Fear vs. Excitement

Hello Gardeners!

We’ve talked about fear before - how many of our weeds are rooted in fear and how those fears can make us feel isolated - but what about excitement? Excitement and fear are actually quite similar. Both emotions elevate heart rate, increase awareness, create the “butterflies in the stomach” effect - the difference is that fear can immobilize us while excitement pushes us forward.

If you think back to all of your firsts or big changes in your life, excitement and fear exist simultaneously. Let’s take the first and last day of school, for example. The last day of school is met with so much excitement for summer - no more homework, spending days by the pool and at the beach, maybe a summer camp or a family vacation. It can also be met with some anxiety - when will you see all of the friends you made throughout the year, maybe you are nervous to make new friends at camp, or you’re just not sure what to do this summer.

To prepare for this we've gathered some tips to help turn that fear into excitement for the summer!

#1 Get some events on the calendar

Schedule a couple playdates, a day trip to the beach, a family picnic, a birthday party, a camp - something that gives your gardener something to look forward to!

We had such a good time shooting Episode 6 of Season 1 in #SeaBrightNJ

#2 Write your teachers a nice note

If your gardener is feeling particularly sad about leaving his or her teacher this year, sit down with them and have him or her write a nice note to their teacher. It may give them some closure transitioning out of their classroom, while also providing the teacher with a truly genuine gesture of gratitude.

Remember this "Seed Packet" Note craft from Season 1, Episode 7? Click the image to see the video!

#3 Come up with a summer project

Give your gardener a task to complete over the summer - this could be teaching your dog a couple of new tricks, or doing some home improvement, maybe it’s cleaning up litter in the neighborhood. Think of how proud they will be looking at what they’ve achieved at the end of the summer!

#4 Get outside

After being stuck in a classroom for most of the year, summer is the time to be free and run wild! Schedule some family hikes, pull out the sprinkler, or do a craft outside - just go out and get some fresh air.

#5 Continue to #PullYourWeeds

This is a big one - just because school is over and the schedule is a little looser, doesn’t mean we stop pulling weeds! Keep that routine strong because weeds certainly do not stop growing just because it’s summer.

Moreover, when both excitement and fear are present - sometimes just trying to reframe your outlook from “I just want to get this over with” to “this is exciting!” is the small step that can bring positivity and excitement forward, while putting fear a few steps back.

You Are A Gardener is the perfect end of year gift for your teacher!! Who knows, you may even spread our seeds to future students. Enter code 'SUMMER' for 10% off of the book until the end of June!

Thanks for tuning in gardeners, and remember to #PullYourWeeds!