My Body is Like a Garden
The juxtaposition of these experiences, based on my routine and what life was throwing at me, made me think…My body is like a garden.
5/17/20253 min read
I have been unusually hard on myself lately. The expectations I’ve had for myself seem more like what you would expect of a robot and not a living, breathing, dynamic organism. Each day, I planned to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to pump breastmilk for an hour, get on the computer to work on my coaching business, go for a run or weight lift (depending on the day), shower, eat breakfast, and log onto work. Throughout the day I intended to do my pelvic floor exercises, go on a walk, eat nutritious food, drink a lot of water, and produce enough milk for my son without having to dip into my freezer stash. This routine only lasted for one week. When all of these stars were aligned, I felt GREAT. I felt energized and creative. I felt emotionally stable and calm. I felt really, really good.
As the mom of a nine month old who is going through a sleep regression and brings home germs from his little friends at daycare, an employee for the Federal government navigating job uncertainty, and just existing as a person in this world in general, there’s no way I can feel great and meet all of these expectations every single day. On days when I did only a few of the things listed above, I felt like I was falling behind and like I lacked creativity. I felt anxious and low. And then I would have a few more days of getting into the rest, food, and movement routine that makes me feel good and I would be back to my energetic, creative self. The juxtaposition of these two experiences, based on my routine and what life was throwing at me, made me think…
My body is like a garden.
There is no way that my body will need, be exposed to, or react to the same exact conditions every single day. That’s where the metaphor of the garden comes into play.
A garden needs water; my body needs help regulating and finding balance, some days more than others
A garden needs soil care, to be tested and amended; my body benefits from changes to my environment that better support my health, like cleaning, spending time outdoors, or turning on the air purifier
A garden needs weed control; my body benefits from clearing the clutter to make space for new, supportive habits (this includes digital clutter!)
A garden needs pest and disease management; my body benefits from identifying and cutting things out of my routine or life that are no longer serving me
A garden needs pruning; my body craves proper hygiene, like mindfully combing my hair, cutting my nails, or taking an abbreviated “everything shower”
A garden needs fertilizer; my body needs to be nourished with nutrient rich food and movements that feed it
A garden needs other plants nearby; my body needs to experience things that bring me joy and to spend time with people who feed my soul
A garden needs seasonal care; my body needs to be nurtured and supported through transitions, both through the temporal seasons and the seasons of life
You would never do all of the things listed above for a garden every single day. You would observe what is needed at that point in time and meet those needs. I cannot expect myself to need the same type of support or care every single day either. I need to check in with myself and determine how to best support my body at that moment. So next time I feel depleted and low, and like I’m not achieving enough or meeting my own expectations for how I should feel, I will remember to treat my body with the same compassion and love that I would for a living, breathing, dynamic garden.