Why do I garden? Let me count the reasons...

By Steve Carter, Mental Health Promoter, Mental Health Foundation

We love gardening at the Mental Health Foundation. Even those without green thumbs can comprehend the value in a hands-on connection with our own little piece of nature.  

Last year we sold Go Potty seedlings as a fundraiser and we also supported the TV show Get Growing with NZ Gardener.  We support community gardening, gardens in schools, vege growing and all the associated spin-offs including farmers’ markets and food barter systems. Gardening is fun, healthy and, let’s face it, pretty zeitgeisty in these transition times. 

Why? 

Well, I’ll tell you what it means for me and I’ll use the Five Ways to Wellbeing framework (more info here) to describe it. 

Let me put my cards on the table (or onto the garden furniture):  I love my garden.  In fact, outside of music, gardening is possibly the single thing I would rather be doing above all else. I work on organic and no-dig principles, so it’s barely an effort, it costs very little and the returns are many-fold.   

Stuff just grows. Abundantly.  Indeed, you might say my garden is flourishing. 

So, five ways to a flourishing garden? 

CONNECT

It might be true that I spend a lot of my time alone in my own garden, but gardening implies community. Exchanges of ideas and advice, working bees, harvest parties and other nature-cycle celebrations – I might have only two green thumbs myself, but I am surrounded by a community of people who love to get their hands dirty and reap the rewards of a relationship with nature, with themselves and, most importantly, with others.   

All this before you even think to venture out to the local community garden, or the farmers’ market, or the edible gardening group (yes, we have such a thing in Brighton).  

Guerrilla gardeners, urban foragers – there’s a whole network out there if you choose to connect to it.  And, hey, gardeners here in Otautahi have even been ‘Greening the Rubble’, bringing colour and life to otherwise crumbling earthquake-stricken gaps in the community. 

KEEP LEARNING

Refining your skills as a gardener is a constant and ongoing process.  New techniques, new ideas, different perspectives all contribute to better and better seasons. For example, have you ever wondered why you seem to spend so much time weeding?  It’s almost as if the weeds want to be there, again and again drawing you into a battle for supremacy.   

But grab a book on organic gardening and you might find that they offer more benefit than harm. Taproots draw nutrients from deep within the ground, so leave the dock; nettles make a fine tonic used as tea and contain more iron than spinach; chickweed is one of the best compost activators your garden will grow for you.   

There are so many things to learn, it’s a lifetime’s journey.  What is mulch and how should I use it?  How do I make compost? Could I maximise my water usage from house to garden or even from the sky?  How can I give nature a helping hand? 

BE ACTIVE

Now this one is something of a no-brainer, even for a lazy, no-dig gardener like me.  Sure, I don’t spend heaps of time breaking my back breaking ground any more – and to a lot of people that’s the essence of gardening: mammoth, boring effort and drudgery. It needn’t be.  

But I’m always moving stuff around. I can walk miles just ambling around my garden (see TAKE NOTICE below), shifting mulch and compost, building raised beds, erecting a new chicken run.  And, rather than hosepipe fresh Canterbury artesian water on the garden, I have a complex rainwater collection system, an outside bath and a watering can and buckets. Lord knows how far I walk and how much weight the train of buckets and watering cans add up to, but I can tell you an hour watering the garden is as good a workout as you can get. Not to mention heading to the beach to collect driftwood and seaweed to bolster the resources of my patch. 

It’s an active, outdoor lifestyle with a healthy eating payoff at the end of it.  The bath under the stars is a pretty cool wind-down too. 

GIVE

Like I say, stuff just grows in my garden. Right now, lemons are literally throwing themselves off the tree faster than I can make marmalade, cordial or preserve them in salt and spices. Last year I had so much parsley I thought I might suffocate under the onslaught, and this year the patch has doubled in size.  My broccolini and spinach have become triffid-like to the point where I get tired of eating them. But “waste not, want not” right? 

The answer? Give it away.  Who doesn’t love free, fresh, organic veges and fruit? 

Not just that. I now save seeds from my best crops and they are yours if you want them. You want some advice on how to plan for a thriving garden?  I’m happy to give you as many tips as you need. It feels so good to share. 

TAKE NOTICE

It has been pointed out to me that I can spend hours in my garden doing nothing, but in truth I’m rarely doing nothing. What I enjoy most is a very conscious presence in the natural environment I have helped to flourish around me.   

I am fascinated by the life teeming just beneath the surface of my soil. I love to watch the bees buzzing around my flowers, doing their pollinating work for me. Is that a new patch of silverbeet that has established itself in a hitherto bare patch of ground? Is that little family of coriander emerging from the ground once more, ready to burst into tasty life? Is it time to feed my berries and fruit trees so that the tiny buds can explode into flower for a new season’s yield?   

The birds are singing, winter is cycling into spring and what seemed lifeless and still is flushing into the hope of life and colour. Nature is a dynamic, endless process of change and it is a wonderful thing to engage fully with a very mindful appreciation of its diversity and energy. 

So, that’s why I garden. What other activity can you think of that offers such an array of benefits to mind, body and spirit? You get to work at it, develop new skills and refine the ones you have. You get to share it with others and build a community of like-minded people around you. You even get to appreciate the days when the rain comes. And best of all, you will relish all the many returns for your (not very hard) labours. 

You don’t have to hug any trees or talk to the flowers (but you can if you want to).  

Be good to your garden and it will be good to you.  

Maintaining your wellbeing after the earthquake

CONNECT

Now more than ever is the time to stay in touch with the people around you: family, whanau, friends, loved ones, neighbours.  Everyone will have their own way of dealing with a crisis, and some will be experiencing grief.  Talk, and listen.  It doesn’t have to be about the disaster, although that may be all that’s on your mind.  If you don’t feel able to talk, just being around people can be enough to help you stay connected – it does make a difference.  Let the people in your life know that you’re there, even if it’s just your presence.

Pay particular attention to older people, children, people with physical impairments or disabilities and those who may be isolated; people who may have difficulty getting a clear idea of what’s happening around them – it’s incredibly important that we all stick together and feel connected.

GIVE

In the face of disaster and tragedy, a simple word like “give” might seem overwhelming.  You may have lost people, treasures, and memories that are close to you.  Focusing on the needs of others by giving your time, your words, your thoughts and your presence, may help you put your own losses to one side at least temporarily. 

Give time and your help to others around you in the same boat, as much as you are able to, but don’t forget to include yourself and your own needs.  We all have different skills and strengths – some of us are good with our hands, others are good listeners and great support people.  

TAKE NOTICE

In the face of destruction, it may feel like you want to close your eyes and hide rather than take notice of anything. 

But in the words of Skylight’s Tricia Hendry, who lost her husband to suicide, “I had to seek good moments in the middle of the horror.  Giving someone a hug, or doing something with my children that was special.  I knew that life had to be more than tragedy, and I had to do more than just survive.”

LEARN

Getting our city back on its feet again is going to mean working together, and there’s no better time than now to reach out and learn something new you can do to help that you’ve never done before.  There can never be enough volunteers, and the challenge of achieving something – no matter how small – helps to maintain hope.

 

BE ACTIVE

We’re living on shaky ground - literally.  Some areas are unsafe.  But trying to keep physically active is an important part of staying well, keeping your mind active, and staving off the blues that come naturally in the face of overwhelming events like this.  If it’s safe where you are, go for short walks or runs if that’s part of your normal exercise routine.  Even if you’re not able to move far from where you are, there are a range of on-the-spot exercises you can do to help keep your strength and fitness up.  Originally designed for use in classrooms, its application can be much wider.

Wanna swap caffeine for weight loss and increased concentration?

Can stopping caffeine intake really do this? Well it does for me!

When most people think of caffeine, they think of coffee. But not so for me! I have never liked coffee much to the initial horror of my work colleagues. When I politely refuse to take up the invite for a coffee I receive a mixture of disbelief and confusion. The face says “how could you NOT like coffee?”.

The answer is that I am a tea man. Yes, growing up with tea has been the staple of morning and afternoon teas and any other sort of family or social natter. This has continued to my adult years along with that other caffeine drink – coke – or for me Coke Zero.

A few months ago I discovered the pleasure of frozen cokes and I was away! I would often have four or five cups of tea a day and often a can of coke too.

Recently,  I had a casual conversation with someone who had worked in the field of anxiety. They said that a number of people they know had stopped having caffeine completely and their anxiety levels went down. My first thought was “probably just a coincidence.” However, after some time and consideration I decided I would give it a go.

So, a month ago, I stopped caffeine in all forms – basically tea and coke. I did initially get some little headaches (apparently perfectly natural) but then things started to happen. And I am not just talking about a sense of “feeling better” – I mean things like increased concentration at work and weight loss – in fact over the last month I have lost 3kgs!

So how does that work you may ask?

For a starter, I started to feel less anxious and that helped me concentrate more on my work – and hello! – I’m getting more work done and more effectively!

The weight loss is an interesting one: I am an emotional eater, eating when feeling stressed, anxious or depressed. So with anxiety levels decreasing I am less likely to eat through stress. I find it easier to focus on eating well and I really am listening more to my stomach to see when I am full! I am now simply eating until I feel comfortably full even if it means leaving some food on the plate.

Now you may think this is all too easy and what else is happening in my life. To be honest, nothing else that I would consider to be lessening my stress levels, in fact there have been some things that might have increased my stress levels!
I cannot categorically say the increased concentration and weight loss are 100% caused by eliminating caffeine, but I think most courts would say it is a contributing factor.

I encourage you to give it a go and see if it works for you. If so – great – if not, at least you tried. I appreciate lots of people LOVE their caffeine fix, so how about just trialling a reduction.

For me what also helps is drinking more water or herbal teas. Let me know how you get on.

Grant Cooper, Mental Health Promoter, Mental Health Foundation

Ride Out of the Blue

A first: a first Ride Out of the Blue Blog, my first blog. 

More firsts: a first bike challenge for mental health in NZ, my first event. So I beg your patience. With so many firsts I’m bound to muck this up a bit.

Ride Out of the Blue is a 2,500km journey from Bluff to Cape Reinga to raise awareness of depression and money for the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand to held provide resources for depression. I’m organising it because I love riding,

I’ve suffered depression, I’ve lost relatives who’ve suffered depression to suicide, and I can’t do nothing whilst New Zealand’s brightest and best young men commit suicide. 

But! Off the soap box. Ride Out of the Blue is about celebrating life. In the words of James E. Starrs, “Melancholy is incompatible with bicycling.”

Riding is brilliant.  Whether getting out to turn the pedals with friends, to sip lattes and talk about lycra, or to ride hills beyond my abilities and in doing so to put back into perspective what’s dogging me. I can think of no other activity that enables a balance of healthy body, healthy mind, as simply as riding.  

On ya bike!

It’s non-exclusive, universal, empowering. Get a bike.

Planning Ride Out of the Blue and training for it has been, is, a mammoth task: gathering support, commitment, putting myself out there as an event organiser and long distance cyclist – vulnerable moments as I'm not either, bothering my family and friends with constant updates about “the Ride”.

It’s happening now – in six weeks.  We have four committed riders, we have the support of the NZ Police, and we have raised over $4k.  We’ve made a difference and have the chance to make a bigger difference. 

Seriously exciting pursuit

It’s seriously exciting to be a part of this. One of our riders, Dave, has had some great press coverage: Ride To a Better Life

Providence has opened every door for this Ride to come about, despite the rain and the floods here in tropical Queensland where three of the riders live.The torrential rain has stopped any training, the floods have destroyed our cycle paths and, in my case, inundated our rental house. Check out the photos!

Now the sun is out, the flood damage is being assessed and repaired, and riders everywhere are back on their bikes. This weekend  Chris (one of our riders) and myself are heading down to Victoria to do the Audax Alpine Classic 250km and 200km. With little riding lately it’s going to hurt some.  But with alpine scenery around us, where else would I rather hurt – where else but New Zealand of course!

Alison Blyth, Organiser, Ride Out of the Blue

Cats, dogs, iguanas, goats, chickens, spiders... and mental health

Guy Fawkes Night can mean fun for some, but it can also bring on fear and loathing in your beloved pet. At a time when we think of our pets’ mental health, and look after them, Shona Clarke also thinks about her own mental health and what our pets can do for us.

Actually, I’m not sure about an iguana as a pet but I’m sure somewhere, somebody has one.

I’ve had a few pets: cats, birds, fish and a spider. My first, Mr. D. Longlegs, met his end in my bath one day when I was about five and it was one of my first recollections of loving something other than a person. When I was a teenager, Mr. Shark ironically got eaten by other fish. As you can see, extremely creative naming of my pets has obviously not been my forté... until my current pet.

I’ve had my cat, Zoe, for about eight years. I didn’t know it when I named her, but Zoe means ‘life’ in Greek and in her own way she’s helped me keep mine.

Just as a cat would have it, I’m her number one fan.  Photos of her often frequently emerge as the picture on my computer desktop, on my cell phone and on my coffee thermos.  While it might appear I have an unhealthy obsession about a black and white furball, in actual fact, photos of Zoe remind me of her resilience and her ability to cheer me up when stuff isn’t so good.

Zoe was an SPCA cat and has had physical problems, some of which are probably associated with poor nutrition as a kitten. She’s had most of her teeth out, has had nose cancer a couple of times and is a bit arthritic.  Despite the fact that she’s not so young anymore, she still regularly manages to bring me presents of mice and birds. If my cat can do that and be that resilient, I feel like I can also do difficult things in life.

Zoe also has an uncanny ability to sense when I’m distressed and will come and sit with me, or on me, and purr or demand to be patted. Perhaps I read too much into her actions, but I believe she senses my mood and does what she can to help. And I fall for her demands, I pat her, and scratch her chin and that distraction pulls me slightly away from whatever kind of distress I might be experiencing.

I’m not alone in benefiting from my pet! Research shows that stroking or petting animals can have at least short term health benefits such as decreasing blood pressure and heart rate.  There is also a body of research that suggests pets can positively affect mental health such as helping to reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness, facilitating social interactions between people and providing empathy and even therapy.

I know not everyone can own a pet for a variety of reasons, but you can still benefit from animals by visiting a friend who has one, going to a pet store, petting zoo or hanging out with the cows in a nearby public park!
I’d love to hear how your pet or an animal has made a difference to your mental health, so please share your stories.

Shona Clarke, Mental Health Promoter, Like Minds, Like Mine

Christmas is looming…

For many, Christmas can be a magical and exciting time.  It can be a time to catch up with friends and family, and to celebrate the achievements of another year.  For children the excitement of Santa Claus and presents under the tree is almost overwhelming!

But for some of us, Christmas can be one of the most isolating and painful periods of the year.  With its emphasis on families and togetherness, those of us who are not connected with our families due to loss, trauma or relationship break-ups, Christmas time can trigger painful memories and be a time of great sadness. 

Likewise, with its increasingly consumerist pull, Christmas can be difficult for those of us who struggle financially to purchase those things our friends or family most desire. There is so much pressure, particularly on parents, to be able to ‘deliver the goods’ so to speak. 

In addition, the current financial climate and the recent increase in GST means less financially well-off families are likely to feel increased pressure this year.  

And, to top it all off, those of us who usually seek therapy or counseling are cut off for a period as our therapists and counselors take a well-deserved holiday.  

Ways to look after ourselves

How can we take care of ourselves during the holiday period so the lows aren’t so low that it becomes unbearable?

Some of the ways I, and others, have been able to get through this sometimes difficult day include:

• Volunteer at an older persons’ home or homeless shelter.
• Throw a Christmas celebration of your own and invite those who you want to attend.
• The buses and trains are free in most main centres on Christmas Day – go somewhere nice and picturesque.
• Write down a set plan for the day.
• Make gifts rather than buy them, for example jams and chutneys, cookies and fudge.

And, in the lead up to Christmas, remember the five winning ways to wellbeing:  connect, be active, learn, take notice and give.  

Find your own creative ways to make the most of these Five Winning Ways To Wellbeing suggestions from the New Economics Foundation (2008) website.

I think it is really important to open up this discussion and to share with one another the simple ways in which we take care of ourselves.  Who knows?  You may end up helping someone else who would otherwise be down this holiday season.

If you or someone you know is experiencing stress or depression you may like to call:

• The Depression Helpline on 0800 111 757 
• Lifeline on 0800 543 354 
• Youthline on 0800 376 633.

Tina Helm, Mental Health Promoter, Like Minds, Like Mine

Moving beyond Rambo and the Terminator - The way forward for men's wellbeing

When I was asked to attend the Men’s Wellbeing Symposium in Masterton last week, I agreed, but with some reservations as to what I was letting myself in for.

Controversy had preceded this symposium regarding its ‘men only’ status, but as the day proceeded it became evident this was a good decision by the organisers, and also essential if the symposium was to grapple with the question of men’s wellbeing. Women have been leading the way in this area for many years and now we men are trying to step up and catch up.

The symposium started off posing the question, “why are men over represented in poor mental health stats?” and we were challenged to go beyond the usual answers such as ‘men don’t ask for help’ or ‘men don’t talk about their feelings’ and to dig deeper, asking ourselves why?

Sydney-based keynote speaker Professor John MacDonald spoke about the work that’s been done in Australia on men’s health and the need to respond to men differently from women. For example, help lines where often the response to a caller is “How are you feeling?” simply doesn’t work, according to Professor MacDonald. He says that by changing one word in this opening sentence to “How are you doing?”, men stayed on the phone longer and were also more likely to call back.

The lack of male role models in the lives of young boys was also discussed in a session with Freerk Ykema from the Gadaku Institute in the Netherlands. Ykema says around the world, education, for example, had become female-dominated. Those who were male were often the principal or deputy principal and were seen as authoritarian figures, not mentors. With a significant number of young boys having no male presence in their home, male role models were often fictional characters like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator and Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo!

Freerk Ykema also talked about boys’ need for physical activity and how our education system of sitting behind desks is not conducive to a young boy’s learning. So the inevitable result is that the ‘disruptive’ boy who really just needs some physical activity is labelled the ‘problem’ child in class when the reality is, he’s not getting his basic learning needs met.

So, what was the outcome of all our male bonding?

Men need to redefine for themselves what they need to enhance their wellbeing, while services need to adapt and acknowledge the different male and female responses to the same issue or service. Men are not from Venus and women are not from Mars, we are all from Earth, but we do have innate differences and a ‘one glove fits all’ approach to both sexes does not work.

In New Zealand, we quite rightly prioritise our cultural response to Maori and Pacific peoples, especially as these groups feature disproportionately highly in negative socio-economic and health indicators. But we also need to start asking ourselves, in the health and education sectors in-particular, what are we doing to support men and young boys? This is not to ignore the needs of women and girls, but to acknowledge that these services have often developed to meet the needs of women, leaving men unable to identify or connect with them. What we need now is to incorporate both a female and a male response. When this happens, the question put by the symposium, “why are men over represented in poor mental health statistics?” may eventually become superfluous.

Rob Berg, Development Manager, Suicide Prevention Information New Zealand


Men’s Wellbeing Symposium programme

Associate Minister of Health Peter Dunne’s opening speech at the Men’s Wellbeing Symposium.

Mensline suspension

As someone who often receives requests for help from men in distress who are seeking information on where to go for help and support, I was very disheartened to hear the recent announcement of the suspension of Lifeline's Mensline, a national service that has been there for men for over 15 years.

We know that men in trouble are vulnerable and not good at reaching out for help, and Mensline was one of the few services there specifically for them.
 
You can hear more on this subject from Radio New Zealand's Nine to Noon programme with Kathryn Ryan who interviews world suicide prevention expert Annette Beautrais, and Mensline founder Warwick Pudney http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/20100304

In Australia this service is funded by Government but this is not the case in New Zealand, with Mensline being funded through charitable grants and public donations, and staffed by volunteer counsellors.

As Annette Beautrais says, there needs to be a commitment to on-going suicide prevention funding and the loss of this service is a set back to both the suicide prevention and mental health sectors.

I think it is essential that Mensline is restored and hope that Lifeline will be able to do so sooner rather than later.

Russell Tuffery, Information Officer, MHF Resource & Information Service

Self care rules!

What do you do to take care of yourself? Do you do enough? Do you know how to take care of yourself? Will the Christmas rush knock your routine for six?

I’m not talking about some selfish activity here – I’m talking about knowing how to truly take care of yourself so you can work and live to the best of your abilities.

Recently, I was lucky enough to attend a day’s self-care workshop run by a Foundation colleague, Dale Little, and Kataraina Pipi. It was a fantastic day – we examined what we do to look after ourselves and support our own wellbeing. It was an exciting day for me because I place a lot of importance on self-care.

I’ve worked in mental health for almost 10 years and, while it can be an incredibly rewarding job, it can be incredibly draining and emotional. I learnt early on in my career that unless I took care of myself, I wasn’t able to give back to the people I worked with or do my job as well as I could.

Self-care is applicable to everyone; anyone can experience burn out, working 60 hours a week, not getting enough sleep, existing on take-aways… When we look at what this does to our physical and mental health, we can see why self-care is so important! It can be difficult to make self-care behaviours part of your daily routine.

Part of my repertoire includes: balancing work and life, eg, I don’t check work emails from home; getting regular exercise; spending time in the sunshine; and planning relaxation time. If you have some dyed-in-the-wool, never-fail self-care tips – please leave a comment here for others.

Jade, Like Minds Mental Health Promoter