Our daily life is often pretty stressful and hectic. That's why we always find ways to lift our spirit up and feel refreshed. And one of the most effective ways to feel refreshed is to connect with nature. Going outside and taking a stroll in a park or garden can calm down our troubled mind in no time. But often with our busy schedules, we don't get enough time to go outside and end up spending most of our time cooped up in our home or office environment. And this is where houseplants come into play. Lush foliage contributes to far more than just aesthetic purposes. There are lots of benefits of houseplants on health, both physical and psychological. Taking care of plants definitely requires some great deal of commitment, but the effort is always paid off. Now let's take a look at how indoor plants have an immense positive effect on our well-being.
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Reduces stress: The greenery of houseplants reduces mental stress and anxiety. Among all the monotonous interiors of your house or workplace, placing a few potted plants can do wonders for your mind. Their presence itself is very calming and soothing. Flowers are especially a perfect mood-booster. There's some plants which produce really fragrant flowers which are helpful to create a calming effect as well. They help produce serotonin in your body which keeps you cool-headed even in difficult situations. Put a lavender pot in your living room or bedroom and see how it brings a positive effect on your state of mind.
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Increases productivity and focus: When you feel less stressed out, you can automatically be more focused on your task at hand and bring better results. Both your productivity and creativity get a positive boost. Research shows that people who work with some cute plant friends by their side always perform better than those who don't. Their speed of finishing tasks increases as well. And they also tend to fall sick less which means less sick-days. Even a little bonsai pot by your work desk can help you focus better.
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Gardening can be therapeutic: Indoor gardening can be really therapeutic. That's why even doctors often suggest horticulture therapy to patients with mental illness such as depression, dementia etc. Planting various plants, nurturing them to grow, even sometimes talking to them help create a sense of purpose and companionship in mind. This kind of activity can reduce the feeling of loneliness, which is most often the cause of depression. When the carefully nurtured indoor plants bear flowers and fruits, they provide a sense of accomplishment as well. This is why it can be safely concluded, process of gardening can help people to cope with turbulent mental states really effectively. And not only mental, but plants can be beneficial for physical health as well. Various research shows that patients suffering from injuries or going through surgeries need less painkillers to cope with pain if they can stay in the company of natural greenery of plants in the recovery stage. Their overall recovery period shortens for a significant amount as well.
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Plants improve air quality: Indoor plants can improve the air quality surrounding you pretty well. We already know that plants intake carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen, which is our lifeline. There's also a scientific study conducted by NASA in the 1980's that showed that plants can reduce airborne volatile organic compounds by a significant amount. Though this research was meant for a sealed spacecraft, it can also be effective for homes and workplaces as well. More recent research shows that there have to be a large number of trees in a place for them to be able to substitute for air-purifiers. There are some plants which perform better to purify the air such as Boston fern, rubber tree, spider plant, bamboo palms etc.
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Reduces allergy: Plants release copious amounts of moisture in air which helps reduce the dryness of the surrounding caused by heaters and air-conditioners. The leaves also absorb a lot of dust particles from air. A humid and dust-free atmosphere helps to reduce many allergic symptoms of the body.
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Reduces noise: Thick foliage in a room helps refrain outside noises from disturbing your peace. Plants absorb the unwanted noises and create a serene, quiet atmosphere.
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Herbal benefits: Many easy to take care houseplants have herbal benefits, which means their leaves or flowers can be used for medicinal purposes. Some of such plants are mint and basil. Basil leaves extract is good for cold and sore throat. Even lavender tea is rich in components which improves health.
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Plants for luck: Common houseplants don't only improve mental and physical health, it is believed that they often bring good luck with them as well. There are many plants which are considered lucky, such as money tree, jade plant, snake plant, eucalyptus etc.
