Mental Health, Plants and Gardens

What is The Relationship Between Growing Plants and Mental Health?

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The Covid-19 pandemic has given us the new normal where most of us need to stay at home. In order to become productive and deal with the stress that the virus has brought, many people have turned to gardening. Let’s take a look at the relationship between growing plants and mental health. Three Bacolod plantitas share their thoughts and experiences.

Effects of Growing Plants and Mental Health

Many people share the benefits of plants to their mental health. Aside from the fact that plants provide oxygen and a fresher atmosphere, they are also good for our mental and emotional well-being. Read on to learn more about growing plants and mental health.

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~ “Gardening is good for our mental health as it offers physical exercise, which improves depression and anxiety, and also helps people find companionship and support.” – Professor Tim Kendall, NHS England Director for Mental Health. ~

Benefits of Growing Plants

Are you experiencing depression and anxiety because of the Covid-19 pandemic? Maybe growing plants can help you.

Check out below the tangible effects of growing plants and mental health. You may start with an easy growing pot or two of Chinese evergreens for your bedroom and see how these greens improve your mood.

Decreases anxiety and improves memory

Constantly being surrounded by plants has a calming and relaxing effect on people. Thus, levels of anxiety are significantly decreased.

Moreover, the sight of plants increases attentiveness and memory. It was reported in a study that being around plants, whether at home or work, helps improve memory and attention span by 20 percent. They can also increase concentration.

Reduces stress and increases productivity

In the same study, it was also reported that employees were more productive when just a few indoor plants were added around their workspace.

That is maybe because plants reduce stress levels and boosts their mood so their productivity increases.

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~ Kagawad Jamie Baloyo is always happy to see his plants at the end of a stressful work day. ~

It is also best if they are the ones handling the watering. Caring for plans suppresses the sympathetic nervous system activity and promotes comfortable and relaxed feelings.

Are you working from home? Add a small potted plant on your desk and also a bigger one beside your table. See how these two plants affect your mood.

Sparks creativity

In the industrial world, gray and white surroundings may look neat but they are also ingredients for a dreary scene.

Meanwhile, plants spark creativity. People’s creativity has reportedly increased by 15 percent when surrounded by natural elements, most especially plants.

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~ The work station of content creator, Miss Gee. Wouldn’t you be inspired in this setup? ~

Encourages physical activity

Gardening provides a plantita or plantito with physical activity. You plant, replant, water, transfer pots around the room, prune, and pretty much everything else. When you do, you work out your muscles so you get exercise.

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~ Mommy Suzette’s compact garden. ~

Working outdoors especially during the morning gives you some sun exposure, which is necessary for the Vitamin D3 to be activated in our system.

When we are healthier, we are also happier. Gardening has been related to the increased levels of oxytocin, especially in the elderly.

Gives people hope

Miss Gee, a content creator from Bacolod City, started her plantita journey last year. But because of the pandemic, she has since collected more than 100 plants already.

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~ Miss Gee is now plantita to more than 100 indoor plants, especially calatheas. ~

She says that her plants make me calm. Moreover, “they always make me excited and look forward to another day. They teach me a lot of life lessons like growth and living healthy.”

Miss Gee collects prayer plants (calatheas) because of their “unique and stunning foliage.”

Indescribable happiness

Brgy. Kagawad Jamie Baloyo has always been surrounded with plants. He grew up in a home where his mom maintained a lush garden.

So it was just natural for him to continue loving plants. He is one of the founders of Kultivar de Bacolod – a fun, online group for plantitos and plantitas that was born during the pandemic.

Jamie says, “Plants are certified stress busters.” As a public servant, Jamie deals with problems related to the pandemic as well as barangay matters every day. He is also an online seller, which takes up so much of his day.

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~ Jamie says, “Call me weird, but I talk to my plants! I even sing every time I water them in the morning. And I even name my plants and call them by their names when I talk to them. ~

“Every time I go home, tired from all the day’s work and online business, I go straight to my garden. I check on my plants if they’re healthy and happy.” He says that “It is always refreshing, relaxing, and calming to see my plants thrive. They always give me unspeakable happiness.”

Among all plants, Jamie is “leaning towards collecting Philodendrons. Their leaves are simply amazing!”

Encourages self-care

Many people say that they learn a lot from the lives of plants.

For example, one has to learn self-care in order to properly care for plants. Mommy Suzette Gorosin loves plants. She has so many collections, such as Calatheas, Caladiums, Pothos, and Snake Plants (Sansevieria).

“When I wake up in the morning, I would go directly to my plants and see if they’re okay. I care them a lot, treating them like they are my kids,” Mommy Suzzette shares.

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~ Now, Mommy Suzette’s plant collection has given her extra income during the pandemic. ~

The feeling that someone, or some other living things, are dependent on you, encourages self-care. You know that you have to be strong in order to take care of others.

Coping with the loss of a loved one

The Forest Lake Memorial Parks started a campaign called #CreatingBetterDays in order to help people cope with the loss of a loved one. The company very much values their clients’ mental health so they have planned a series of events with this thrust in mind.

But because of the Covid-19 pandemic, they have launched the webinar series. They held The Plantita Project webinar in order to encourage people to grow their own food and also to live a healthy lifestyle.

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~ Some of the items in Mommy Suzette’s plant collection. ~

The lessons imparted in the webinar are not just about coping with loss, but mental wellness in general.

Follow the FB page of Forest Lake Memorial Parks for more updates on upcoming webinars. Link below:

ForestLakeMemorialParks

Coping with the Pandemic

More and more people are growing plants in order to cope with the pandemic. Many say that they do this because they have more time on their hands.

But most people say that plants help them cope with their anxiety caused by the uncertainty of the situation.

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~ Jamie relates, “When I started joining my crazy plantita friends, I got to know the basics about plant care. Now, I can say that the “Green Thumb” belief is only a myth! ~

It is no longer about having a “green thumb” because there are already so many gardening resources online. For whatever reason we have, it is a good thing that more homes are being filled with plants.

Home Improvement

Meanwhile, here are other stories about coping with the pandemic and home improvement in this blog.

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7 thoughts on “What is The Relationship Between Growing Plants and Mental Health?

  1. Napakalaking tulong po talaga ng Pagaalaga ng halaman lalo na po ng pumasok ang pandemic sa bansa..Hindi lang nito napangangalagaan ang mental health natin pati nadin ang buong katawan natin dahil sa oxygen na napoproduce nito..Nakaktulong din ito na maging maaliwalas ang kapaligiran natin..

  2. Interesting and inspiring story about growing plants in time of the pandemic! Uplifting and motivational. Better to plant more and be relaxed. 🙂

  3. Such a very inspiring stories for a plant mom like me! Aside from the fact that plants are very good form of stress relievers, they can bring so much joy by just seeing them thrive and grow!

    To my fellow plantita, mommy sigrid! can I plant raid your garden? 😂

  4. Kaya talaga namang napakalaking tulong ng pag-aalaga at pagpapalaki ng plants dahil bukod sa malilibang kana, ang dami pang benefits na makukuha. Sobrang sarap din sa pakiramdam na makakita ng mga halaman, nakakarelax.

  5. Building a relationship between human and plants are really good. It’s very relaxing seeing your plants healthy with flowers and fruits.

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