10 Ways Caring for a Plant Improves Your Health

Taking care of something other than yourself is an enlightening experience. Before my husband and I got a dog, we started with a house plant. It was a tiny tree like plant, standing no more than 12 inches tall. I brought it home from a spring vendor market and like the Millennials we are, we named it Roderick.

Poor Roderick didn’t know that this was the beginning of the…. well… end of its life. I think the poor plant only lasted 3 months before I ended up sending it off to my plant expert father in law’s for intensive care treatment. Sadly, in the end, Roderick succumbed to overwatering on my part.

My next victims included beautiful dahlias, mums, begonias, and arborvitaes. It got to the point where my FIL gave me succulents with strict instructions NOT to water them but a few drops every two weeks. And for the first time I was able to keep a plant alive! This gave me a newfound confidence and motivation to expand my green thumb. I currently have succulents, a few sticks of bamboo, two palms, and some basil thriving under my care.

All this green life has got me thinking about how happy I am to see healthy plants each day. And it also has me wondering, what other health benefits can taking care of a plant have for us?

1. Reduced Stress Levels: Interacting with plants and nature lowers the stress hormone, cortisol. Long-term high levels of this hormone can lower our immune system, causing us to get sick more often; increase our blood pressure; wreck havoc on our sleep; and cause our blood sugars to fluctuate out of normal ranges. Having a healthy little desk plant can aid in lowering our cortisol, promoting relaxation and stress reduction.
2. Increased Physical Activity: You can’t be sitting on your tush when you’ve got plants to water, fertilize, and deadhead. Remember, these are living beings. It would be cruel to purposefully ignore their needs. Along with the activity it takes to care for the plant, it requires activity to shop for said plant! Each spring I look forward to the day we go to the local plant store. I meticulously walk down every aisle scoping out the perfect specimens to take home. All the while my husband is following me with the cart and keeping my expectations in line with reality. After your day of walking around the garden center, then it’s time to get your hands dirty actually planting your new purchases. Finally, you will want to get up frequently to look at your plants and check out all your hard work.
3. Enhanced Cognitive Function: When is the last time you learned something new? I imagine taking care of plants might be a new interest you have, since you are still reading. Learning a new skill challenges the brain and creates new neural pathways, enhancing your critical thinking and improving your memory. Anytime I have a plant that seems to not be doing so well, it’s like a puzzle trying to figure out what it needs to bounce back!
4. Improved Mood: Taking care of another living being can increase your own feeling of well-being. Your brain releases endorphins to make you feel happy and alleviates feelings of depression and anxiety. Caring for a plant also keeps us grounded in the present moment, increasing relaxation and decreasing mental fatigue. Think about it…. have you ever seen a grumpy person planting flowers? Get to gardening and start relaxing and releasing those happy hormones!
5. Better Air Quality: Of course we know that plants release oxygen in the air. What’s really neat is that indoor plants can also absorb toxins in the air from cleaners and other household products. They act like filters! Absorb the bad stuff, and release clean air and humidity to help us breathe better.
6. Boosts Creativity: Arranging different plants according to size, shape, and color can unlock the creative side of you! After all, there is no right or wrong way to organize your plants, just do what looks good to you! Plus the presence of natural beauty may inspire you think about the world in a new perspective or conjure a new idea for a project you want to start. To be honest, I can’t walk through a store without seeing a container and thinking to myself, “I wonder if I could put a plant in that”.
7. Make New Friends: Having plants means that you have to leave your house from time to time. Spending your Saturday morning outside watering your foliage gives you the opportunity to say hello to that neighbor who walks by your house every day. Who knows, maybe you have a lot in common? Or maybe you join a gardening group on social media? Put yourself out there and meet some new people!
8. Nutritional Benefit: Growing your own food is a great thing! Eating your own harvest means you know where the food came from and what (if any) pesticides were used. Plus, the food grown in your garden is WHOLE FOOD, the best as far as nutritional content is concerned. We should all be incorporating more whole foods and less processed products in our diets.
9. Connection to Nature: I don’t know if everyone feels this way, but when I spend too much time indoors, I start to feel angsty. Having outdoor plants gets me out in the sunshine and allows me to get my hands dirty. City or apartment living? No problem! Having indoor plants offer a similar sensory experience and connection to nature as having outdoor greenery and flowers.
10. Sense of Accomplishment: Nurturing another living being can create a sense of responsibility. Your attention is now directed at keeping yourself and this plant alive. It is quite sad to see them wilt from under watering, or in my experience, turn brown from overwatering. But it is oh so satisfying to rehab a plant back to life and sometimes have it come back even healthier than before! Don’t even get me started on the back laboring job of doing the actual planting, mulching, or weeding. Just know that everyone can appreciate a job well done.

If this post doesn’t motivate you to go out and impulse buy a bunch of flowers or plants then I don’t know what will!

I’ll leave you with this…. Part of making small changes to improve our lives may include spending less time thinking about ourselves, less screen time, learning a new skill, partaking in a hobby, meeting new people, increasing our activity, and connecting to something bigger than ourselves. Surrounding yourself with greenery or flowers may be just what you need to kickstart your wellness journey.

Disclaimer: The health and wellness advice provided on this platform is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read here.