I was on the phone with a friend the other day, and because I can’t sit still, I started to dust the leaves on my sprawling bird of paradise plant.
This is nice, I thought, gently swabbing the plant while I chatted away in my living room. As the sun bathed each shining leaf, I grew more peaceful. I felt like climbing into the pot and roosting for a while.
Immersing yourself in nature is good for you. Being outdoors has been shown to improve your mood, concentration and mental health, among other things. But indoor green spaces, even small ones, have benefits for our physical and mental well-being, too.
Viewing nature indoors, one review of the scientific literature suggested, can lower your heart rate and blood pressure. The presence of plants in a hospital room has been shown to reduce pain and anxiety in patients.
Since we spend around 90 percent of our time indoors, I asked experts for ways to bring nature into our homes and work spaces.
New to indoor gardening? Start with these three plants.
If you’re a beginner, some of the best houseplants are pothos, a ZZ plant and a snake plant, said Christopher Griffin, known on social media as Plant Kween and the author of “You Grow, Gurl.”
They’re easy to find, they have distinct personalities, and “generally, they are on the easier side of care,” said Griffin, who uses they/them pronouns. “That doesn’t mean that you won’t send them to that little botanical garden in the sky.”
It’s trial and error, they added, admitting to a “complicated relationship” with ferns. “You’ve got to give yourself grace when it comes to plants.”
You can also start small by growing some fragrant herbs inside, like rosemary, lavender and mint, said Kathy Willis, a professor of biodiversity at the University of Oxford and the author of “Good Nature: Why Seeing, Smelling, Hearing and Touching Plants is Good for Our Health.”
Get your hands in the soil.
Touching soil, even if it’s in pots on your windowsill, may improve your health as well. Dirt can benefit your microbiome, with possible benefits such as a stronger immune system, Dr. Willis said.
Preliminary research, she added, suggests you may get the same reaction from caring for houseplants.
So get your hands dirty, she said: Repot plants with your gloves off, and stroke the leaves as you’re pruning. “Don’t see plants as something to look at, but not touch,” Dr. Willis said.
Tend to yourself while you tend your plants.
When Griffin is ministering to the 202 plants in their apartment, they use it as an opportunity to check in with themselves: Am I getting enough water? Have I gotten enough sunlight today, too?
They turn plant care into a meditative ritual. “Sometimes it’s just me, myself and my ‘green gurls,’” they said, “so I’ll pour a little glass of wine and put on some Sade or some Mariah.”
Or they’ll use the time to pick up the phone and connect with someone. “I’ve had some of my best conversations with friends as I’ve been watering my plants,” they said.
Lately I’ve been bringing nature indoors by listening to recordings of birdsong. The Macaulay Library at Cornell offers free soundscapes that will “drop the listener right in the middle of a dawn chorus in New York or Australia,” said Kathi Borgmann, a communications manager at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Your work space doesn’t have to be a wasteland.
If you have an office that gets some light, consider bringing in something green, Dr. Willis said. The presence of plants in a work space has been shown to make workers happier and more productive, she said.
Even a bouquet from a deli or supermarket could be good for your health, Dr. Willis added — a nice thought that researchers actually put to the test in a study of Japanese businessmen. (Those given a glimpse of roses scored better on psychological and physiological measures of stress.)
And, if you work at home, sit near a plant for the day, Griffin said. “You know, we don’t always have to shove it into a corner,” they said. “You can put it right in front of you and enjoy its beauty.”
I now have five “plant buddies” at my formerly sterile desk. And when I mist them, I stealthily give myself a little spray, too.
One more thing: What’s the best piece of advice you received this year? Send us a voice memo telling us the smartest, most useful, most effective advice you were given this year — and we may use it in an upcoming episode of The Daily. Please include your full name and where you live. Send your recording by Dec. 9 to [email protected]. We won’t publish without verifying your info and hearing back from you.
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