I have been volunteering in my local community for the past few months and it has been such a rewarding experience.

Yesterday when I was going about my day there, I got given the task of repotting some succulents. While I was doing this, I found it so soothing and suddenly I remembered something that made me even happier.

That morning as I had been getting ready, I was listening to the Very Well Mind podcast and the episode I'd listened to was all about how gardening and caring for plants is highly beneficial for a person's mental health.

I learned that there had been studies that have shown that there is a bacteria in the soil called Mycobacterium vaccae that causes our brains to release serotonin, known as the happy hormone.

So as I was lost in my repotting duties it hit me that I had literally learned a few hours prior, how good this task was for my mental health and I felt it too.

It was just so calming and I noticed that I was fully present and was being happily mindful.

This also reminds me of an article I recently read by Dr. Preeti Singh where she spoke of her experience of maintaining the garden where she does community work.

In fact, I feel like the experience I just had was very similar to hers. I loved the way she described how looking after the garden made her feel, and this is what I felt when I was repotting the succulents.

I live in an apartment right now, so it's not really possible for me to grow a garden at the moment, but I have a good number of houseplants that keep me busy.

Just the other day my partner and I planted some tomatoes, peppers, and basil and I cannot wait to see them flourish.

We began to grow our own succulents from the leaves of another succulent; this process is called propagation.

From the leaves, small little succulents started to grow which was so exciting. I cannot wait to see what they look like once they get bigger!

I can't help but feel like the universe is telling me to tend to plants more often.

What with the combination of the podcast episode, the task I was given during my volunteer time, and Dr. Preeti Singh's inspiring article; it just feels like a sign.

I have already seen the positive benefits this has had on my racing mind and know that this is something I need to incorporate into my life more.

Plants are so amazing for our health and caring for them isn't always easy but seeing them grow and thrive is just so rewarding to witness.

Thank you Dr Preeti for your inspiring article!

Some other great reads I highly recommend:

DR Rawson - The Possibilist explains the power of community and promotes a great up-and-coming writer Pam Avila.

Sunsets are one of my favorite things in life and Carmen Micsa, MA in English, podcaster has captured the beauty of sunsets with her pictures and words.

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