Stress and anxiety are some of the negative effects of the fast-paced modern world. As a result, people are constantly looking for new ways to relax and unwind. They have discovered that plants offer a unique way to alleviate everyday stress. Hosts of studies have revealed that houseplants improve the quality of indoor air by eliminating 87 percent of airborne impurities within a day. In fact, the process of growing and taking care of plants can be a great stress reliever in the current busy world. Let’s now look at how growing plants can help you reduce stress.
1. Acts as a Mood Booster
Being around plants can make you feel happier and more positive. In fact, 79 percent of participants in a study carried out in the San Francisco Bay Area stated that they felt more comfortable and peaceful after being in surroundings with lots of plants. In the same study, 19 percent of the participants said they felt more optimistic, and 25 percent felt rejuvenated.
Create a more relaxing environment in your home by introducing indoor plants. You can use them to complete any space in your home. You can also add a taste of freshness to your meals by growing a herb garden in the kitchen. If you reside in a more northern climate, you’ll need to supplement the natural light coming from your windows with an LED grow light to help your plants grow well and look healthy. If you have an outdoor space for planting but your local weather isn’t appropriate, or even a spacious room inside of your house you only use for tacky storage, you can invest in a grow tent from Growace, or from other hydroponics equipment stores local to where you live.
2. Reduces Anxiety
The very act of watching plants and flowers can give you inner peace. It engages all your senses and allows you to live in the present moment. It also lowers the level of cortisol, a stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands. This hormone causes all the stress-related symptoms like sweaty palms, irritability, loss of focus, and high blood pressure.
A 2010 study found out that gardening and reading lowers the levels of cortisol significantly. But gardening is more effective than reading when it comes to relieving stress. What’s more, the study participants experienced a complete restoration of a positive mood after interacting with plants.
3. Helps You Connect with Nature
Getting up close and personal with nature is a fantastic way to avoid the stressors of today’s busy world. Given that we spend most of our time indoors working, watching TV, or just relaxing, we always have an unmet desire to connect with nature. By growing plants, indoor or outdoor, you can connect with nature every day without the hassles that come with planning a camping trip or taking a nature hike.
4. Boosts Creativity
Creativity can be a great stress-buster. If you want to prove that, just try to sketch, paint, write, or do something that requires some aspect of creativity. There is nothing more fulfilling than turning an idea into reality, and growing plants can be a good place to start. Identify a perfect spot for your plants – it could be indoors or outdoors. Choose plants that are likely to do well in your area. Then dedicate your creative energies toward taking care of your plants and using them to beautify your home.
5. Promotes Exercise
By engaging in enough physical activities, you can lower your risk of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, anxieties, stress, and depression. You should aim to get not less than 150 minutes of physical activity per week. Taking care of plants offers you the right amount of physical activity you need to stay healthy or improve your current condition. That physical activity also stimulates your body to produce endorphins, chemicals that are responsible for relieving stress and pain.
6. Offers Safe and Nutritious Food
By growing your vegetables and fruits, you’ll introduce nutritious foods to your diets and embrace healthy eating habits. And when your overall health is excellent, you’ll easily deal with everyday stresses. Knowing exactly where your vegetables and fruits are coming from will also give you peace of mind from knowing that no potentially dangerous preservatives or additives have been added.
Key Takeaways
Working with plants can be a great stress reliever. It reduces the production of hormones that increase our stress levels (cortisol) and increases the production of chemicals that act as stress relievers (endorphins). So, grow plants and spend more time around them to keep stress from taking a toll on you.