Houseplants and Mental Health by a Deaf Houseplant Expert

[@DEAFCOUNSELING]

Transcript: Clara is sitting in a living room, signing her story. In the background are an assortment of green houseplants in pots and a grey-ish faux-fur covered pillow on a sofa. Hi, my name is Clara (shows sign name “C” moving back to flat-O by side of head). As you can see in the background, I have many houseplants. The topic I am addressing today is “How Do Houseplants Help Mental Health?” They really do - I have had many experiences with this, in addition to seeing many other people’s experiences. The reason I have so many houseplants here - I have about 88 houseplants in my living room alone! - is because they increase my feng shui, plus they have many health benefits. So, there’s feng shui, health benefits - the smell, and cleaning dirty air, and very importantly - mental health. Mental health can include many things, such as anxiety, stress, mood that is “off”, and many others. Okay, now I will share several examples with you. First, I work full-time for the government, which can have its ups and downs. Some days, my work is very demanding, such as when I face deadlines and have eight projects going on for different bosses, and all of them need to be finished at the same time. That’s enough stress in and of itself. Second, I’m a single mother of a 13-year old son. As you know, a young teenager needs more time and attention from me. Third, I’m solely responsible for taking care of my house. Fourth, I have a cute dog who I need to walk on schedule and care for. All of these responsibilities can weigh on me. Once in a while at night I might feel a little out of sorts, but I try to stay positive. After my son has eaten dinner and gone to bed, it’s my alone time. Websites and books often say that when you feel stressed, you should exercise or take a walk, sleep well, etc. Those do work for me, but something is missing - that’s why I go into my makeshift greenhouse and clean my plants, repot them, and take care of them. It only takes me between 5-15 minutes, and all of my stress is gone after that. It’s really cool! Once that happens, my energy and enthusiasm return. Then I feel at peace and I forget whatever it was that was bothering me. I can sleep well and wake up the next morning feeling refreshed and happy. It’s really powerful. Another example: my son’s good friend had a change in his family situation. He became depressed and when he visited our home, his first reaction was, “Oh, there are too many plants here!”, but then he started coming over more and more often. When I asked him why, he said that my plants give him a sense of peace and he feels blessed. He feels like he is breathing in good energy. He even said he likes it here more than at his own home, which I found interesting. Not only that, but I’ve noticed that the more plants I have around here, the better my son breathes and the happier he seems to be. He seems less anxious and less stressed because we have the plants. To sum this up, houseplants really do increase your good energy and help with mental health. I always joke with my friend that houseplants are like free therapy for your mental health, for your happiness and everything. I hope you will buy at least one houseplant if you don’t already have one. Thank you for watching this!

[@DEAFCOUNSELING]

Clara is sitting in a living room, signing her story. In the background are an assortment of green houseplants in pots and a grey-ish faux-fur covered pillow on a sofa. Hi, my name is Clara (shows sign name “C” moving back to flat-O by side of head). As you can see in the background, I have many houseplants. The topic I am addressing today is “How Do Houseplants Help Mental Health?” They really do - I have had many experiences with this, in addition to seeing many other people’s experiences. The reason I have so many houseplants here - I have about 88 houseplants in my living room alone! - is because they increase my feng shui, plus they have many health benefits. So, there’s feng shui, health benefits - the smell, and cleaning dirty air, and very importantly - mental health. Mental health can include many things, such as anxiety, stress, mood that is “off”, and many others. Okay, now I will share several examples with you. First, I work full-time for the government, which can have its ups and downs. Some days, my work is very demanding, such as when I face deadlines and have eight projects going on for different bosses, and all of them need to be finished at the same time. That’s enough stress in and of itself. Second, I’m a single mother of a 13-year old son. As you know, a young teenager needs more time and attention from me. Third, I’m solely responsible for taking care of my house. Fourth, I have a cute dog who I need to walk on schedule and care for. All of these responsibilities can weigh on me. Once in a while at night I might feel a little out of sorts, but I try to stay positive. After my son has eaten dinner and gone to bed, it’s my alone time. Websites and books often say that when you feel stressed, you should exercise or take a walk, sleep well, etc. Those do work for me, but something is missing - that’s why I go into my makeshift greenhouse and clean my plants, repot them, and take care of them. It only takes me between 5-15 minutes, and all of my stress is gone after that. It’s really cool! Once that happens, my energy and enthusiasm return. Then I feel at peace and I forget whatever it was that was bothering me. I can sleep well and wake up the next morning feeling refreshed and happy. It’s really powerful. Another example: my son’s good friend had a change in his family situation. He became depressed and when he visited our home, his first reaction was, “Oh, there are too many plants here!”, but then he started coming over more and more often. When I asked him why, he said that my plants give him a sense of peace and he feels blessed. He feels like he is breathing in good energy. He even said he likes it here more than at his own home, which I found interesting. Not only that, but I’ve noticed that the more plants I have around here, the better my son breathes and the happier he seems to be. He seems less anxious and less stressed because we have the plants. To sum this up, houseplants really do increase your good energy and help with mental health. I always joke with my friend that houseplants are like free therapy for your mental health, for your happiness and everything. I hope you will buy at least one houseplant if you don’t already have one. Thank you for watching this!