Spring Has Not Been Cancelled
Do yourself a favor — go outside and enjoy it
The power of nature to heal, calm and refresh has been understood by humans for millenia, but scientists are just now getting on board and confirming what we have always known.
As a Horticultural Therapist, I have seen over and over again the impact that a few minutes in nature, with hands in the soil, or watering plants, can have on a client. I have worked with older adults with dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and the debilitating after-affects of stroke. The garden and nature never fail to bring positive results.
Humans evolved with nature, and it is only in the last hundred years or so that we have begun to live our lives totally disconnected from the natural world. We live in an artificial bubble of concrete, wood and steel and nature is something that is “out there.” I believe that our mental and physical health has suffered because of this disconnect.
My job as a horticultural therapist is to restore that connection in ways that are therapeutic mentally, physically and emotionally. From a professional standpoint, I think we need the catharsis of nature now more than at any time in recent history.
