The landscape of life

Life can throw lots of curveballs to navigate. Good times can dissipate into hard times. Resolve and resolution can be stretched to reach. It’s when all can seem lost that a spark of hope arrives. 

In our world of current affairs, it’s been a time of uncertainty across the planet. Doom, distress and extreme fear have been moving across like a series of clouds. Pandemic, war, and the cost of living are a few. In today’s climate, challenges have spread into every class. No one is escaping the obstacles we have. 

In the fragility of today’s life, our inner landscape can be distorted and blurred. Feelings are more apparent. Thoughts may be in crisis. Our future is fragmented by the unknown. A need for reassurance is more required. Time is the essence of hope. 

In any form of disillusionment, a clear landscape can be the way to build a wall around the perils to be faced. Imagine a garden as a blank canvas. How do we fill this garden with the bright colours of plants? The scent of beautiful flowers? The sound of birds and bumblebees? We start with ideas and then nurture the contents. We maintain and then sit back and enjoy the growth attained.

Building resolve in ourselves is much like our garden. From a spark of hope, we nurture new ideas. We accept the time needed to grow our ideas into actions. We create our landscape to coincide with our own capabilities. People may die just like our plants may. We de-weed our lawn just like we may need to recover from an illness. Enjoying the fruits of our apple tree, similar to a pay rise in our jobs. Our inner landscape is as important as our outer one. 

A way to tend to ourselves is to reach out for help. In the same way, I may need some information to tackle the fungal infection in my apple tree, I can also reach out for support with my anxiety. It’s no task to ask for help. It’s part of the solution. No task other than a hurdle to cross. Saving the tree and also my well-being. Both landscapes helped.

As a keen gardener and therapist, both have helped navigate a caring approach. Care is the key to stress and a healthy garden. A healthy garden brings joy, and a caring sense of self brings joy too. Every storm, when worked through, may bring more strength and growth. The lawn looks greener as the inner strength gained through managing emotions, too. Pruning a shrub helps with new flowering. Practising self-care influences a healthy mindset. 

If you’re caught in a gale-force wind in your life and are hopefully starting to look into a plan to keep safe, then think of yourself as your garden. What will the wind do to your fence? What will the pressure do to your relationship? Damage, possibly the answer to both. How do I remove pressure? Can I support the fence? How do I help my plants grow? How can my relationship improve? Time, attention and nurture. 

Therapy can help. Friends, families and caregivers. Healthcare professionals and work colleagues. Neighbours and community support workers. Whatever you pick could help your life landscape improve to a better place for you and your dearest. If therapy is a choice you take to reach your solution, it may hopefully bring you into fresh new pastures.