If there’s one thing that lies at the heart of KLORIS, it’s the firm belief that the power of nature is something quite remarkable. Something we could all do with a little more of in our lives, especially now.
As weeks in isolation go by, the yearning to be surrounded by the natural world and all it has to give is stronger than ever. And perhaps, for many, the love of plants and trees, their involvement in our lives and the process of healing the mind, body and soul is becoming increasingly apparent.
When it comes to boosting the immune system, as is so important right now, our first port of call is often the plant kingdom. Be that altering our diets to include a wider and more regular range of nutrient-rich fruit and vegetables, to exploring the world of ancient healing plants and adaptogens, such as cannabis, echinacea, tea tree, olive leaf. Therapeutic essential oils, like the lavender, ylang-ylang and patchouli you’ll find in our Recharge and Relax baths salts. And many, many more besides.
But the wellbeing benefits provided by plants don’t stop there. Simply being with nature and working in the soil offers a whole host of amazing possibilities. Over a series of blogs, we are excited to share with you some of the ways you can let nature love you. Today, we start with gardening therapy.
Gardening Therapy
Nurturing plants is often a great stepping stone to nurturing yourself and despite the need to stay at home right now, this is something we can all still enjoy in back gardens, window boxes and even indoor potted plants or fruit and veg grows.
Studies have shown that just 30 minutes a week spent looking after an allotment can boost feelings of both self-esteem and mood by dissolving tension, depression, anger, and confusion by increasing serotonin and dopamine levels. Amazingly, antidepressant microbes called Mycobacterium vaccae, found to mirror the effect on neurons that drugs like Prozac provide, are present in most soil.
The positive mental and physical impact of gardening has proven to be so impressive that lots of NHS GPs will even prescribe community gardening projects to combat anxiety and depression. In outdoor gardens and allotments, the physical exercise you can get from gardening also makes for a great, gentle workout and, in ordinary circumstances, the social aspect of gardening alongside others offers the opportunity to connect and bond.
Tap into the benefits of Gardening Therapy at home
You don’t have to be a seasoned pro at gardening to reap the benefits, just getting stuck into whatever planting you have access to will be plenty good enough! If you’re lucky enough to have an outdoor garden, get to work outside in the spring sunshine. If you’re indoors, here are a couple of options you can try:
Make your own…
Hanging Herb Garden
Herbs are wonderful things to have fresh in the home, both for their welcome addition to meals and their healing properties. And they’re also very easy to grow and care for! Good starting options are dill, thyme, mint, rosemary, oregano and basil.
There are lots of ways to create a hanging herb garden. You could use a selection of planters or baskets lined with sphagnum peat moss or a coconut liner, soaked thoroughly with water. From here, you simply need to cut a plastic bag to fit the inside of the basket, poke some drainage holes across the bottom and finally cut slits in the moss or liner before inserting your choice of herbs along the sides of the basket, tucking the liner back in place around them.
Or, get creative! There is so much fantastic inspiration for mason jar and upside-down coffee can holders, wool wall hangings and beautiful DIY wooden board displays.
Fragrant Window Box
If you love the idea of filling your home with beautiful, natural scents there are loads of lovely plants to choose from that will release incredible fragrances to soothe and uplift.
- Geranium: One of the most wonderful smelling plants out there – if you brush past the leaves they release a burst of perfume into the air! When they do, you can enjoy the aromatherapy benefits of reduced stress, reduced inflammation, boosted immunity and easier digestion.
- Lavender: The gentle, calming aroma of lavender is world-famous for it’s relaxing properties. This is a great choice for in the home as it’s beautiful as well as useful, as you can use the vibrant purple flowers in cooking as well as lots of other home care, like making your own scented drawer pillows and calming sprays. It needs lots of light to grow though, so make sure this one is on a windowsill.
- Eucalyptus: If you’re familiar with gardening, you might want to try your hand at growing this breathe-easy plant that has been shown to soothe cold symptoms, heal wounds and relieve muscle pain. Eucalyptus absorbs water very quickly, so you will need to water this one frequently.
