The positive effect of having plants in your home
Tags: Indoor Garden, Home Decor, Home, Interior Design, Plants

Spending time in nature is one of the most powerful ways to reinstate a sense of ease, so a small indoor garden can create a calm space to recharge after a busy day, essential in today’s constant activity. Plants in your home will remind you of the importance of living more consciously, being aware of one’s surroundings, and appreciating the environment. Planting is also a gentle, calm, and relaxing activity to unwind your mind.

This story was first published on HomeAnds.com.

Studies have shown that plants have a positive effect on your living

The most obvious positive effect plants have on your home is air filtering. Sitting in the general proximity of houseplants means that you will benefit from their air cleansing talents. A NASA study shows that houseplants remove toxins and indoor pollutants, such as benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, toluene, and ammonia, from the air. Based on several experimental studies, the presence of potted plants is helpful in many different settings including work, school, and hospitals. In particular, plants have been shown to:

Lower blood pressure (systolic)

Improve reaction times

Increase attentiveness

Improve attendance (at work and school)

Raise productivity (at work)

Improve well-being

Improve perceptions of the space

Lower levels of anxiety during recovery from surgery

Raise job satisfaction

Feeling good around plants is probably not surprising. After all, we surround ourselves with plants during celebrations and tragedies (i.e., weddings and funerals, respectively). We also set aside “sacred” green space for parks and community gardens in our cities and communities.

How houseplants make you more mindful

Mindfulness your ability to be present in the moment, aware of where you are, and conscious of the place and thing that you are doing. Life is available only in the present moment. Plants are a good way to help us be more mindful in our lives.

Living in the moment

Houseplants will remind you what it means to live “in-the-moment”. They react calmly and beautifully to their immediate surroundings — sunlight, air, water, temperature — and using those surroundings to thrive and grow. Flowers mirror our own unique and life-affirming essence and teach us the great lessons of patience, humility, and the beauty inherent in impermanence: cycles of the beginning, maturing, ending, transforming. Set aside time to appreciate your plants. Look at the growth habit and form of your plant — some plants grow up, others cascade down. Appreciate the texture, color, and shape of the leaves. Breathe in the scent of the soil.

Witnessing growth

Another positive effect of plants on mindfulness is their physical manifestation of growth. New leaves sprout, flower shoots emerge, the plant gets taller and wider. When you are mindful of your plant, you’ll discover little changes that let you know how things are going. Look for signs of new growth in your plants once a week. Observe how your plant develops new leaves. Each plant has its own artful way of producing new growth.

Connecting with nature

When you share your living spaces with plants, you bring the beautiful and diverse outside world into your home. You can engage with nature on a personal level in every room. Plants help remind you of different eco-systems on earth. And thanks to the adaptability of houseplants, you can recreate those environments.

Creating relationships with other living things

Being mindful also means embracing relationships with other living things. Maybe you work long hours. Perhaps you travel a lot. Sometimes you aren’t home long enough to own a cat or dog. Or even a goldfish. But that doesn’t mean you can’t surround yourself with life. A plant isn’t as demanding as a pet. All you must do is fulfill its basic needs (provide the right light and hydration) and you will be rewarded with a beautiful living thing. Adding plants to your living space helps you remember that you are a citizen of the world.

Conclusion — having a few plants at home is a must!

Plants are indispensable to human life. Through photosynthesis, they convert the carbon dioxide we exhale into fresh oxygen, and they can also remove toxins from the air we breathe. If you keep indoor plants in your home and office, you already know their power. In addition to looking great, they keep you connected to the great green world outside. And they remind you that the world is a place of growth. Plus, multiple studies show that being in proximity to plants reduces stress, increases productivity, and even helps you heal and sleep better.