Fight Depression

House plants are not just for decorations. They are good companions and can help you fight depression and anxiety. Growing plants is easy. If you take care of plants, they reciprocate your care and affection by growing luxuriously and provide soothing effect.

Whether you are a celebrity or a common person, the pressure of outside world, competition and keeping up with lifestyle, loneliness, financial and family issues etc can be reasons for depression. For many it could be hereditary too. Often negative thoughts hits people who are suffering from such issues.

We often see people who are socially isolated, suffer from health issues. There are different ways to overcome and find cure for mental illness such as depression and anxiety. Being around nature is a good idea and something as simple as owning and taking care of plants can help to reduce depression.

Growing plants has many psychological benefits.

1. Improves mood: When we humans surrounded by nature and plants in plenty, we feel optimistic. We feel calmer and flow of positive energy inside us when we spend time in garden or farm. Reason for this is, flowers, fragrance and greenery evoke positive emotions. This is one of the reasons, when you give flower bouquet it brings happier and brighter mood in person who receives it.
2. Relieves stress: Stress and anxiety will have big negative impact on our health. While looking at seed germinating into a beautiful plant, rose plant that you planted flowering or growing a sapling to a tree will give peaceful mind. It is an activity that is free of conflict. Growing plants or taking care of plants makes a person to live in present and not worry what happens in future. It releases and relieves stress and anxiety. Gardening whether indoor or outdoor decreases cortisol levels.
3. Builds and boosts self-esteem: Teens and young adults who have low self-esteem because of comparison, peer pressure and spending time on social media for various reasons often suffer from depression. Connecting them to nature will certainly helps them to bring back their self-esteem. Observing plant transformation gives them an understanding and experience of nurturing, care and love. It gives a sense of worth when they see the yield in the form of vegetables, fruits and flowers. Young children especially get benefit from spending time with plants. It not only boosts their self-esteem, it grows their love towards nature.
4. Reduces ADHD: Impact of plants on children and young adults helps to cope up with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Teaching such children in greenery settings have calming effect on child and brings the hidden talent as well as reduces anxiety. In fact, traditional way of teaching what was known as Gurukulam settings in India was under tree or greenery. Being with plants and taking care of plants used to be part of curriculum in Gurukulam. Introducing students and children of all age group to plants is one of the best way that helps them to stay calm, helps to learn and brings the best out of them.

There are many plants one can grow either in indoor or outside in garden. If you have space for gardening, you can select those plants that are suitable for the weather conditions where you live. For indoor plants select small, medium sized potted plants. You can also learn bonsai, the art of creating miniature plants that survive in indoors for many years. Growing plants that gives fragrant flowers, medicinal plants, herbs for kitchen or kitchen garden, vegetable garden etc will help to cope up with mental issues such as depression. Until you give it a try, you will not know how wonderful is the plant world is!!

Image credit: Image by J Garget from Pixabay