insideKENT Magazine Issue 72 - March 2018 | Page 95

OUTDOORLIVING
GROW The
Right Garden FOR YOU
HAVING A HOBBY – OR EVEN MULTIPLE HOBBIES – IS A GOOD THING. HOBBIES STIMULATE
THE BRAIN, OFFERING NEW CHALLENGES AND BREAKING UP STAID ROUTINES, AND, THANKS
TO YOUR HOBBIES, YOU MIGHT DISCOVER THAT YOU FIND A NEW WAY OF LOOKING AT
THE WORLD. HOBBIES ALSO ENCOURAGE YOU TO DE-STRESS; LIFE CAN BE PRETTY TOUGH
AT TIMES, BUT IF YOU HAVE A HOBBY TO RETREAT INTO, YOU CAN TAKE THE TIME YOU
NEED TO REGROUP AND RESET. BY THE TIME YOU EMERGE BACK OUT INTO THE WORLD,
YOU’LL FEEL AS THOUGH YOU CAN TAKE ON ANYTHING.
Some hobbies even help you to meet other
people and make new friends. Even if the
activity you engage in is really a solo pursuit
like painting or writing, that doesn’t mean
you can’t find like-minded people to discuss
your ups and downs with. And, if your hobby
is one that revolves around lots of people,
such as singing in a choir or rambling, then
you’ve got a ready-made friendship group
right there waiting for you.
On top of all that, hobbies are good for your
physical health. Taking the time to enjoy
something can lower blood pressure, lower
cortisol (the stress hormone) levels, reduce
the risk of stroke and heart attacks and even
help you to lose weight. This is particularly
true if the hobby is an active one, such as
gardening.
Ah, gardening. Could there be a more perfect
hobby? It allows those who take pleasure in
it to spend time in nature, which many of us
don’t get to do enough of – the world is a
beautiful place if we just take the time to look
around. It allows us to focus only on the
present, which is a practise more of us should
get into too. But it also presents challenges –
what to plant, when and where, how to rid
the garden of pests – and keeps us physically
fit. The benefits are numerous.
If gardening appeals, you can take it up at
any age. And don’t let the amount (or lack of)
spare time you have prevent you from getting
started; no matter how much time you do or
don’t have, there will be a garden type that
suits you.
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