Get your hands dirty
We are happiest, and healthiest, when we’re in and around nature. Yet, as the world becomes increasingly urbanised, our relationship with our inner green thumbs is growing harder to maintain.
Getting outdoors can have a profound effect on how we feel, reducing anxiety and improving our mood. A quick look at lifestyles in the world’s Blue Zones—where people on average live longer and healthier lives—shows the effect of natural movement through outdoor activities such as gardening, walking and manual labour.
Living here means you don’t have to give up having a garden, tending to spring blooms or growing your own veggies. If you’re new to getting your hands dirty, you’ll have the opportunity to invest the time and effort required to truly be at one with the elements. So, smell the roses, feel the soil, watch it grow. Now is time to go green.
Discover a new you at Oran Park Village
Final release now selling.
Meet Ercilia
Scientist, businesswoman, gardener
As a scientist, Ercilia knows all about cause and effect. But she was still blown away by how the act of gardening could create such a positive effect on her wellbeing.
“When you come to the garden, you relax, you do something productive, and your big problems become normal-sized problems,” she says.
“Sometimes we need peace. When life gets difficult, you come to the garden, and suddenly, things don’t seem so bad.”
- Ercilia Barahona
Ercilia had never picked up a gardening tool until she moved to Castle Hill eight years ago—and admits the prospect of discovering her green thumb was a bit daunting. But now she sees the garden as a place of solace and support. “Gardens are good for anyone,” she says. “They give you peace, purpose, and a chance to reinvent yourself… The connection to the soil – it gives you energy.”
So, for those considering trading their business suits (or lab coats!) for gardening gloves, Ercilia would be an advocate. “The day goes by so quickly when you’re in the garden. You wake up, you work, and before you know it, it’s another beautiful day.”
So, for those considering trading their business suits (or labcoats!) for gardening gloves, Ercilia would be an advocate. “The day goes by so quickly when you’re in the garden. You wake up, you work, and before you know it, it’s another beautiful day.”
An enriching new skill, to enrich your days.
Discover a new you at Oran Park Village
Final release now selling.
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Inspired by the gospel of reconciliation in Jesus Christ, Anglicare's vision for reconciliation is a nation in which Australia's First Peoples are restored in dignity, respect, empowerment and opportunity.