PLANT CARE IS SELF-CARE
The mental health benefits of taking care of plant babies Story by Alexcia E. Negrete
Graptopetalum paraguayense, also known as the "ghost plant," is a type of succulent that only needs to be watered every three to four weeks. Photo by Aprel Rose Owner of Raising Plants OC located in Mission Viejo, Marishiel Dugan, showcases her favorite plant baby, a philodendron micans. Photo courtesy of Raising Plants OC Green and leafy plants are placed throughout Raising Plants OC, eagerly waiting to be adopted. Photo courtesy of Raising Plants OC
When many people think of houseplants, the first thing that may come to mind is wilting or dying plants that collect dust in the corner of their house. According to data from the 2020 U.S Census, plant parents spent 18.7% more on gardening supplies than they did in 2019. This totals to $8.5 billion more compared to the year prior. With many people joining the plant community, plant lovers are expressing to newbies that taking care of houseplants can be a way to improve their mood and feel a closer connection to nature which can provide many mental health benefits. Due to the pandemic, many people have been working from home, causing people to bring the stress they experience at work into their households. Many studies have shown that a few houseplants can help with relaxation and alleviate the stress we get from working on computers all day. The National Center for Biotechnology Information showcased how taking care of plants reduced stress in subjects who just completed doing work on their computers. They concluded that, “...the subjects felt more comfortable, soothed, and natural after the transplanting task than after the computer task.” Data that has been collected about the mental benefits of nature can be traced back to a theory called biophilia. This word was first used in 1973 by psychoanalyst, Erich Fromm, in “The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness.” The term was later used again by biologist and writer, Edward Osborne Wilson, in his book that was published in 1984 titled, “Biophilia.” Wilson’s version of the word is defined by the Natural Resources Defence Council, Inc. as, “...the innate human instinct to connect with nature and other living things.” By allowing plants to thrive within our homes and our indoor environments, we are able to feel the natural connection to nature. This is what provides us a feeling of relaxation and mental benefits.
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