What do trees, shrubs, grasses, green plants, and flowering gardens have to do with your mental health? It is true based on extensive review of the scientific literature supporting the benefits of exposure to natural settings. This natural magic can improve mood, reduce the negative effects of stress, encourage physical activity and other positive behaviours. Additionally, Improve cognition, reduce aggression, and enhance overall well-being in people of all ages under many different circumstances.

Specifically, the researchers advice people to surround themselves with plant life and other forms of natural beauty, indoors and out. It helps in emotional and mental health benefits that have a positive impact on their social, psychological, physical, cognitive, environmental, and spiritual well-being. These benefits include:

1. Stress Reduction

It is a concrete advice to spend time in nature settings. This helps speed up recovery from mental fatigue, slow down heart rate, reduce high blood pressure, and lower anxiety.

2. Reduced symptoms of depression

Researchers repeatedly report increases in the subject’s mood, fewer incidents of depressive symptoms, as well as increased memory span. It also results in a decrease of symptoms of anxiety after a walk in nature, as compared to a walk through an urban environment. One study of patients diagnosed with moderate to severe depression. The doctors compared the effects of cognitive-behavioural therapy performed in a hospital and in a forest-like setting. Symptoms of depression were most significantly reduced in the arboretum group. The subject also experienced 20% to 30% higher rates of complete remission in comparison to a typically medicated group.

3. Stronger memory retention

The researchers compared participants from an urban area and from green space. It results, the participants from green space were better able to focus and concentrate on a test of their working memory.

4. Fewer symptoms of post-traumatic stress

Studies were done on both veterans and victims of natural disasters who were in nature-based rehabilitation programs. It results, that both groups were better able to control symptoms of PTSD and to develop more positive states of mind.

5. Improved symptoms of attention-deficient disorders (ADD/ADHD)

In a study, school children diagnosed with ADHD. They were better able to concentrate after a walk in a park. Similar studies proves, that even short nature breaks are restorative and can improve attention span, working memory and cognitive functioning in children with ADD/ADHD.

6. Higher productivity and improved concentration

Students and employees with a view of nature, either indoors or right outside their windows, were not only found to be more productive but also more alert, more attentive, more relaxed, in better moods, and less irritated by physical symptoms of allergies and asthma than their counterparts who had no views of plant life or other natural settings.

7. Higher levels of creativity

Nature walks, and even short visits to parks, have been found to boost creativity, mood, and sense of vitality.

8. Fewer symptoms of dementia

When dementia patients in an adult day care facility became actively involved in gardening and landscaping activities, their cognitive abilities improved and there were fewer incidents of aggressive behaviour.

9. Higher intellect

Deep experiences connect us to nature, due to the geometry and architecture of both natural environments and the environments. We build to replicate nature that regularly enhance our quality of life. These not only have a healing effect, but also increase brain size and intelligence.

10. Better self-esteem

In studies it indicates improvement in self-esteem and mood in both men and women after exercising in natural environments. Especially the presence of water inside the body.

11. Greater quality of life overall

The psychological well-being of those who interact with nature has been shown in numerous studies. They results in greater feelings of positivity, hopefulness, comfort and relaxation and general overall happiness and satisfaction with life.

Conclusion

Having benefits from plants is blessings to the human race. The healthier we live, more attracts positive energy from our surroundings. Need help? Contact GrabYourPlant Team for recommendations of plants especially for you 🙂