By: Ella Sutherland

Let’s be honest, everyone loves plants. Plants just bring a good feel to your surroundings. I think they give your house an even more homey feeling.

There are so many benefits of having plants in your house. First, they improve your mood. Something about them creates a soothing environment and makes you feel more relaxed and safe. Some plants, like ornamental plants, raise levels of positive energy around your home. Also, if you are constantly looking at, and being around, plants, it actually helps people feel more calm and relaxed, which then decreases levels of anxiety.

Second, plants reduce your stress levels by a lot. During photosynthesis, one of the products is oxygen; having more clean oxygen promotes healthier air quality. If you are working in an indoor environment, which lots of people are working from home because of the pandemic, then you will see that breathing in indoor fumes and toxins will make your mental health go down and you can get anxiety or depression, but plants will make sure that you’re not breathing in unhealthy air. Also, having something to care for, like plants, can reduce physiological and psychological stress.

Third, plants increase alertness and your memory. If you are around plants, either at home or at work, plants can help improve your memory and your attention and concentration span by 20 percent. It also increases concentration by making it easier for you to focus for longer periods of time. It makes your productivity level higher. There are studies that show that employees are much more productive when some common house plants were added to the place they worked at.

Overall, I think after reading this article you can really think about, and put in perspective, how good plants really are for you and your mental health. It doesn’t cost a lot to just put a couple plants in your home, and I guarantee you will end up feeling so much better.