I don’t know about you, but some days it’s harder than others for me to find my “happy place.” Everyone experiences times when they feel overwhelmed, over extended, and over it all. And, when times are tough, we all need a little boost to help us find that place within ourselves that brings us back to center. My garden is my Happy Place, and I go there every chance I get.
Winter is the time of year when I go a little nuts. Okay, let’s be honest, I get even more nutty than usual. I spend hours pouring over seed catalogs and gardening magazines. I gaze out the windows overlooking the back yard envisioning the coming year’s edition of the colorful landscape.
A garden provides an oasis of calm in an electric world. A personal, private, and peaceful place to immerse myself and restore a sense of balance and well-being. Gardening is a form of meditation, of being lost in the moment. It quiets my “monkey mind.” You know, when your brain just won’t stop running around in circles. Often after even a short time in my garden, I come away discovering solutions that my subconscious mind worked over while I was getting my hands dirty.
It’s also a form of self-expression. Experimenting with color and finding winning combinations, builds confidence and allows a healthy outlet for my emotions. Gardening promotes a sense of achievement. Stepping back to see the differences made, and I regain my sense of wonder at the small, important things in life.
Gardens are sensual places, engaging all of our senses in a variety of ways, encouraging us to be more in touch with ourselves and in tune with nature’s slower, gentler rhythms. Simply spending time in a garden, enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells around us, can invoke a powerful sense of belonging and spiritual peace. When we nurture a garden, we increase our connection and our sense of well-being.
Check out the following articles and blog posts for helpful doses of happiness.
- Where Is My Happy Place? Can I Borrow Yours?
- I Don’t Have to Chase Extraordinary Moments to Find Happiness: It’s Right in Front of Me
- Get Over Over-Thinking: Six Steps to Start Now
So what about you? How do you get to your Happy Place?
Carol Bush, BS, RN, has over 20 years’ experience in oncology nursing and especially enjoys collaborating with community partners, engaging rural communities, and facilitating change. Currently, she is a nurse navigator and consultant with the Midwest Cancer Alliance, a membership-based organization of 14 hospitals, cancer centers, and research organizations across Kansas and western Missouri. Her consulting interests focus on care coordination initiatives.
Carol followed a circuitous route to a career in oncology. Her first undergraduate degree is in agriculture. A nursing degree followed 10 years later, after three children and an unknown number of pizza suppers. She lives on four peaceful acres, with her fiancé, Don. She enjoys gardening, cooking, and stalking her young adult children via social media. You may follow Carol via Twitter @KUCancerRN.