Being on a farm is good for your health. It fosters practicality, creativity, and bond among family members.
We live in unusual times. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted us in many ways. Our way of life has been disrupted. We are now embracing and living a “new normal” and adhering to quarantine protocols.
Having a life where things slow down just a bit means avoiding too much stress from urban living. Being on a farm is good for your health. It fosters practicality, creativity, and bond among family members.
In the midst of a crisis, you can rely on fresh produce from the farm such as veggies, fruits, and other crops. You know where your food is coming from and what goes into it. There’s also something satisfying in growing one’s own food.
- Nature
One of the best parts of farm life is being in nature. The scenery is beautiful and peaceful. The air is a lot cleaner and cooler, too. You feel totally relaxed. The atmosphere is less suffocating. You can look forward to a picturesque sunrise and vibrant sunset early on, and be fascinated with the chirping of the birds around you.
- Farm to table
During our stay at the farm, we harvested sweet mangoes and Bangkok santol, fresh vegetables such as ampalaya, okra, patola, papaya, and string beans. For organic string beans, we made an easy to prepare sauteed beans mixed with vegetarian meat for a hearty meal.
According to an online source, green beans are a healthy addition to almost any eating plan because they are a low-calorie, low-fat source of energy. Beans are also nutrient-dense since they provide lots of beneficial vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants without many calories.
The farm-to-table scheme is beneficial for sustenance and quality of life.
- Gardening
Gardening is good for our mental health and overall well-being, especially in this time of uncertainty. It’s always enjoyable and fulfilling to cultivate the plants either in the morning or afternoon. When you see it blooms and bears fruits, you feel the satisfaction from nurturing the floras.
A report in the Mental Health Journal cited “gardening as being able to reduce stress and improve mood, with a reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety.”
Aside from gardening, you can do a lot of activities that stimulate sound body and mind, such as caring for the pets, harvesting the crops, biking, jogging, cooking, painting, meditation, yoga, badminton, basketball, reading a good book in a hammock, and a lot more.
Spending the quarantine period at the farm is a blissful and valuable experience after all.
(The Lebajo ArtFarm is a sprawling family farm cum studio gallery located in Alfonso, Cavite)
#farmlife #artfarm #coronaviruspandemic #rubyspreciousmoments #rubyasoyph
(By Ruby Asoy-Lebajo)
