03/03/2022
Want a simple hack to improve your mental health? Get a plant.
While life has been turned upside down in the last 3 years, many are finding themselves stuck inside and staring at the same four walls as remote work dominates and changes our culture.
What is a simple thing you can do today to change up your space, improve your overall mood and kick start a relationship with nature? Get a plant. Whether you have a local nursery or an Amazon account, start somewhere. There are even services out there that will ship plants to you, pots and all.
Plants help not only with mood, they can increase concentration, creativity, alertness, mindfulness, physical activity and general well-being.
The point is to start somewhere. To take care of a plant, you have to first take care of yourself, in this case, water yourself first. Taking care of a living thing and seeing it thrive is healing. Not to mention all the benefits of clean air, color burst and olfactory stimulation. Add a plant to the place you least visit in your space, or to your favorite meditation spot.
Plants are alive, they need our love and support in order to grow and bloom. We take care of them, they in turn take care of us. Don’t have a ton of light in your space and/or don’t want to invest the energy of watering it daily or weekly? Not a problem as there are plenty of gorgeous plants out there that can live in low light and need water about once a month. Here are some suggestions for starter plants:
1. Dracaena trifasciata aka the Snake Plant
2. Peace Lily
3. Aloe Vera
4. Lavender
5. Rosemary
6. Calathea aka the Prayer plant
7. Chlorophytum comosum aka the Spider plant
8. Monstera adansonii aka the Swiss cheese plant
9. Zanzibar Gem aka the ZZ Plant
Recently being the proud owner of a snake plant myself, I can honestly say that the visual clutter is actually reduced. Walking into a room, the plant draws your eye to it, almost stealing the attention. It is pleasant and an instant mood boost.
Bring yourself to light one leaf at a time.
Dr. Yana Bekker, DO
