• Plants & Happiness

    Why Do Plants Make Us Happier? Five Fascinating Reasons

    Part-shade garden border, Why Do Plants Make Us Happier? Five Fascinating Reasons, Karen Hugg, https://karenhugg.com/2021/11/08/plants-make-us-happier/(opens in a new tab), #plants #happiness #plantsmakeushappier #garden #mentalhealth #stress #destressing #stressrelief

    When I was a professional gardener, I made a lot of people happy by helping them with their gardens. Usually, I either created and installed a new garden or maintained the one they already had. Regardless, after my work was finished, my clients often told me their garden was their happy place. It relieved them from stress. Reset their energy. I understood this since my own garden made me happy too, even when there was a lot of work to do. So I started to wonder: why exactly did plants…

  • Books

    My First Nonfiction Book Explores How to be Happy Through Plants!

    Karen Hugg Leaf Your Troubles Behind Desk, My First Nonfiction Book Explores How to be Happy Through Plants!, Karen Hugg, https://karenhugg.com/2021/11/08/happy-through-plants/, #books, #writing, #plants, #leafyourtroublesbehind, #happiness, #greenleisure, #stress, #destressing

    Hi everyone, You may have noticed that last year I got interested in the mental health benefits of plants. I spent a bunch of time reading up on the latest science to see if a theory I’ve had for a while held any water. Mainly, that plants can help us be happier even if you don’t have a garden. What I found impressed me. The short answer is yes but how you go about engaging with plants makes all the difference. It’s not like you can say “good morning” to…

  • Daily Stress ReLeaf,  Plants & Happiness

    #30 The Only Two Herbs You Need to Lower Stress

    Lavender, The Only Two Herbs You Need to Lower Stress, Daily Stress ReLeaf, Karen Hugg, https://karenhugg.com/2021/03/17/two-herbs-lower-stress/(opens in a new tab) #dailystressreleaf, #plants, #destressing, #mentalhealth #herbs #lavender #rosemary #lowerstress #stress #relaxation #anxiety

    In this last post about stress relief and plants, I’d like to spotlight a couple plants that are easy care yet powerful. They’re kinda the only two herbs you really need to lower stress. Many gardeners across America, at least living down to zone 5, can grow them. Both will thrive in full sun and light soil, like sand mixed with potting soil. Think Mediterranean conditions. And speaking of sun, they’re both drought tolerant. You can grow them in a container or the ground and snip off a few stems…

  • Daily Stress ReLeaf,  Plants & Happiness

    #29 How Time Immersed in Plants Saved My Sanity

    Woman in Woods, How Time Immersed in Plants Saved My Sanity, Daily Stress ReLeaf, Karen Hugg, https://karenhugg.com/2021/03/17/plants-saved-sanity #dailystressreleaf #plants #sanity #mentalhealth #relaxation #destressing #stress #gardening

    Like a lot of moms, when I had small children, I was super stressed out. Anyone with multiple kids knows how difficult life can be when the kids are young and active. Plus, in my case, my youngest child was cognitively delayed so when she went through the “terrible twos,” it lasted for about four years. There was a lot of crying and stomping and time outs. I smile when I think of it now because my daughter’s 14 and just graduated out of her special education classes. She’s become…

  • Daily Stress ReLeaf,  Plants & Happiness

    #25 It Is Official, Flowers Make People Relax

    Dahlia, It's Official, Flowers Make People Relax, Daily Stress ReLeaf, Karen Hugg, https://karenhugg.com/2021/03/11/flowers-make-people-relax/(opens in a new tab), #dailystressreleaf, #plants #destressing #stress #relaxation #dahlia #flowers #mentalhealth

    In my last post, I talked about the amazing effects of forest bathing. Today, I want to talk about another study that Japanese researcher Yoshifumi Miyazaki conducted. It shows some interesting results on whether flowers make people relax. A Small but Key Study Miyazaki’s team wanted to see if there were any changes in the body when subjects looked at flowers. So he had 127 people gaze at pink roses while the team measured their sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous activity. These two states happen when you’re stressed or relaxed. From…