We’re only halfway through 2020, and needless to say, it has been a stressful year. For many people, the outbreak of COVID-19 has caused fear and anxiety levels to skyrocket. Social distancing and stay-at-home orders have also had an impact on mental health and how we feel on a day-to-day basis. As we try to navigate these unprecedented times, it’s only natural to have these feelings of stress and uncertainty.
As a local business, we’ve felt that stress, too. During the pandemic, we’ve turned to the one thing that’s always brought us comfort: living walls. Why? Not only do we find joy in these installations, but one of the many benefits of living walls (and plants in general) is that they can help reduce some of that stress we’ve all been feeling.
Are you interested in learning more about the benefits of living walls and how they might help you feel a little bit better? Here’s what you need to know.
Reduce Stress with a Living Wall
The connection that we humans have with nature is an undeniable one. In fact, it’s been proven that enjoying time outside, surrounded by Mother Nature, has a positive effect on mental health. A study conducted by Texas A&M stated that “people who spend time outside every day are less likely to be depressed or stressed, and thus have fewer burdens on their mental health.”
Another article revealed similar findings when it came to the relationship between nature and humans, stating that: “Nature experience has been associated with improved sleep and reductions in stress, as assessed by self-report and various physiological measures and biomarkers of acute and chronic stress.”
One of the benefits of living walls — considering that they are comprised of many plants and natural elements — is that they can provide that dose of nature that we so desperately need. They can even be placed indoors, which means that even during a lockdown, you can experience the positive effects that plants have to offer.
Plants Can Help You Heal Faster
Did you know that living walls can increase recovery time? That study we mentioned previously from Texas A&M also stated that “the presence of plants in recovery rooms greatly reduces the time necessary to heal. The soothing effects of ornamental flowers and plants are so great that simply having daily views of flowers and other ornamental plants in landscaped areas outside the patient recovery room significantly speed up recovery time.” While it’s certainly not the “miracle cure” we’ve been looking for, it is pretty incredible that the plants in living walls can positively influence healing time should you get sick.
Feeling Down? Living Walls Can Improve Your Mood
Another benefit of living walls is their mood-boosting abilities. If you’re stuck inside all day with little access to the outside world, bringing a bit of nature indoors could help you feel better. Evidence has linked nature experience with increased happiness and subjective well-being, positive social interactions, a sense of meaning and purpose in life, and decreases in mental distress.
Furthermore, living walls have a calming effect which also has the potential to improve concentration and boost productivity. This is an added benefit especially for those who have been working from home and find it difficult to focus and adjust to a new routine. Some studies have found that tasks performed in the presence of calming natural elements are executed with greater accuracy. Attention span and memory performance also showed improvement by up to 20%.
While the benefits of living walls are certainly not a cure-all for everything, we hope they can bring you some comfort and solace during these times of uncertainty. If you have any questions about True Vert® installations or you’re curious about how we’re implementing safety measures to protect our clients and employees, feel free to contact us directly.
