Janna’s Reviews > Losing Eden: Why Our Minds Need the Wild > Status Update

“Putting a seed in a thumb of compost and seeing it poke its green flesh through the soil and unfurl was soothing…Tuning in to the rest of nature’s cycles can offer a tempo and rhythm…and the transitory nature of the seasons can also be a reminder that time passes and things heal”

The garden provided a space for her to think, put things in perspective, come to terms with her loss, and work out the problems and she issues she had to deal with…the act of reimagining who she was. She talked about the fresh air, seeing the birds circling above, working with the soil, watching things grow and life develop. It was a reprieve from her loneliness

The research adds clearly to the evidence: healthy, robust, well-functioning, and happy societies require a connection with the natural world. It must no longer be seen as an optional frill

In the United States, gardening programmes were also offered to military veterans with…PTSD. As they had done in the trenches, soldiers rebuilt and soothed their minds by watching plants grow and appreciating their beauty”

“Why did the soldiers bother (planting gardens in the trenches)? The beauty of the flowers must have been a distraction and a joy - they may have reminded the men of their gardens at home, their families and loved ones... Planting might have given the men a sense of hope for the future at a time of extreme uncertainty. To plant seeds is to believe you will see them grow.”

Exposure to soil bacteria has been clinically proven to increase feelings of happiness, reduce stress, reduce PTSD related symptoms, and increase stress resilience.

Basically, get your hands on some soil for a daily dose of goodness

“I started walking - drawn to trees, birds, flowers and plants with an urgency…it became my rehab: it soothed my rawness and patched me back together”