Mothers nurture. The biggest nurturer of them all is Mother Nature.

Nature is healing.

Sunlight is good for vitamin D. Fresh air is cleansing. Plants, flowers, and trees are not only beautiful but essential to living healthy lives—from providing necessary oxygen to giving us nutrients when we consume them, which keep us from becoming sick and weak.

When someone is dealing with depression, they often don’t want to leave the house and don’t consider the benefits of being around nature, but I found nature to be one of the best remedies to my depression.

During my worst depression, springtime came quickly. I’ve always enjoyed gardening, even just weeding and adding fresh mulch to my flower beds. Pulling weeds is actually quite symbolic. While I removed unwanted plants, I equated them as the things in my life that I did not want, that were not supposed to be there—the drama, the pain, the suffering, the depression. When we remove weeds from soil, we make that soil better, richer, giving flowers room to grow. Upon expunging the things in our lives we wish to be done with, we, in turn, become better, richer, and allow ourselves room to grow.

Being outside, with the sun warming my skin, I’d pull weed after weed, and each one I put in a pile rejuvenated me. I enjoyed seeing the dark soil becoming more and more visible without the weeds hiding it. I’d often pause, tip my head back to look around at the trees, at the sky, and breathe deeply. Wow. Nothing felt more amazing, made me feel more connected to the earth—when my depression had me feeling removed and lonely—than in those moments.

I’d often buy new, cheap plants for the small area in front of my house. Putting my hands in the soil, smelling the earthy scent, loosening the roots of the plants (much like loosening the knots within myself), and settling that plant in a fresh hole to take root and grow was also a symbolic act. At the same time, I was doing everything I could to prune, nurture, and plant beautiful and healthy thoughts in my mind—by reading, meditating, spending time with my nephews, enjoying nature, etc.

If you are suffering from depression, I encourage you to go out among nature.

- Pull weeds

- Lay out fresh mulch

- Dig your hands into soil

- Plant a tree, plants, and/or flowers

- Mow your lawn

- Visit a botanical garden

- Go to a park

- Take a hike or walk through the woods

- Sit on a shore and watch the waves roll in and out

- Play with golden sand, dig your feet into it

- Sit on a park bench to watch and listen to birds

- Pull out a chair, set it in your front yard, sidewalk, or driveway to enjoy the evening weather

- Take pictures of the sunset

- Lay out in your backyard to catch a few rays

- Read a book or write a journal entry on your porch/patio

- Take a walk around your neighborhood, a park, a pond, along the shore

Do anything that immerses you in nature. In return, you will get so much back. Try to do something that engages you in nature at least once a week. Treat it as an essential part of your schedule and recovery.