Can having something as simple like plants and flowers around us improve our mental health? The answer is yes!

For years people have benefited immensely from having flowers or greenery in their spaces. Whether it be in the office, kitchen, or bedroom, being around nature is a health aid in itself. Nature can change our mood and ease stress. Flowers can free us from anxiety, depression, and the everyday worries of life.

Flowers and Plants Increase Happy Feelings

After buying flowers from the market or after putting them in your favorite vase, you will end up feeling less agitated—without even really realizing it. Studies have shown that flowers can induce creative energy and positive vibes, ultimately making us feel better.

Another benefit of being around flowers is that they reduce stress. Numerous studies confirm that just reading books on flowers, gardening, or creating floral arrangements can promote calm feelings.

Studies also show homemakers, teleworkers, and entrepreneurs with home-based businesses who suffer from a lot of stress are positively influenced by the presence of flowers. Amazingly, even patients in the hospital who had flowers in their room during their recovery felt less anxiety than people with empty rooms.

Giving flowers as an unexpected gift to ourselves or others can also improve our mood, as it is a gesture filled with love and compassion. When you receive flowers, your fatigue decreases, and your blood pressure lowers. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!

The only way to see if you personally truly benefit from flowers is to try it for yourself! Start small by adding some plants to your space—or if you don’t have much experience with flowers, next time you are in the grocery store, pick up a few flowers that draw your eye. The smell alone can make you feel good.

Color Impacts Mood

Why is it that flowers have such a positive effect on us mentally? There are a few factors: shape, smell, feel, and interestingly enough, color.

It is a known fact that each color of the color wheel has a meaning of its own. Example: red symbolizes anger, danger, or love. Blue simultaneously is a color the represents calmness and sadness. Oppositely, yellow can mean happiness and good fortune. Understanding this, flowers and their colors influence our mood and determine how we feel at the moment. Additionally, flowers have mostly green parts, leaves, stems, etc. Green is the color of nature. When people see green, they feel calm. The color green helps us feel tranquil and relaxed. If you are unsure which flowers to choose, try a few of these:

• Geraniums – Improves air quality.

• Lavender – Improves sleep, reduces blood pressure and slows heart rate.

• Roses – Relieves headaches, sharpens memory.

• Orchids – Calming.

• Lily of the valley – Soothes nerves and helps with dizziness.

• Tulips – Alleviates tension and exhaustion.

Some people who have suffered certain traumas or had certain illnesses have sought therapy from a color therapist. (Yes, this is real!)

Color therapy (chromotherapy) is the idea that colors create an electrical impulse in our brains. This stimulates the hormonal and biochemical processes in our bodies. These processes either stimulate or calm us.

Color therapists, or Chromatherapists, believe that different colors correspond with varying vibrations throughout the body. Many people use color therapy while using flowers to induce a peaceful state of mind.

One of the best characteristics of flowers is that they don’t have a problem being together! No attitudes here; it’s all love. Taking the time to arrange yellow roses, pink carnations, green hydrangeas, babies breath, and greenery can make you feel like a brand-new person. For some, this has become their method of healing and a passion.

The Creative Process Can Be Therapeutic

Making arrangements, in particular, is a very therapeutic and creative process. When you take a moment, sit down and mix or arrange flowers, you fall into something called a flow. This is actually a psychological term. Being in flow boosts our mental state, can regulate our breathing patterns, and slow down the heart rate.

Flow is a beneficial state for people who suffer from depression or anxiety. When we are engaged in a creative task, time disappears. We temporarily forget about our troubles, frustrations, and the circus that is constantly putting on a show inside our heads. We forget about our judgments and criticisms. The benefits to our nervous systems are extraordinary.

Arranging flowers allows us to be inventive, focused, and controlled. Just like meditation. So let's recap a bit. Working with flowers, plants, and floral arrangements can benefit people by:

• Improving Mood

• Diminishing Anxiety

• Boosting Brain Function

• Eliminating Depression

The true beauty of flowers is that they help us create deep connections, strengthening bonds with nature, family, friends, and our community. This ultimately opens the door to a happier, fuller life.

Sometimes the smallest things in life are those that make us the happiest. Find a flower you love, incorporate it into your life, and watch yourself bloom.