Anjana Nambissan is a life coach guiding you through a transformative journey towards self-love and personal growth. She believes in the power of self-love and its profound impact on every aspect of your life.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a crucial time dedicated to reducing stigma, raising awareness, and promoting mental wellness across communities. This annual observance highlights the importance of mental health care and encourages open conversations about psychological well-being.

Established to combat the silence surrounding mental health issues, May serves as a platform for education, advocacy, and support. The month focuses on normalizing discussions about anxiety, depression, stress, and other mental health challenges that affect millions globally. Key themes include early intervention, accessibility to mental health resources, and the recognition that mental health is as important as physical health.

Recent years have seen unprecedented challenges to collective mental wellness. Workplace stress, social media pressures, economic uncertainty, and post-pandemic effects have intensified mental health concerns. Young adults and professionals face particular challenges with anxiety disorders, burnout, and depression becoming increasingly common.

Life coaches play a unique and valuable role in the mental health ecosystem. Unlike therapists who focus on clinical treatment of mental illness, life coaches work with generally healthy individuals seeking personal growth, goal achievement, and life optimization. They bridge the gap between traditional therapy and self-help, offering structured support for those wanting to enhance their mental wellness proactively.

Life coaches employ evidence-based techniques including cognitive behavioral strategies, mindfulness practices, and goal-setting frameworks. They help clients identify limiting beliefs, develop coping strategies, and create actionable plans for personal development. Through regular sessions, coaches provide accountability, perspective, and tools for managing stress, improving relationships, and building resilience.

One of life coaching's greatest strengths lies in its preventive approach. Rather than waiting for mental health crises, coaches help clients build emotional intelligence, stress management skills, and healthy lifestyle habits that protect against future psychological challenges. This proactive stance aligns perfectly with Mental Health Awareness Month's emphasis on prevention and early intervention.

Effective life coaches recognize their scope and limitations, often working collaboratively with mental health professionals. They refer clients to therapists when clinical intervention is needed while continuing to provide support for personal growth goals. This integrated approach ensures comprehensive care addressing both therapeutic needs and life enhancement objectives.

Life coaching offers a less stigmatized entry point for individuals hesitant about traditional mental health services. Many people feel more comfortable seeking a "life coach" than a "therapist," making coaching an accessible gateway to personal development and mental wellness support.

May Action Steps

During Mental Health Awareness Month, individuals can benefit from evaluating their mental wellness needs. Consider whether life coaching might complement existing self-care practices or provide structured support for personal goals. Life coaches can help develop mental wellness plans, establish healthy routines, and create accountability systems for ongoing psychological well-being.

The integration of life coaching into mental health awareness represents a holistic approach to psychological wellness, emphasizing growth, prevention, and empowerment alongside traditional therapeutic interventions.

Judy Barreto, a single mother of three boys, formerly ran "Spondeo Montessori" in Gilbert, Arizona, where she demonstrated her profound commitment to children's education. During her time as the school's leader, she placed special emphasis on incorporating environmentally conscious principles into the institution's framework and operations.

Judy embarked on a new professional path in the field of eco-therapy. We explore her fascinating transition from Montessori education administrator to eco-therapy practitioner, examining how her experience as both an educator and mother has informed this evolving career journey. Our conversation with Judy reveals the connecting threads between her previous work in structured nature-based education and her current pursuit of healing through environmental connection.

Key aspects of eco-therapy include:

1. Connection to nature: Eco-therapy is based on the principle that humans have an innate connection to nature (sometimes called "biophilia"), and that spending time in natural environments can reduce stress and improve wellbeing.
2. Formal therapeutic practices: These might include guided nature meditation, horticultural therapy (gardening for mental health), wilderness therapy, animal-assisted interventions, or conservation activities as part of a therapeutic program.
3. Health benefits: Research has shown nature exposure can reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress; lower blood pressure; improve immune function; increase attention capacity; and enhance overall mood.
4. Environmental awareness: Many eco-therapy approaches include an element of environmental stewardship and developing a reciprocal relationship with nature.
5. Accessibility variations: Eco-therapy can range from structured programs led by trained professionals to simple self-directed activities like regular walks in natural settings, caring for houseplants, or gardening.

Some specific eco-therapy approaches include forest bathing (shinrin-yoku from Japan), adventure therapy, care farming (therapeutic use of farming practices), and green exercise (physical activities in natural environments).

Popular Eco-Therapy Practices You Can Adopt

Here are several accessible eco-therapy practices that have gained popularity for their mental health benefits:

This Japanese practice involves mindful immersion in forest environments. Simply spend time walking slowly through a wooded area, engaging all senses—notice the scents, sounds, textures, and visual details. Research shows 2-3 hours of forest bathing can reduce stress hormones, lower blood pressure, and boost immune function.

Engage with plants through gardening activities. This could be as simple as maintaining indoor plants, creating a small container garden, or joining a community garden. The act of nurturing plants provides both immediate satisfaction and long-term rewards as you watch them grow.

Regular interaction with animals—whether pets, wildlife observation, or volunteering at animal sanctuaries—can reduce anxiety and provide emotional support. The human-animal bond has proven therapeutic effects.

Document your observations, feelings, and experiences in natural settings. This reflective practice helps process emotions while developing deeper connections to the environment. Combine writing with sketches of plants, landscapes, or wildlife.

Participate in habitat restoration, beach cleanups, or tree planting. These activities provide a sense of purpose and community while fostering environmental stewardship.

Create art inspired by or using natural materials. This might include painting outdoors, making mandalas from found objects, photography, or crafting with natural elements.

#EcoTherapy #Montessori #WellnessJourney #NatureHealing #ArizonaWellness

Keywords:

• Eco-therapy

• Nature-based healing
• Environmental wellness
• Gilbert Arizona
• Career transition
• Mother entrepreneurs
• Sustainable education

• Holistic wellness
• Desert healing

• Parenting and nature
• Green education
• Environmental psychology

My guest Lavanya Dantuluri was one of my very first guest on this podcast. I truly appreciate her support and her knowledge share for all of us to learn and grow together with our plants!

Gardening in Arizona presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities shaped by the state's distinctive climate zones, from the scorching Sonoran Desert to the cooler high country elevations. This remarkable diversity allows for a surprising variety of plant life when you understand how to work with—rather than against—the local conditions.

Indoor gardening offers Arizonans refuge from the harsh exterior conditions. Low humidity becomes an advantage for succulents and cacti, which thrive in bright, sunny windows while requiring minimal water. Desert-adapted houseplants like snake plants, ZZ plants, and aloe vera flourish with the abundant natural light streaming through Arizona windows.

The challenge of dry indoor air can be addressed through strategic humidification for tropical plants. Many enthusiasts create microclimate zones in their homes—perhaps a bathroom jungle taking advantage of shower humidity for ferns and calatheas, while sun-drenched living rooms showcase colorful desert-adapted specimens.

Air conditioning during the scorching summer months creates another opportunity: the ability to grow plants that might otherwise succumb to extreme heat. Indoor herb gardens thrive year-round when placed near bright windows, providing fresh culinary ingredients regardless of outdoor temperatures.

Outdoor Growing: Embracing Desert Rhythms

Successful outdoor gardening in Arizona requires a fundamental shift in perspective. Rather than fighting the desert, seasoned gardeners embrace its natural cycles and conditions.

The growing calendar runs opposite to many other regions—fall becomes the primary planting season as temperatures moderate from summer extremes. Winter and spring offer ideal growing conditions for cool-season vegetables, flowering annuals, and establishing perennials before summer's arrival. Gardeners learn to create microclimates using shade structures, berms, and strategic placement to extend growing seasons.

Water conservation becomes not just environmentally responsible but aesthetically compelling through xeriscaping principles. Native plants like desert marigold, penstemon, brittlebush, and various cacti create stunning landscapes that require minimal irrigation once established. Smart irrigation systems—drip lines, ollas (buried clay pots), and gray water utilization—maximize every precious drop.

Tree selection proves crucial in the Arizona landscape. Desert-adapted species like mesquite, palo verde, and desert willow provide essential shade that can reduce ground temperatures by up to 20 degrees, creating hospitable zones for understory plantings.

The Resilient Garden Community

Perhaps most remarkable about Arizona gardening is the passionate community that has developed around it. Local knowledge becomes invaluable as experienced gardeners share hard-won wisdom about microclimate creation, rare regionally-adapted varieties, and innovative water conservation techniques.

Native plant societies promote preservation of the unique Sonoran ecosystem while demonstrating its ornamental potential. Community gardens showcase drought-tolerant food production methods, helping address food security challenges while conserving resources.

Seasonal Rhythms and Rewards

For those who align with Arizona's natural cycles rather than imposing external gardening calendars, the rewards are extraordinary. Winter months bring lush vegetables and vibrant cool-season flowers while much of the country lies dormant. Spring delivers spectacular wildflower displays and cactus blooms. Even summer offers unique opportunities for heat-loving tropical fruits like mangoes and bananas in protected locations.

If you want to join Gardening in Chandler FB group, you can find out more here: Gardening in Chandler FB Group