In environments that demand high performance — from busy hospitals, aged care centers, and schools to high-pressure commercial offices — the human mind is constantly under stress. This often leads to anxiety, mental fatigue, and disconnection.
Wellness gardens are a strategic countermeasure. They are purposefully designed to interrupt this cycle by encouraging the engagement of the senses, which facilitates grounding — an evidence-based therapeutic tool that immediately pulls focus away from internal distress.
Try these easy and effective techniques on your next visit to a wellness garden or green space, and let the garden anchor your focus!
The 5-4-3-2-1 Sensory Reset
5 Things You Can SEE:
Let your gaze drift. Notice the graceful sway of the flowers as they whirl in the breeze. Count the shades of green on the trees. Observe the texture of the path beneath your feet.
4 Things You Can FEEL:
Press your hands onto the natural material of the garden. Feel the unmoving solidity of the bench or the cool, dry surface of a river stone. Feel the air moving on your skin, reminding you that you are here.
3 Things You Can HEAR:
Let external noise fade. Tune in to the soft rustle of the leaves, the rhythmic drip of the water feature, or the distant, quiet hum of life beyond the garden walls.
2 Things You Can SMELL:
Inhale deeply. Draw in the invigorating fragrance of the rosemary or the deep, earthy richness of the soil and the freshly cut grass.
1 Thing You Can TASTE:
Focus on one taste sensation, as simply as the cool sip of water you brought, affirming your presence in the moment.
Thank you for joining this week’s challenge. We hope you are all recharged now and don’t forget to keep an eye out for next week’s Wellbeing Challenge!
OUTHOUSE offers in-person consultations with qualified landscape architects and designers to help you get the most value out of your landscape. We can provide verbal advice, wellbeing audit, planting plans or a full landscape design. Get in touch with us to create your Wellness Garden!
