Landscaping for Stress Relief

Stress relief comes in many forms these days, from calming teas to tai chi, to breathing techniques. Many people on the go find it hard to do any thing but drink their tea and breath. Why not landscape? By landscaping you are getting out and feeling the fresh air. You are breathing and heck bring a cup of tea, its all good. By tilling a garden on your hands and knees and taking a small shovel you can work your stress into the ground. Pick up a scoop of dirt (stress) and throw it down or till it into the other dirt. You can dig a hole and pretend that all the dirt you took out is stress. You can pound it attack it and stomp on it. Remember this is all getting your stress out. Don't be afraid to yell in between. It is all very helpful. When you are done with your tilling take all the dirt in a small pile near by and hit it with the shovel. By hitting this dirt (stress) you can remind yourself that you are putting stress in its place. Stress can be a monster, so hit it really hard. After you are done, do not get up right away, take your shoulders and shrug them and breathe. Think at this point only happy thoughts. Remind yourself that when you get up you are leaving the stress in the pile. You can't take it with you and wont. By taking this time for yourself and managing your stress, you will find that in a few days of this practice you are feeling better. Remind yourself often not to think about this nasty stress, only think of it when you are out there near your garden.