make a sound when there is a breeze, and bamboo is the king. As with the water feature, natural sound aids meditative contemplation when seeking inner peace. There are hundreds of plants that will give sound in a slight breeze.
Gravel Garden
A gravel garden, or Zen, is simply made by laying pea gravel two or three inches thick over an area. Add one or two points of interest such as a small statue or rocks. An amazing feeling of peace and serenity can be achieved by combing the gravel with a rake, always seeking perfection in the patterns. It is a process that never ends. It is an exercise that can be carried out for as long as you like. You will soon find that daily turmoil begins to drift out of your mind, giving calm relief for a while.
Keep Fish
If you have a fish pond, it could include a water feature, as suggested. Keep the water crystal clear with filtration so that you can watch the fish idly swim around. The effect becomes hypnotic after a while, and many hours can be meditated away.
Clip Hedges
Trim hedges or topiary with scissors or small shears. It is the exercise itself and not the result that works, just as with the gravel garden. Peaceful reflection can be carried out while trimming.
Unfortunately, there is no outright cure for anxiety. If you make your home a peaceful haven, however, you will find a little more strength to go out and perform your daily duties in the knowledge that a comfortable place awaits at the end of the day.
There will be a lot of people who simply cannot understand what you are going through, but that is their problem and not yours. Do not deviate from your quest to find peace. I wish you well.
