Plants have always been an obsession of mine. When you walk into my dorm you’re immediately greeted by many, many house plants. I once tried to see what it would be like to live in my dorm without any house plants and it was the most miserable experience ever. So now I’ve made it my mission to convert as many people possible to become proud plant parents so they can also have the joy of having little plant babies. Here are five plantastic reasons to surround yourself with plants!
- Great Source of Relaxation (Good Chives Only)
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Have you ever found yourself in a trance, watching your pet fish swim around its tank? Or been content to watch waves crash against the sandy shores for hours? Growing plants can have the same kind of effect on us. In a sense, house plants radiate peace and calm. They are content to sit in one place, with the only goal in life to grow. They’re in no rush to go anywhere, and having nothing to distract them. They just take it one day at a time, growing little by little, not a care in the world. Naturally, when you surround yourself with something like this, it rubs off on you. There’s nothing more calming than coming back after a long, stressful day of classes to see your happy house plants waiting to keep you company.
- From Pollution to Purification (Purification Like a Moss)
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House plants are more than just a nice splash of color to your room. It has actually been scientifically proven by NASA that house plants purify the air around them. They pull the polluted air down to their roots and replace it with their fresh, purified air. Fill your room with a couple house plants and you’ll be breathing in fresh, unpolluted air within 24 hours! House plants have also been proven to not only lower the chance of getting a cold, but can also help you recover faster. They do this by keeping humidity in the air, which, especially during dry winters, can be a huge factor in your health. Ever wonder why when spring rolls around we all start to feel better? Yup, part of that is because of plants!
- Improves Mental Health (The Perfect Encourage-mint!)
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Yup, you heard that right. Studies have shown that having house plants can help improve your mental health. How, you ask? Well, there are several different theories, but let’s talk about the most likely for us college students. When you fill your room with plants, you end up feeling less boxed in. Living in a dorm, packed into buildings like sardines, it’s very easy to start feeling cramped. Throw a couple plants in the mix however, and supposedly it tricks your brain into thinking you’re outside in the open. You may be stuck in your tiny little dorm, but if you’re surrounded by plants it’ll feel more like you’re studying in the middle of a magical forest!
- Noisy Neighbors No More! (Hosta La Vista Noise!)
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Whether you’re in a dorm or an apartment, you’re always going to have that one person that is just so annoyingly loud you feel like you’re going to lose your mind. Surprisingly, plants can help with that! Plants are good at absorbing sound, which is why in the summer you can’t hear as much surrounding sound as you can during the winter when all the leaves are gone. Live by a noisy road? Pop some plants in your windowsill and the noise level will drop. Someone on the other side of the wall being extra noisy at ungodly hours of the night? Throw a bunch of plants against the wall and the sound gets muffled. Studies have even been done to find out exactly which house plants are the best at absorbing sound! A few of these plants are ferns, rubber plant, and areca palm. Finally, a cute and aesthetic way to keep your noisy neighbors at bay!
- Productivity is Improved (Unbeleafable Productivity)
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Have you noticed the trend with “hip millennial” companies that are always bursting with plants? Well, they’re there to look more than just aesthetic. Being surrounded by living plants improves concentration and productivity. Having house plants are the perfect (and inexpensive) way to jazz up a dull dorm room. With a well-decorated room, productivity is almost guaranteed to increase. Additionally, because house plants help with mental health, it will also lead to you being more focused and productive since you don’t have as much weighing on your mind. Plants boost your creativity and are a wonderful source of inspiration.
You can never have too many house plants, and hey, if you’re worried you won’t be able to keep a plant alive (don’t worry, it happens), get a succulent or cactus! They require a minimal amount of care and are almost impossible to kill. I never thought I would be able to keep so many house plants alive, but I’ve had the same plant for four years and it looks just as health as it did the day I got it, if not more. You’ll never know until you try!
HCXO, Hannah O.
Images courtesy of Google Images