10 Physical & Mental Benefits of Houseplants

By Jane Marsh | Contributing Writer

Filling your home with plants gives you more than just new decor. You can also enjoy these physical and mental benefits of houseplants while improving your gardening skills!

Find a few plants you adore and start raising them around your house so you can experience these fantastic parts of indoor gardening.

1. You’ll Learn Time Management

Plants don’t come with notifications or ringtones. They can’t remind you when they need watering, sunlight, or a bigger pot.

As you get used to your new plant-oriented lifestyle, you’ll improve your time management skills by setting aside time for routine care. Building those skills will help every aspect of your life, especially if you’ve never found a motivating way to stay ahead of your schedule.

2. You’ll Breathe Cleaner Air

Common household features like fresh paint on the walls or odour-fighting sprays introduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that pollute the air. Choosing specific plants can make your air cleaner.

Think about what sized plant you’d like and review which ones absorb VOCs so it continually makes your home a safer place to live. They’ll fight chemicals invisible to the human eye and keep your loved ones healthy, all in exchange for a bit of water and sunlight.

3. You’ll Avoid More Illnesses

Recent research shows that indoor plants remove dust mites from the air that would normally carry bacteria into your home. Growing a few plants will keep you healthy unless they get attacked by pests.

Keep an eye out for insects and try new removal techniques such as insecticidal soap, as needed, so your plants stay as healthy as you do. Bugs may carry disease into your home and pose a more significant threat than just eating away at your plants.

4. You’ll Relieve Stress

Students are usually stressed in classrooms because so much depends on their performance. Indoor plants on desks and shelves reduces stress and anxiety for young people who otherwise feel worn out.

Add one to your at-home workspace so you feel more at ease when life gets challenging.

5. You’ll Hone Your Attention Span

Relaxing around greenery clears your mind. You won’t deal with as many intrusive thoughts or distractions with a few plants around your home. They’re a great option to try if stress balls or background music don’t help you focus.

6. You’ll Appreciate Healthier Diets

Growing plants makes people appreciate them more. You won’t look at vegetables the same way after learning how much work it takes to get them on your table.

Strategize what you plant by growing herbs in the kitchen so your plants work with the space they’re in. They’ll eventually grow into what you need for tasty recipes and become a reward for your hard work.

7. You’ll Get More Exercise

Every little bit of movement counts toward your health. Sitting on the couch doesn’t work your muscles or challenge your body, but plants can help with that, too.

Getting more movement is one of the physical and mental benefits of houseplants. You’ll increase your heart rate by bringing plants inside before thunderstorms and frosty nights. When your heart rate rises above your resting rate, you’ll improve your physical stamina and develop your muscles. It could be what you need to fall back in love with staying on-the-go and adopt a new exercise routine.

8. You’ll Gain More Confidence

It takes persistence, skill, and dedication to raise a plant from a seed packet. You’ll take care of it for days or weeks before it even sprouts and keep up the hard work until it reaches maturity.

Your confidence will bloom along with whatever plants you choose to adopt. Restoring faith in yourself makes every aspect of life better, all because you tucked a few seeds away in fresh soil.

9. You’ll Spark Your Creativity

Watching something grow is inspiring. If your creative flow recently jammed, raising a houseplant might help with that. As you relax, breathe fresh air, and feel confident about your plant care skills, you’ll feel better about jumping into new projects that your wandering mind invents.

10. You’ll Feel More Productive

It’s challenging to embrace productivity and trust that it’s working when you can’t see the immediate effects. Plants reverse that mindset. You get to see tiny daily changes that remind you why you’re working hard to raise them.

Visual gratification rewards your productivity and encourages you to apply that dedication to other parts of your life. Plants encourage you to achieve more because you already challenge yourself by keeping them alive.

You’ll use the same persistence to remain productive even when you can’t immediately see the results, like building on your career over multiple years.

Enjoy the Physical and Mental Benefits of Houseplants

Whether you grow herbs, flowers, or indoor vegetables, you can experience the physical and mental benefits of houseplants within the hour. Plant seeds, establish a care schedule, and start benefiting from your hard work without ever going outside.

About the Author

Jane is the founder and editor-in-chief of Environment.co where she shares practical tips on how to live a greener life.