Howdy my fellow plant aficionados!
Here at Hi Cacti our passion for plants goes far beyond our admiration for their beauty; we are also huge advocates for plant care as self-care, so much so that our very own founder Sabina has only gone and written a book about it! Read on to learn more about the importance and benefits of getting your daily dose of green and how to get your fix- even if you live in the city.
The majority of us spend most of our time indoors (for the average American it’s 93% of time and for Europeans it’s 90%) and think of nature as something ‘other’ or separate to us. But the truth is, we are part of nature and it is only in our recent evolutionary history that we have divorced ourselves from this truth and from mama nature herself. This separation and our lack of communion with nature is having a huge impact on our physical, emotional and mental well-being. So that’s why we are forever encouraging you to reconnect to nature and fill your lives up with as much green goodness as you can!
The stresses and demands of modern day life and urban living can leave us feeling frazzled, disconnected, overwhelmed and stressed- but fret not, our plant pals are here to the rescue! It only takes some simple steps and a few mindful moments to reconnect to nature and bask in the magic of all of her gifts.
‘So how do plants enhance our well-being and make us happy and healthy?’ I hear you cry! Here is a list of my favourite science-backed ways that plants really do make us happy:
1.) Plants Help Improve Mental Health and Lower Stress
It’s no secret that being in nature makes us feel much calmer, happier and more peaceful, even simply looking at greenery gets us feeling all zen. I’m gonna get all nerdy on ya now with some science facts: Digging up dirt releases microbes and when we inhale those microbes, it boosts serotonin levels in the brain which is a natural anti-depressant and it also lowers stress hormones. So, getting your hands dirty quite literally makes you happy!!!! Plants release chemicals called phytoncides which are proven to reduce stress-so pop a plant on your desk and fill your home with greenery and soon you’ll be giving the Dalai Lama a run for his money! A study published by the journal of physiological Anthropology reveals that interacting with houseplants has the same calming, mood boosting and stress-busting impact on our wellbeing as spending time in the forest. Plants release oxygen and increased oxygen levels results in better sleep- now what could be better for your mental health than some good quality shut eye?!
2.) Your Immune System Gets a Boost
So we’ve already learnt that plants lower stress, and when our stress levels are under control, our immune system gets a natural boost. Studies in Norway have shown that illnesses drop by 60% through the use of plants in the home. Numerous studies have also shown that simply adding plants and flowers to a hospital room has a positive effects on patients’ recovery by reducing pain and fatigue and speeding up recovery- all this just by adding some green leafy roommates to their space! So get filling your spaces with foliage and wave goodbye to the sniffles and say howdy to good heath!
As plants are living things that require TLC, they remind you to slow down and connect to the present moment. Checking in and tending to your plant pals gets you out of your own head and focusing on their care. When you tend to your plants, you pause and engage your senses: take in all of the glorious colours, feel the textures under your hands, touch and smell the soil, listen to the sound of the watering can filling up then pouring over the soil, it’s a mindfulness practice in itself. Plants have such a sense of peace around them, they just sit there chillin’ without a care in the world, all they’re interested in is being peaceful and blooming- they really are living their best lives and serve as a reminder for us to do the same!3.) Plants Promote Mindful Living
4.) Relationships Improve
We’ve all felt the pang of sadness when one of our beloved plant babies doesn’t make it through despite our best efforts and conversely have done a lil’ happy dance when we manage to bring a wilting plant back from the brink of death! See, we are compassionate beings by nature and the care and empathy we extend to our leafy roomies leads to a sense of compassion and empathy for the people in your life. Caring for plants reminds us of all of the love that resides within our hearts and helps us to walk through life with love at the forefront of what we do. Pretty enlightening, eh!
5.) Plants Encourage Better Self-Care
Caring for your botanical buddies serves as a reminder that you too, need attention, care and all of the right conditions to thrive. When you spot your plant’s leaves drooping or it looking a bit frazzled, you lovingly tend to it- and we’re not that different really, we droop and get frazzled too! We’re basically plants with more complicated emotions! Each time you check in on your plants, use it as an opportunity to check in with yourself and see what it is that YOU need to thrive. Plants remind us to always keep going and keep growing.
I don’t know about you, but all these facts blow my lil’ mind and really remind me of how connected we are to nature. I find it so comforting knowing that plants our are allies and want the best for us. And what’s best is that you don’t have to dig deep to reconnect to nature and get yourself feeling jazzy! You can read more about how to bring more harmony and happiness into your life in my book Hi Cacti: Growing Houseplants & Happiness which comes out September 14th 2021, but for now, I’ll leave you with some easy tips to get you started on your mindful journey with plants:
*Go to your local indie plant shop and pick out some leafy pals and decorative pots (check out my pots here) to turn your home into an oasis and sanctuary for self-care. Make a day of it by putting on your favourite playlist and mindfully sprucing up your space
* Pop a plant on your work desk and use it as a reminder to pause and breathe
*Follow our Hi Cacti instagram to learn more daily about plant life and nature thru our lil' independent female run green business
* Take some time every day to engage with your plants and soak up their peaceful energy. See how many senses you can use when sitting with your plants and take some deep breaths
* Each time you tend to your plants, ask yourself “what is it that I need today to thrive?”
* At the end of each day, thank your plants for the gifts they bring you and go to sleep with a happy heart
If you want to share the love of healing plants with your loved ones who are new plant parents or green fingered experts or not or want to learn more yourself about ways to integrate feel good and easy care plants into your day to day life we think you would LOVE our Hi Cacti book! It's filled with more information about plant care and plants benefits, but also includes plant based recipes, botanical drink recipes, DIY tutorials on plant projects and crafts, styling your plants, and also more about the inspiration for the brand and business and MORE!