Flowers For the Soul
There is a term within the mental health world called the pet effect, which is the psychological bond between an owner and their pet: taking care of another living creature motivates the owner to take care of themselves. Owning an animal for emotional support can create a mutually beneficial relationship, adding structure to your day, alleviating stress, and providing accountability and companionship. As a college student, certified emotional support animals are readily available, however, not everyone has the time and resources to maintain a furry friend while sustaining the busy college lifestyle. The good news for us, caring for plants can have a similarly uplifting effect on our mental health.
Owning a wide array of plants has become rather trendy over the past couple of years, influenced by the wave of eco-friendly sustainable lifestyle craze infiltrating our generation. At some point, “plant mom” has become a popularized term inspired by this universal excitement over something as ordinary as owning a potted cactus. Lucky for us, studies show that the benefits of owning plants run much deeper than the instant gratification of picking out a cute ceramic pot to place a leafy orchid by the window for the ~aesthetic~ of it all. Owning an indoor plant allows you to nurture a living being besides yourself. While a prickly succulent may not be as cuddly as an emotional support kitten, adopting a plant is an eco-happy way to improve your overall mood and give you a peaceful breath of nature indoors.
In our current Zoom-dominated environment, spending so much time inside can make anyone feel isolated and unconnected from the outdoors. Plants have the most notable effect on mood: they make any space look more put together and welcoming and are proven to boost serotonin levels. Plants also relieve stress by creating more structure to your daily routine: being mindful by stepping away from technology to water your plant babies gives you a safe space to tune in with both yourself and nature. They also teach us many important skills, such as responsibility, consistency, and gentleness. Having another source of life rely on you every day has been studied and proven to give your subconscious mind a strong sense of fulfillment and gratification, no matter how chaotic the rest of your life is. If you are not already a part of the plant-owning community, do yourself a favor and pick out some plant babies of your own.
