For many, the mind reflects the spaces around it. A cluttered, unorganized space can lead to a cluttered, unorganized mind. Caring for indoor plants for stress relief can help. 

Maintaining the spaces you inhabit is essential to keeping your mental space calm, energetic, and clear. 

That’s not to say that minimalism is the only way to find stress relief. The goal is to create a space you truly enjoy, not just live in. 

When you’re nurturing new life, you’re caring for something outside yourself and creating a beneficial, symbiotic relationship between you and nature.

Is it true that plants affect mental health?

Yes! Proximity to nature increases feelings of happiness and well-being. Keeping houseplants can improve your mental health, which is integral to controlling feelings of stress and worry. 

Many studies have shown the links between nature and your mind’s well-being, and have even sought to prove the efficacy of indoor plants for stress relief. 

The end conclusion is, largely, that caring for plants in your home will increase positive feelings and decrease negative emotions, improving mood overall.

Do indoor plants absorb my stress?

Plants might not always directly absorb your stress, but they certainly reduce stress levels. 

Not only that, but plants absorb impurities in the air and create oxygen, which directly affects your health and well-being. So, in a way, they do absorb negative energy and emit positive energy.

Specific plants also have unique individual properties that affect your mind and body in different ways. 

Which indoor plants are best for stress relief? 

The best indoor plants for stress relief will filter the air at different parts of the day, and not introduce any outside stressors by being hard to care for. 

These 5 houseplants are wonderful beginner-friendly options if you want to boost your mood and elevate your indoor spaces. 

1. Aloe Vera is low-maintenance and air purifying. 

Aloe Vera has air purifying properties, which directly help stress and mood. Not only that, but it’s a popular healing remedy for burns and other inflammation, which makes it an incredible addition to your home. 

Luckily, it’s a happy beginner houseplant. Water it sparsely, once every week to two weeks when the soil is completely dry, and keep in indirect, filtered sunlight.

2. Lavender is a powerful calming aromatic. 

Inhaling calming natural scents can soothe the mind, reducing stress and putting your mood back into balance. So, lavender is the natural choice for stress relief. 

It’s a beautiful botanical that emits lovely aromas to fill your home with peace – nature’s own candle. It likes plenty of sun! 

3. Ingesting Chamomile is intensely calming, as is its scent. 

You’ve probably heard of chamomile tea – but have you ever kept it as a houseplant?

It’s a beautiful addition to your home, and its scent alone can reduce stress. You can also make fresh tea to enjoy! 

4. Succulents are energy and air purifiers. 

Succulents cleanse spaces of negative energy, reduce anxiety, improve concentration, and purify the air as you sleep! 

They need lots of direct sun, and very little water. Difficult as it is, the best way to keep these gems alive is to leave them alone! 

5. Rosemary can directly lower your stress hormones. 

Rosemary is a delicious herb, and it can actually lower your levels of the stress hormone cortisol. 

It may actually improve cognitive functioning as well, allowing you to cleanse your mind and achieve tranquility. 

Plants can get stressed, too. Here’s how to help

Every plant parent has to start somewhere! If these indoor plants for stress relief seem a bit stressed themselves, here’s what to do.

When your plant is yellowing and crunchy, this can mean two things: it’s either underwatered, or overwatered. 

If it’s underwatered, the soil at the bottom of the pot will be dry. 

Take your pot and place it in a container of water, and let it soak up all the moisture it needs for a few hours. Then adjust your watering schedule to water just a bit more often.  

If it’s underwatered, the roots have rotted and it can’t take in water anymore. You’ll be able to tell because the soil at the bottom of the pot will be waterlogged. 

This happens often in pots with no drainage holes. Take the plant out of the pot, trim off any black roots you see, and re-pot in a pot with a drainage hole and with well-draining soil. 

See any bugs? Try neem oil or diatomaceous earth. 

Neem oil and diatomaceous earth are all-natural, non-toxic pest protectors. Treat your plants often the moment you see any white fuzzy bugs (mealybugs), tiny spiderwebs (spider mites), or aphids. 

If you want to go truly organic, introduce some ladybugs or a praying mantis to your plants. 

Keeping indoor plants for stress relief might be the step you need to foster wellness at home

Finding ways to improve our relationships with ourselves, our homes, and our minds is a life-long journey. 

Keeping indoor houseplants is a wonderful first step towards self-care and a healthier, more balanced lifestyle. 

For more holistic, mindful lifestyle tips, subscribe to our newsletter. We value your time, and will never clutter your inbox.