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In this current climate, and because of the current climate, it is normal to feel anxious and overwhelmed, so creating a plant space or filling every room with plants will subtly ease you into meditation and relaxation. An environmentally rich addition to your home, plants are known to relieve stress levels and relax your mind, and active plant care is a small but effective way to take care of your mental well-being.
By focusing your attention on caring for your plants, you can concentrate solely on the present moment and distract your brain from anxious thoughts. Plants are also a great way to take a much-needed technology break, even if it’s just a few minutes a day.
To further explore plants and mental health, their psychological effects and whether they are good for you, we’ve enlisted the help of the mental health experts at Support Room.
Photography Maycon Marmo
1. Psychological effects of indoor plants.
Although they add a charming element to our interiors, plants are more than just decorative objects. Studies have found that plants can help improve your mood and have been linked to certain psychological and physical benefits, such as providing cleaner air for you to breathe and reducing stress levels.
2. Improves air quality
Plants are natural air purifiers and help remove toxins from the atmosphere. Depending on their exposure, chemicals in the air can cause negative health effects and plants can take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and in turn produce oxygen, which improves air quality. They also have properties that help reduce dust levels in the air and increase humidity in the air so you can eliminate coughing, fatigue and itchy eyes.
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3. Anxiety
Houseplants are known to reduce anxiety levels. You may find that being surrounded by plants can reduce the build-up of symptoms and restore calm, while caring for them can also be therapeutic. In Manchester, some medical clinics have even ‘prescribed’ potted plants to those suffering from mental health problems.
Photograph bigstock.
4. Productivity
Plants can also help with productivity: research has shown that people perform better at attention-based tasks when they are surrounded by plants. Everyone has certain days when they spend too much time staring at a screen, unable to be productive, but a good option to solve that problem is plant therapy. A research study conducted at the University of Exeter found that indoor plants can improve staff concentration, productivity and well-being by 47%.
Why not try increasing the number of plants in your home? You’re sure to notice a change in your lifestyle.