How Gardening Can Help You Through a Divorce

Going through a divorce can be a stressful and upsetting time. Though free advice from a family lawyer can help, some days, you may find it difficult to talk to someone. On days like this, it can be helpful to take up a hobby that encourages you to keep busy and leave the house.

In this post, we’re going to explain how gardening can help you through a divorce and discuss some of the life lessons you can learn along the way. Let’s begin…

8 Reasons Gardening Can Help You During a Divorce

Fresh Air Is Good for the Soul

Break-ups can take their toll on an individual’s physical and mental health, so it’s wise to try to concentrate on bettering your health after a divorce. With this in mind, what better way of taking a relaxed approach to exercise than pottering around your garden?

It’s been said that ‘fresh air is good for the soul’ and there are several health benefits to back up this claim and you can buy everything online. Generally, fresh air has higher levels of oxygen (not to mention lower levels of pollution) than indoor air, leading to a longer and happier life. Some of the benefits include:

• Helping to clear your lungs
• Improving blood pressure
• Improving heart rate
• Better digestive system
• Strengthening the immune system

Uplifts Your Mood

What’s more, fresh air and exploring the outdoors is brilliant for your mental health. With post-divorce depression on the rise, it’s worth contemplating leaving your house for some well-needed Vitamin D.

According to one scientific report, spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature can have a massive impact upon your mental wellbeing, with positive associations peaking between 200 and 300 minutes per week.

It Takes Your Mind Off Things

Another brilliant way that gardening can help you through a divorce is by being a welcome distraction. No matter the size of your garden, there are plenty of things you can do to improve the aesthetics and encourage a plentiful ecosystem.

Growing plants can be an enjoyable responsibility and help to keep your mind focused. It is something you can always tend to, and watching flowers bloom can feel like a great accomplishment.

So, whether it’s starting a vegetable garden or planting a rose bed, try channelling your energy into your garden as a way of coping with your divorce.

Gives You a Sense of Empowerment

As touched upon a little bit in the above paragraph, gardening can provide individuals with a huge sense of power and accomplishment. It’s not unusual to feel a loss of control when going through a divorce, so wanting to find something that reignites feelings of stability and control, is completely normal.

Often, people tend to concentrate their energy and time on their career, but there are several more fun ways you can regain control of your life – and gardening is most definitely one of them and who knows you might end up finding gemstones.

Helps You to Find a Community

A divorce can often leave you feeling lonely, so why not consider meeting up with some fellow Greenfingers? Nowadays, it’s not hard to find a gardening group in your local community, but if you’re nervous and don’t know how to go about joining one, make sure to check out the Royal Horticulture Society.

From annual events, to weekly gatherings at local allotments, you’ll find that joining a local gardening community will help to rebuild your confidence and widen your social circle. Perfect for when you’re feeling blue!

Allows You to Spend Quality Time with Your Family

As well as encouraging you to meet new people, gardening is a great hobby to take part in with your family and friends. Young children love helping in the garden, so try to get them involved by setting them simple tasks.

What’s more, older children may be tempted to help mow the lawn or sweep the leaves, if some pocket money is involved. Either way, spending time outdoors with your loved ones is never a wasted exercise.

It’s a Low-Cost Hobby

Though starting a new hobby may be on many divorcees’ to-do list to get back out there and meet new people, it’s not always financially viable. Many hobbies can be expensive upkeep but, thankfully, gardening isn’t one of them.

Initially, some of the equipment might be a bit expensive, but you can find some real bargains at places like Costco, Lidl, and Aldi. To save money, we recommend buying plants at garden centres and stalls rather than purchasing ones online.

Teaches You to Be More Self-Sufficient

Though gardening is a hobby that can be shared amongst a community, or with friends, it’s a hobby that most people do by themselves. Gardening is likely to teach you to be more confident and self-assured, as you’ll often have to make decisions for yourself.

It can also teach you to be more independent. After all, what could be more self-sufficient than growing your own vegetable patch and feeding your family from the ingredients in your garden?

Would You Consider Gardening to Help You Through a Divorce?

In this post, we’ve deliberated some of the main reasons individuals decide to take up gardening post-divorce. As discussed above, gardening can be an incredibly beneficial exercise for your physical and mental health, as well as being a welcome distraction, and way of bonding with friends and family.

So, whether you’re a gardening novice or an accomplished landscape gardener, why not consider venturing into your garden a little more to help with your divorce?