How Houseplants Can Help You Beat the Winter Blues - Better Homes & Gardens

As fall rolls into winter and leaves and temperatures plummet, it's no wonder your mood can follow. With shorter days, a lack of sunshine, and an inability to spend much time outdoors (depending on where you live), many people struggle with feeling down or not like themselves this time of year.

This phenomenon is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD) and can last anywhere from four to five months. SAD has been part of the mental health discourse for years, but has received even more attention since the pandemic and the rise of TikTok. Bisma Anwar, a New York-based licensed mental health counselor, conducted panels on the disorder ahead of COVID-19, but noted that SAD was becoming more talked about.

Symptoms to look out for include a change in sleep patterns, loss of appetite, feelings of loneliness and isolation, and an increased sense of helplessness, Anwar says.

Whether you experience SAD directly or just get a bit of the winter blues every year, it's never a bad idea to take care of yourself when you're feeling down. If you're looking for an easy and inexpensive way to comfort yourself, try picking some plants or starting an indoor garden : research suggests that green can improve our mood and have other positive effects.

In 2019, Melinda Knuth, an assistant professor at the North Carolina Department of Horticulture, and one of her colleagues published an updated review summarizing the various effects of plants on humans. They reviewed existing studies from the past 10 years on emotional and mental health benefits, totaling about 2,500 articles and nine months of work.

"We talked about how plants can help you lower cortisol, the stress hormone, just by being around the plants," says Knuth. "Not only can we have this unconscious benefit from [we] being around them, but just looking at a picture of a plant can help lower blood pressure and heart rate, which is amazing."

The rationale for this goes back to evolution: Humans have depended on plants for food, shelter, and nourishment since time immemorial, Knuth points out, and we have an innate relationship with them. In today's world (where we're a bit further removed from nature than we were in the days of hunting and gathering), houseplant care or indoor gardening gives us that connection. Just as walking or hiking outdoors puts us in a calmer state, this feeling carries over when you bring nature into your home.

It's also about taking care of yourself: taking time out, being mindful, and engaging in activities that you enjoy and that help you relax almost always lift your spirits. While not considered an herb, taking it as part of your self-care routine offers benefits in a number of ways.

"People have an innate ability to care, and it can be a very ingrained experience, a very conscious experience, and it can help you get a sense of routine," says Anwar. "Look outside, it's very dry now [in winter]. The trees and everything, the leaves, everything is gone. But when you have house plants then you are still in touch with this colorful nature and greenery and all and there is a very beautiful feeling that really comes through.

Self-care can also serve as a form of distraction, Anwar explains, helping to take the mind off negative thoughts or feelings. In a video about SAD on his TikTok therappuccino , he gives a personal example of how he uses his love for coffee in this way: trying new flavors, making cappuccinos and generally getting more involved in his daily coffee ritual. She also recommends journaling and meditating, even if it's just five minutes a day, to stay in the moment.

If you've never owned an actual plant or are stressed about the maintenance process, start with one or two . You can always add more to your collection once you get into a routine. Knuth suggests getting pothos , or snakes , as they can survive in low-light environments . If you have plenty of natural light in your home, including flowering plants like orchids , bromeliads, petunias , or amaryllis can have an even greater effect on your sanity. Artificial plants also have an effect.

"It's almost like a return to nature," says Knuth. "In my opinion, health wise we should be there because we get into this artificial environment. That is why we subconsciously see these health effects; we don't even need to know they're happening. The simple fact that [plants] are there can help us.

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