Why Having Plants in Your Workspace can Reduce Stress
Nurture your health with nature
By now, you are already comfortable performing all your tasks virtually with a dedicated workspace you have carefully laid out through time to match your working habits. There is a tumbler of your favorite beverage on your right side to calm you during stressful times or just quench your thirst without getting up.
Your writing materials are stacked neatly on one corner along with paper for easy note-taking for tasks that require immediate attention. Your computer paraphernalia has its particular place on your desk, even the distance from each matter.
It is just a far contrast from your previous scheme with your cubicle and colleagues on both of your sides. Now, you have the freedom to decorate your desk whatever you want. Spruce up your workspace with plants and welcome benefits during your working hours.
The trend of owning a plant is ever growing since the lockdown impositions. People have more time with less commute, and plant cultivation requires less space compared to other activities.
It is not just a matter of filling your time with recreational activities, as having plants can be a frequent reminder that there are other things outside of your job and stressing over things beyond your control is futile.
Go one with nature. It is even inherent to us, according to biologist Edward O. Wilson, who coined the term Biophilia as “the rich, natural pleasure that comes from being surrounded by living organisms.”
A little breather is always welcome while on the job, and having some sort of companion during challenging times is undoubtedly a plus. Connecting with other forms of life, especially greenery, is both calming and relaxing.
A study delves deeper into why plants can increase health wellness and, from other previous related literature, presented the following: (1) restore stress-fatigued cognitive resources to enhance coping abilities or (2) stimulate underutilized portions of the “old” brain, which balance the concentrated stimulation and relieve exhausted portions of the brain to reduce stress.
Plants have all these therapeutic properties that can help alleviate stress. Even their physical aspects hold different tonalities with their varying color and sizes. You can undoubtedly find your personality through plants, from delicate orchids to resistant succulent plants.
They can also be your motivation booster. Having plants also entrusts you with the responsibility of caring for them, such as constant watering and growth monitoring. It syncs with your life routine and brightens up your quality of living.
Having something to look forward to after your work, such a simple chore as taking care of plants, gives you a sense of purpose now that today’s situation hampers our way of life. Travel restrictions are imposed, and maintaining social correspondence with your friends and family is only through a screen.
Plants grant us the serenity that we need to flourish despite the current condition of our environment. They bask in the magnificent ray of sun to bring us improved air quality and, in the end, bring value through their existenc