If you are suffering from mild depression, or simply feeling low, you are probably looking all over for solutions. You may be wondering, do indoor plants make you feel better… And we’ve got the answers!
Plants are incredibly good for all aspects of life – and our mental wellbeing is one of these aspects. Read on to find out all about how and why this is.
What You'll Learn Today
Do Indoor Plants Make You Feel Better?
In a word, yes they do. Having plants about raises your mood, as well as your physical health – and there are a good few reasons behind this.
- They release oxygen. Plants secrete oxygen into the air as part of their photosynthesis process, and oxygen is what helps us to stay alive. Definitely a feel-better effect!
- Plants help us relax. As long as you’re not stressed about the watering schedule, or a sick plant, these guys can really help to improve your mood.
- We are all connected. Although it may sound a bit “woo”, people and plants are inherently interlinked. Having them around will definitely make you feel better.
- Plants are grounding. After a stressful day at the office, coming home to bask in your indoor jungle is one of the best ways to unwind.
- They improve cognitive function. No one is entirely sure why, but having plants around can help you make better decisions faster.
- Plants can actually help to lower blood pressure. They are great to have around in a busy office environment, or a stressful home situation.
- Fantastic news for insomniacs. Plants can actually help you to sleep better. Good sleep is essential for a good mood and good health, so that’s your excuse to splurge on beautiful house plants!
If you don’t believe me, check out this informative article explaining exactly how and why plants can make you happier.
Why Do House Plants Make Me Happy?
One obvious benefit of having beautiful plants about the place is that, well, they’re just beautiful!
Seeing something lovely will always raise a smile, so it’s no surprise that even just the sight of a pretty plant can make us happy.
Some people love the idea of being responsible for something, and having something to look after can give people a purpose.
They can improve your productivity – apparently plants can improve memory function by up to 20%. This is yet another a great reason to have them in your house!
Do Houseplants Help With Anxiety?
If you are one of the millions of people who suffer from anxiety, one simple and easy thing you can do for yourself is to get a houseplant.
Yes, I’m serious! Plants have been shown to help people around them to feel calm and relaxed – two things that are often a struggle for the anxious among us.
Being able to nurture and look after another living being – and be rewarded with beautiful flowers and foliage – is incredibly beneficial to the mental health.
This is quite a long video, but it goes through a lot of the reasons why houseplants can help with anxiety, and is pretty heartfelt:
Which Plant Is Best For Mental Health?
As we have learned, absolutely all plants are good for our mental health. But are there some that are better than others? Let’s look at plants that are well known to help.
Lavender
Known for its calming, relaxing properties in so many of our cosmetics, why not grow the real thing? It is easy to grow, and produces beautiful purple flowers and a lovely scent.
The dried out flower heads can be hung in your house in pretty bunches too, helping to calm and relax you even more.
Lemon Balm
This pretty little plant will happily grow in a pot in your house, or outside in a herb bed.
The leaves of lemon balm can be used to flavor cooking dishes, and they can also be made into a delicious tea which is renowned for helping with anxiety, insomnia and stress.
Jasmine
This beautifully scented plant is also known to help people to feel relaxed and calm, so grow it anywhere you can – it prefers out of doors, but can grow as a houseplant.
Once the flowers start to appear, you can pick a few and dry them to make a scented pot pourri so you you can be relaxed in your house wherever you go.
Rosemary
Having a pot of rosemary on the windowsill is not only good for your cooking, but also your mental health.
Rosemary is famous for helping to improve memory and cognitive function, and it has been shown that even breathing in the smell of rosemary can lower levels of cortisol in your body.
Peace lily
The peace lily is not only gorgeous, but it is actually good for your mental and physical health to have it around!
Increasing the oxygen levels in your environment will do wonders for both your mental health but also your breathing and general energy levels.
Do Houseplants Give You Serotonin?
As we all know these days, serotonin is one of those things that helps to keep us feeling happy and upbeat.
A lack of serotonin can leave you feeling depressed, anxious and manic. Lacking serotonin can also affect memory, appetite and libido.
The great news is that you can help get yourself a boost of serotonin by keeping houseplants – yes, really!
Being surrounded by lush, flowing greenery has been proven to increase serotonin, meaning that you can improve your mood just by filling your house with plants.
Watching your green babies grow and thrive will also provide a hit of dopamine – the feel-good chemical – so everyone’s a winner.
Just make sure that you take care of your plants well, as watching them die is not going to be very good for your mental health!
Final Words
So there you have it – proven without a shadow of a doubt, that your houseplants are actually working hard at keeping you happy.
As long as they are in their best health and not stressing you out by dying, houseplants are incredibly good at improving your mood, as well as your physical health.
