8 Ways Your Gardening Aesthetic Is Secretly Healing Your Mind

Explore how plants and gardening improve mental health through stress reduction, memory support, better focus, enhanced mood, and boosted self-esteem. Learn simple ways to start today!

Have you ever wondered if plants can actually help you feel happier and healthier? Research shows that gardening, caring for houseplants, and spending time around greenery can lead to major improvements in mental health. From stress relief and better focus to creativity boosts and emotional well-being, plants offer more benefits than many people realize. Let’s dive into 8 science-backed ways that plants can support your mind, mood, and overall wellness.

8 Wellness & Health Benefits of Plants: How Gardening and Indoor Plants Improve Your Mental Health

You might wonder how gardening and interaction with indoor plants can be linked to your brain at all - the two topics seem completely separate. However, extensive research and reviews of data show that there is a distinct correlation between plants and your mood, stress level, cognition, and more. [*] Here’s how it works and how you can use that connection to support your well-being and self-care routine. Let's explore the psychological and physiological benefits of plants!

Health Benefits of Plants and Gardening on Your Mental Health and Wellness

1. Plants Can Help Quiet Anxiety and Calm Your Nervous System

Stress reduction starts with greenery—indoors or out.

Research shows that spending time around indoor plants, in the garden, or in other natural settings can reduce psychological and physiological stress. Plus, it can help improve your recovery from mental fatigue while slowing your heart rate and lowering blood pressure. [*] Although it's not completely known why, experts theorize that caring for plants could affect your autonomic nervous system activity by suppressing your sympathetic nervous system activity, therefore, promoting feelings of relaxation and comfort. [*]

Related: 5 Stress Relief Pressure Points: How to Find Them and Use Them

2. Your Plant Aesthetic Can Boost Memory and Mental Clarity

Even a simple windowsill garden can sharpen your mind.

Being around any plant - at home, in nature, or in your garden - has been shown to boost attention and memory by 20%. Nature and green spaces have also proven to increase concentration and mental work performance. [*]

3. Greenery Can Help You Stay Focused and Get More Done

Houseplants may be your new productivity hack.

Other research shows that employees were able to be more productive when indoor plants were included in their work area. This is likely linked to the plants' effects on attention and focus. [*] While productivity is helpful on its own, this ability to focus can also lend itself to greater mental health. By allowing you to accomplish tasks, the presence of plants also clears up additional mental space to deal with all areas of life.

Related: Gratitude 30 Day Challenge Ideas: How to Stay Positive and Feel Energized

4. Nature Therapy Can Help Ease Depression Symptoms

Pairing CBT with the plant aesthetic? Science says yes.

In multiple studies, researchers found that participants experienced fewer incidences of symptoms of anxiety as well as decreased depressive symptoms. Additionally, participants reported increases in their mood and improved memory span. There’s also evidence that depression treatment, like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in combination with exposure to indoor plants and nature, can significantly aid in reducing symptoms of depression. [*]

5. A Lush Garden Can Spark Daily Creativity

More color, more ideas, more joy.

Studies suggest that surrounding yourself with greenery, such as a garden or indoor plants, can spark creativity. In fact, one study reported that employees with natural elements in their offices were 15% more creative than employees who didn’t have plants. [*]

Smart Tools that Make Gardening and Horticulture Therapy Easier [*]:

• For Comfortable Kneeling: Garden Kneeler and Seat

• For Moving Heavy Objects: Mobile Tool Storage Caddy

• To Support your Wrists: Compression Support Brace

• To Protect your Feet: Slip On Sneakers

• For an Easy Grip: Ergonomic Aluminum Hand Trowel

• For Easy Watering: Kaleidoscope Rain Wand

• To Protect your Back: 4-Claw Weder

6. Plants Support a Calmer Mood—Even on Hard Days

Mood regulation is one watering can away.

There are so many ways in which gardening and indoor plants boost your mental well-being. They can reduce stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression. They also boost creativity and productivity while putting you in a calmer mood. Ultimately, these factors lead to a better overall mood. [*][*]

7. Gardening Helps Ground You and Restore Emotional Balance

Touching soil isn’t just symbolic—it’s physiological.

Gardening, in particular, may help you feel grounded. Grounding is the practice of walking barefoot outside or reconnecting directly with the Earth via touching the soil, grass, or ground. Grounding has been shown to stabilize physiology, reducing stress and inflammation. There’s also evidence that it can improve your energy and help you sleep. [*]

Gardening can be a form of grounding - it offers you quiet time devoted specifically to get in touch with the earth, which can help you feel centered and lower your physiological and psychological stress.

8. Growing Plants Can Boost Self-Esteem and Body Appreciation

Caring for plants helps you care for yourself, too.

In one study of 84 different gardeners in London, gardening was found to actually help boost self-esteem and confidence. Participants were asked to reflect on their body image, including things like how much they appreciated their body and its functionality.

By the end of the study, the gardeners reported a boost in their confidence, likely thanks to an increased appreciation for what their body allows them to do in the garden. [*]

Gardening helps with mental well-being, concentration, and attention and can improve your mood. Nature and gardening can really help relax your soul. So feel free to absorb all the psychological benefits as you create a beautiful herb garden or grow the perfect tomato!

Related: 25 Journal Prompts for Self-Love: How Journaling and Affirmations Can Boost Your Confidence

Can Plants Help With Blood Pressure & Mental Health?

Studies have shown that having indoor plants can help to lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The act of caring for plants has also been shown to be therapeutic, which can further help to lower stress levels and blood pressure.

If you’re looking to add some plants to your home in order to help lower your blood pressure, there are a few varieties that are known to be particularly effective. Some good options include aloe vera, spider plants, and bamboo palm.

6 of the Easiest Indoor Plants to Keep Alive [*]:

• Pothos Ivy

• Peace Lilies

• Snake Plants

• Aloe Vera Plant

• Spider Plants

• Jade Plant

  
  

Related: 5 Reasons to Start a Gratitude Practice + Tips on Practicing Gratitude Simply

5 Best Plants that Clean Indoor Air & Improve Air Quality

Looking for the best plants to improve air quality? Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release it and serving as an indoor air pollution abatement system. Here are some of the best options that will help you breathe easier and feel better:

1. Aloe vera - This succulent is not only easy to care for, but it also emits oxygen at night, helping to purify the air in your bedroom.

2. Boston fern - This lush, green plant is great at filtering out formaldehyde and other toxins from the air.

3. Snake plant - Also known as mother-in-law's tongue, this tough plant is practically indestructible and helps to remove carbon dioxide from the indoor air.

4. Chrysanthemum - This beautiful flower not only looks great but also helps to remove ammonia and other pollutants from the air.

5. Peace lily - Another beautiful plant that does double duty by filtering out mold spores and other airborne toxins to boost the indoor air quality.

So, if you're looking for the best plants to improve air quality, these are some great options to consider while you boost your mental health!

Related: 8 Simple Ways To Prioritize Self-Care at Work

Final Thoughts on the Health Benefits of Plants and Gardening on Your Mental State

So, how gardening and plants improve your mental wellness and health can be seen in various areas! From a creativity boost to more serious benefits, like stress and anxiety reduction, plants can make all the difference in your healthy lifestyle. As an avid plant lover, there is nothing like lowering your psychological and physiological stress with gorgeous greenery.

Still, plants do require upkeep, so be sure to schedule some time to care for them in your habit tracker and self-care planner! You can also follow their impact on your mental well-being by utilizing a mood tracker and physical well-being by using a fitness tracker to make sure you’re getting the best results.

Medical Disclaimer: The information on this site, including text, graphics, images, and other material, is provided solely for informational purposes and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other healthcare professional with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your specific condition.