A common piece of advice given to recovering addicts is to take up some hobbies. It is during idle time that cravings can feel most powerful. If you’re looking for a new passion, why not try gardening? Gardening can actually help addicts in recovery!
Whether you have treated addiction with inpatient or outpatient rehab, or even if you are recovering with the help of a personal therapist, recovery is a process. However, some people feel like they’ll never use substances again. On the other hand, there are those who become extremely anxious at the thought of having to fight relapse the rest of their lives.
The good news for both is that you don’t have to ‘cure’ addiction today. Some of the best work is done one small step at a time. By putting certain measures in place, you can both ensure that you commit to being prepared for when things go wrong and that you do not spend all your time obsessing over a future you cannot control.
Gardening is an extremely helpful hobby that not only takes up your idle time, but also has many therapeutic benefits. Why might this be?
Here is how gardening can help addicts in recovery.
Reconnecting Body and Mind
Addiction affects both one’s physical and mental health. As such, it is crucial to treat both. However, many find it difficult to reconnect on a cognitive level with their bodies. They have spent a lot of time numbing themselves.
Gardening is the perfect tool for reconnecting to your body. It is perhaps the most grounding activity you can do – you are literally working with the ground. Many jobs today require mental work more than physical activity. Gardening can therefore help you find your way back to your physical being.
It is similar to the mindful exercise of walking barefoot on the ground. You find that your feet are firmly planted and you feel more stable and present in life.
Stress Reduction
Unlike many other physical activities, gardening does not require you to move with urgency. While some aspects of gardening, such as digging, hoeing, and pulling weeds, can be physically tiring, you can go at your own pace.
It is therefore a perfect activity for reducing stress. You can take a break from the production demands of the modern world and focus only on what you are doing. Again, this connects to the mindfulness principle of being present in the moment. Rather than trying to constantly achieve, you can spend some time with the world that already exists around you.
Self-Esteem and Purpose
There is something very satisfying about seeing the fruits of your labor emerge after you have nurtured them. In today’s work world, we rarely see the ends we are working towards. Individuals do their specific jobs and, eventually, hope to see positive numbers on a screen.
Gardening is the opposite. You plant a seed and watch it grow. The more care you put into your gardening, the more you see your efforts bloom. While gardening is not about the final results, the process reinforces the reality of cause and effect.
When recovering from addiction, it can be difficult to remain optimistic. Nothing feels like it is in your control. However, when you recognize how directly actions lead to consequences, you become more aware that the work you are doing to improve will bear fruits.
Furthermore, you gain a greater sense of purpose. Few people are privileged to do a job that they are passionate about. Meaning can be hard to find. But there is always meaning in cultivating the natural world. You will find renewed purpose in taking care of your garden every day.
Building Community
Gardening can be an excellent solitary activity. But many recovering addicts are seeking relief from a sense of isolation. You may have lost friends while addicted. Some of your family members may no longer speak to you. Alternatively, it might just feel like no one understands you.
You can find community when you are gardening. Look for communal garden projects in your area. There may be others who come regularly to work on nurturing the plants that are improving the neighborhood. In some cases, the fruits of your labor will actually feed people in need.
Even if there is no community garden nearby, you can still connect with people online, discussing your new passion on forums and even connecting one-on-one. When you need advice, you have people to turn to. Eventually, you will be able to reciprocate with your own advice from your lived experience.
It is crucial that you have support and community in which you can share your recovery process. However, chances are that you don’t want it to be all you ever think or talk about. Having a community with whom you can share your passion will help you remember characteristics of yourself you have forgotten are there.
Conclusion
Idle time puts you at risk of relapse, but that is not the only reason to take up a hobby like gardening. Gardening grounds you and helps you find renewed meaning in your life. It can even provide you with a sense of community.
Start small if you need to! Once you engage in this kind of nurturing activity, you will begin to feel more at ease in the world.
