Going through a divorce is one of the most difficult things anyone is likely to experience. You’ll be forced to contend with the emotional fallout of separating from your partner, as well as having to make arrangements for your children and any shared finances.
If you’re going through a divorce with the help of a Bath, Birmingham or Bristol divorce lawyer, you’ll likely be looking for different ways to help you cope. What better way to do so than to partake in a spot of gardening?
Gardening has a wide range of benefits, both for your mental and physical health, which makes it a great hobby if you’re looking for ways to get through this trying time. But what exactly makes gardening so great? Keep reading to learn more…
How Can Gardening Help You Through Your Divorce?
Reduces Stress
That’s where gardening can come in handy. It’s a fantastic stress reliever, as it can help to lower the stress hormone levels in your body. In fact, a research study found that gardening can lower your stress levels more than reading.
Acts as a Mood Booster
Keeping up appearances is difficult during a divorce. Even if you’re putting on a brave face for your friends and family, you might still be finding your situation difficult to cope with. This can inevitably lead to feelings of anxiety, and sometimes even depression.
Gardening can act as a great mood booster if your divorce has you feeling blue. To back this up, multiple studies have taken place which saw people take part in ‘gardening interventions’, which helped to reduce mental health symptoms, such as depression.
Builds Up Your Self Esteem
Naturally, everyone’s circumstances are different when it comes to divorce, but feelings of low self-esteem are pretty universal. Your confidence may have been set back by experiencing such a difficult event, and you’ll need a bit of building back up.
That’s where gardening comes in handy. Taking part in simple forms of outdoor work can help you to build your confidence, as it allows you to feel a sense of accomplishment whilst also broadening your own skills. You don’t even have to be a green-fingered wizard to get started!
Gives You The Perfect Distraction
Divorces have the tendency to take over your life. So, if you don’t have the sort of job or personal life that allows you to regularly take your mind off your divorce, then you’re going to want to enjoy a hobby that gives you a much-needed distraction.
Gardening is great for that very reason. You’ll have the distraction of working to achieve a goal, as well as being able to embrace the outdoors.
Gives You A Sense Of Agency And Empowerment
Divorce can leave you feeling powerless, especially if the way everything has transpired is beyond your control. So, why not find a way of empowering yourself?
If you start gardening, you’ll have full control over your very own project. Want to plant a batch of carrots? Go for it. Always wanted to impress your neighbours with an extravagant flower bed? You’re the boss.
You get the picture – these small wins can go a long way when it comes to giving you back a sense of agency.
A Great Way To Get Physical Exercise
It might seem a little cliché, but physical exercise is one of the best ways of helping to improve your mental health, which may have taken a big knock following your divorce. So, what better way to combine the two.
Helps You To Find A Community To Talk To
Feelings of isolation are completely natural following a divorce. To combat this, this new life chapter could mean that you have the chance to make a fresh start and get to know a whole new bunch of people.
There are bound to be a number of different gardening communities in your local area who can help you to get started if you’re a gardening newbie. Don’t be afraid to reach out; they’ll be more than happy to lend a hand!
Can Give You The Chance To Connect With Children
If you’re struggling to cope with your divorce, then your children are likely to be finding the situation even more difficult to come to terms with. This will mean that you’ll have to find ways of reaching out and connecting with them wherever you can.
Gardening is perfect for just that. It can give you the chance to work on a project together and to have natural conversations that can improve your bond with one another.
Are You Thinking About Starting Some Gardening Following Divorce?
So, how does gardening sound now? If you don’t have any prior gardening experience, then it’s much easier than you might think to get started. All you need is a green space, a few simple tools and a bit of enthusiasm!
It will always take some time to get through a divorce, but getting stuck into some outdoor work can be the perfect way to start the next chapter in your life.
Are you already a keen gardener? Do you know any other ways that gardening might help someone to get through their divorce? Feel free to leave a comment below so we can get as much useful advice out there as possible!
No comments