Plants: Reconnecting us to Nature.

Reconnecting with nature through indoor plants.

It's hard to look out of your window and not see a single bit of green, to look outside and think even the sight of a mere tuft of grass would be appreciated. Living in cities and feeling disconnected from the world around us can feel suffocating and can often make us feel restless and uneasy. Yet, one of the things that helped me feel more connected and grounded living in a city is discovering the joy of houseplants.

I used to live in the countryside. There is something so magical and sometimes easily under-appreciated about being able to open your door and step out into nature; to hear the sound of the birds as you wake up, or to be greeted by large, waving trees outside you window. There is that sense of quiet that you don't get in the city, the feeling that the pace of life is just that little bit more slow and grounded.

When I moved into student accommodation in my first year of university my body felt like it was going into shock. A cramped room with a thin slit of a window, looking out onto a tall grey building and steps of concrete. Not a single flash of green to be seen. There was the remnants of a tree which had been climbed on to the point that it had given up producing leaves, but that was about it. It's quite shocking how quickly you start to feel drained when you are away from nature, and often we don't understand that that is indeed the culprit.

During my time at university I began to purchase a couple of houseplants here and there- purely for decoration, nothing sentimental. Yet, I began to notice that looking after and tending to something alive was bringing me a sense of purpose. Of course, there are little challenges that come with getting into houseplants and don't be discouraged if you fail to keep some alive (we've all been there). But, the act of checking the soil to see whether my plants needed watered, repotting and feeling the wonderful roots that had grown under my care- these little things grounded me a little more each day.

Now I have reached my last month of my degree, I also have a rather sizeable collection of plants under my wing and they have helped me more than I ever could have anticipated. In times of assessment deadlines and dissertation hand in's, it can be challenging to find the time to even step outside to pick up a library book, let alone go for a hike in nature. But, just by having the colour green surrounding you each day brings that grounding sense of nature into your own home. Just taking that moment to mist a plant, wipe its leaves or check its soil connects you with the earth and its slow and steady pace. It just makes all the stress of day to day urban living a little more manageable.

So if you look out of your window and there isn't enough green, it may be time to bring some of that nature indoors.