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Safe Haven
Mental Health Blog
Mar 30, 2021 Sarah Conti
How plants Improve Your Wellbeing
This might seem obvious, but there are many benefits to bringing plants into the home or office other than just to make it feel like the outdoors.
Plants in the home help us to breathe. We breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Plants do the opposite: breathing in the carbon dioxide we release and breathing out oxygen. Simply increasing the number of plants in your home increases not only the quantity of oxygen available, but also the quality of the air we breathe.
Many plants will switch this process at night; absorbing oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. However, not all plants do. Plants like orchids and succulents keep on releasing oxygen throughout the night and make excellent plants to keep in the bedroom.
In these changing times when many of us are spending the majority of our time indoors it is interesting that research has shown the air indoors can be three to five times more polluted than the air outside. Plants can even help here. With their air purifying properties plants are able to filter air pollutants out, soaking up toxic chemicals found in the home or office from cleaning products, fabrics, paints etc. Even NASA realised the potential for increasing wellbeing and conducted extensive research into the air purification properties of common houseplants for their space stations. They came up with a list of the top 10 air purifying plants;
- Peace lily
- Golden pothos
- English ivy
- Chrysanthemum
- Gerbera daisy
- Mother-in-law's tongue
- Bamboo palm
- Azalea
- Red-edged dracaena
- Spider plant
The health benefits of plants in the home goes even further; did you know plants release humidity in the air and deter illness? The moisture they release into the air improves our respiratory health and protects us from illnesses such as coughs and sore throats.
But best of all plants make us feel happy and connected with nature. Scented plants and herbs appease our sense of smell (indoor mint not only smells nice, but can be added to drinks on a hot summer's evening!). Mosses feel wonderful to touch and are a great to use in short mindfulness meditations (noticing the intricacies of the tiny plants all bunched together) and, of course, the sight of plants pleases us on some instinctual level. What could possibly be more beneficial to your wellbeing than being in an environment surrounded by the power and healing properties of plants?
Safe Haven Psychotherapy & Hypnotherapy
Trauma has a mind-body impact and understanding how the body deals with it allows you to move forward and break free from the cycle of pain and withdrawal. We discuss five simple and effective ways to break away from the binds of trauma responses in this latest blog from Safe Haven Psychotherapy & Hypnotherapy.
Debunking Myths: Unveiling the Truth about Hypnotherapy
How to reduce anxiety using the power of your mind and body - activating the parasympathetic nervous system
How to improve your mental well-being with forest therapy and Shinrin Yoku.
