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Mental Health Benefits of House Plants

There’s a common suggestion in addiction recovery circles, that before you get into a new relationship ( be it with a person, a dog, or some other kind of pet), you should start by getting a plant. Then, if you can keep that plant alive and flourishing for at least a year, you might be ready for that next relationship. Or something along those lines.

Basically, the idea is to start practicing taking the time to care and nurture something while you care and nurture yourself. For just like us, plants need water, air, sunlight, attention, and love. They can also look great inside any house or apartment.

Even better, studies have shown that indoor plants can have positive psychological and physical benefits. According to a study published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology, having plants inside of your home or office can make you feel better. They are often soothing, comforting, and increase feelings of well-being- which can have a marked impact on anxiety and depression. In fact, there are even medical clinics that have been known to “prescribe” an indoor plant to patients, to help them cope with stress and alleviate tension.

Just the simple act of watering your plant, looking at your plant, caring about your plant- can offer some relief, and remind us of the importance of self-care.

So what now? Are you to run out and just buy the first plant you see? Well, you could, but gardening experts agree that some plants are a little more challenging than others, so it’s best to start out with something that’s a bit less temperamental.

The online home and gardening site, The Spruce offers a lot of advice, including this image of “House Plants That are Hard to Kill.” Which sounds a little dramatic, but you get the gist of it.

Having a plant, especially in the winter months has been proven to be beneficial to your health. It’s even been shown to help increase productivity, memory, and is known to positively impact creativity. But it’s also just a nice thing to have.

You can find out more information on buying a good houseplant by talking to an employee at your local garden center. And you can also get more information on the benefits of indoor plants, by checking out the following sites:

https://getgrowingfoundation.org/blog/mental-and-emotional-health-benefits-of-indoor-plants

https://greatist.com/grow/plants-mental-health#They-remind-us-of-our-link-to-nature

Who knows, maybe you’ll find you have a real green thumb, metaphorically speaking, we hope.

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