Things to do this week in your garden- 15th September 2024

Mindful Gardening and Floristry activities to calm your mind and soothe your soul

Grief is heavy.

And its heaviness has been a constant in my life since I was 10. Just as I felt I was breaking free from its shackles i’d be plunged back into its murky depths with the loss of yet another loved one. I’m sure most of us have lost people we love, whether that’s to death, the loss of a friendship or the end of a relationship.

Often our feelings feel too big to cope with and society sure as shit doesn’t let us wallow in our misery and actually just feel fucking awful. Well-meaning friends and family members encourage us to get up and out, and focus on the kids or work as a way to distract us from the feelings that I would argue need to be felt. Because unfelt feelings get stuck inside our bodies and manifest in all sorts of different ways. Anxiety for some, stomach problems for others, migraines.

For years I stuffed my feelings so far down inside of me so I didn’t have to deal with them. A childhood being told you’re too sensitive will do that to you. And years later they came out in spectacular fashion with overwhelming anxiety, that when I still didn’t listen to my mind and body, culminated in a burnout episode in which my brain and body said ‘no more’ and just shut down.

I’d wager if you’re a woman born in the 80’s and 90’s you struggle to let yourself feel your emotions fully too. And as a result you likely feel overwhelmed and stressed a lot of the time.

I have the solution and unsurprisingly it can be found in your garden.

When you focus on doing a gardening activity mindfully, staying truly in the present moment your ever running brain starts to slow down, the pressure to constantly mask your feelings subsides and those long buried feelings begin to bubble to the surface.

This practice is powerful and feels fucking terrifying to do without the support of others and someone to check in with. Which is exactly why I created the Seed. A safe space for you to start creating a regular gardening habit so that you can begin to slow down, release those feelings that are screaming to get out and start to feel lighter and more joyful.

Come and give it a try with us and this week’s mindful gardening activities: