How Gardening Can Help Reduce Stress in Radiation Patients
Radiation treatment can be a lot on the mind and body. Many cancer patients experience painful and challenging side effects, such as nausea, fatigue, insomnia, and irritated skin. In addition to being physically taxing, these side effects take a significant toll on one’s mental health. The stress of radiation therapy—and of cancer treatment overall—can make it difficult to relax the way your loved one needs to.
Many cancer patients turn to gardening to help relieve stress and make treatment and recovery a little brighter. From spending time outside to occupying the mind with something fun and rewarding, gardening can be a great boon to your loved one’s mental health. Finding ways to help them safely spend time outside tending to fruits and vegetables, flowers, or even a small herb garden can help them add a bit more beauty and positivity to their recovery. Read on to learn all about how gardening can help reduce stress in radiation patients and see how to safely help your loved one get started in their own home.
A Low-Impact Workout
Physical activity is good for both physical and mental health. Through gardening, your loved one can add a bit of gentle activity to their daily routine without exhausting themselves. It gets the body moving as they walk, bend, kneel, reach, dig, and lift. These movements help promote flexibility and strength. As with any activity, gardening helps support cardiovascular health as well.
Of course, it’s always important to talk to your loved one’s healthcare team so you both know their limits before they pick up a trowel and head outside. Follow any and all instructions from their doctors to make sure they don’t push themselves too hard. Pay attention to lifting limits and other boundaries so your loved one can enjoy their garden in a way that doesn’t put their health at risk.
Spend Time in the Sun—Safely
Exposure to natural sunlight helps the body produce vitamin D—the vitamin that’s vital for absorbing calcium and promoting bone health. Vitamin D also supports the immune system, muscles, and brain cells. Spending time in the garden also means spending time enjoying that sunshine, which is just as good for one’s mood as it is for their body.
For cancer patients, it’s crucial to enjoy the sun safely. Radiation treatment increases the patient’s skin sensitivity, which means they’re extra sensitive to sun exposure, especially UV radiation. Whenever you and your loved one spend time outside, take special care with their skin and the rest of their body so you can both safely reap the physical and mental benefits of all that beautiful sunshine.
Use sunscreen with a high sun protection factor (SPF) and re-apply every couple of hours. Make sure your loved one is wearing loose-fitting, breathable clothes that cover their arms and legs without making them too hot. Adding a sun hat to the outfit will also keep their head, face, and neck safe. Finally, avoid going out during midday—from around 11 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon—so that the two of you aren’t out when the sun is at its hottest and brightest.
Enjoy the Benefits of Fresh Air
We all know that spending time outside is good for you. It gets you out of the house, gives you a change of scenery, and makes the day more enriching. It’s also just nice to enjoy some fresh air and listen to the world do its thing around you.
Spending time outside surrounded by nature brings a sense of calm that soothes stress and helps your loved one relax. Even if they’re having a bad day (it happens to the best of us), being in a bad mood in a quiet, peaceful garden is better than being in a bad mood somewhere dark or loud or stuffy.
Cultivate a Space Just for Them
Your loved one’s garden can be anything they want it to be. They can grow a colorful array of vegetables, build a haven for pollinators, or even design a water garden with fountains, bird baths, or a small pond. They can carefully maintain tidy flowerbeds or decorate every inch of the yard with quirky garden gnomes.
They don’t need an entire yard, though. Flowerpots on a small front step or an herb garden in the window of an apartment still bring an extra touch of color and fulfillment to your loved one’s life. If they live in an urban area, they can even look for community gardens or other organizations that help them get out of the house and spend some time in nature.
By finding opportunities that fit your loved one’s home, budget, and lifestyle, you help them create a space that they love to spend time in. As a result, you help them find the freedom to show off their creativity and personality—and have some fun while they do it.
Give Them Something To Look Forward To
Gardening is a hobby that never has to end. Whether you and your loved one are pulling weeds in the heart of summer or spending the winter researching cool new plants to try next spring, gardening can always keep them occupied.
It gives them a way to escape the challenges of cancer and radiation therapy, allowing them to focus on themselves and the beauty of the world around them for a little while each day. Gardening offers something to always look forward to—something that can cheer them up or keep them motivated, even on those really difficult days.
See the Results of Their Effort
One of the greatest joys of gardening—and one of the most significant ways it helps reduce stress in radiation patients—is the opportunity to witness the beautiful results of their own hard work. There’s something joyous about stepping outside and seeing the first buds of the season in your flowerpots, or watching a patch of strawberries ripen day by day. Even just sitting back and relaxing while the butterflies flutter around you brings a sense of joy and contentment.
Gardening turns your loved one’s passion, creativity, and effort into a natural work of art. Whether they’re filling their kitchen with fresh produce or setting up a chair to enjoy the natural beauty around them, there’s no better feeling than celebrating the work they’ve done in their garden.
Be Smart About Outdoor Time
Gardening is only beneficial if you do so safely. This goes for everyone, but it’s especially important for patients undergoing radiation treatment. Always consult with your loved one’s doctor before this or any kind of physical activity, and ask any questions you have about exercise limits, weight limits, skin safety, or other concerns. In addition to practicing sun safety every time they go outside, your loved one should wear other protective gear, such as gardening gloves and comfortable, durable shoes.
Don’t forget to take breaks—after all, it’s about enjoying themselves, not pushing their limits. Make sure your loved one stops if they feel nauseous or dizzy or if they experience headaches or a rise in body temperature.
Make sure they have plenty of time to rest, too. After a morning in the garden, they can settle down indoors with goodies from The Balm Box’s radiation care packages. Items like lip balm, cuticle oil, natural soaps, and botanical balms or body creams can help rejuvenate your loved one’s skin. Meanwhile, our ice packs and gentle lavender essential oil diffusers can help them feel more comfortable, allowing them to relax and rest in their downtime.
