Adding a bit of greenery into your living space can have a major impact on the life you live. One way of uplifting a space is by filling it with houseplants. Houseplants can create a more inviting and livelier environment that fosters inspiration, productivity, and improves physical and mental health. College students especially can benefit greatly from bringing even just one plant into their living space.
As students, life can become stressful quickly, but having something as simple as a small houseplant to take care of can give you an extra boost of motivation. Having the responsibility of keeping another living thing alive can be a helpful reminder to take care of yourself along with your plant. It can also just be exciting to watch your plant grow new leaves or to have to learn what the plant may need to thrive. This can be an exciting experience that has very low stakes and minimal time commitment but might just be the extra boost of motivation you need.
Along with providing great motivational opportunities, houseplants have real physical and mental health benefits as well. As mentioned before, they may motivate you to focus your energy on something, but they can also serve as inspiration for creativity and productivity. Houseplants also brighten up a living space, which in itself can lift your mood if you are feeling down or stressed. This is especially true during the winter months where the days feel so dreary and all you want to do is be outside in nature. You may not be able to be in nature when it is cold, but you can bring nature into your home through the form of houseplants. Along with this, if a plant is well taken care of, it can help take care of you by improving your air quality in a unique and natural way, which will have great effects on your physical health.
One reason that people, especially college students, will steer away from living houseplants and opt for the fake options is that they are not sure where to start or do not think that they can take well enough care of their plants. There are so many low maintenance and easily accessible houseplants perfect for college students out there. Plants, such as pothos, spider plants, snake plants, and succulents, can all be found in local grocery stores or plant nurseries and are easy to care for. They all require sun and watering weekly but are not too picky if you miss a day. Each of these plants grows in a unique and exciting way that can be fun to watch over time.
If you are interested in bringing in new life into your home through the form of houseplants, it is important to start small. Start by picking out a low maintenance and healthy plant. This will allow you to focus on learning about what that specific plant needs and how to care for it. Once you get the hang of taking care of that one, you can slowly start to introduce more into your home, and you will begin to see the benefits of bringing a little bit of nature into your home.
Whether you are looking for a new hobby, a boost of natural positivity in your environment, something to uplift your mood or to bring new motivation, houseplants can be a great addition to any space.
Nora Lee is a Dakota Student General Reporter. She can be reached at nora.lee@und.edu.
