• 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

    #28 Three Wonderful but Small Deciduous Trees to Remember Lost Loved Ones

    Kousa Dogwood, Three Wonderful but Small Deciduous Trees to Remember Lost Loved Ones, Daily Stress ReLeaf, Karen Hugg, https://karenhugg.com/2021/03/12/deciduous-trees-to-remember/(opens in a new tab), #deciduoustrees #remember #memorial #covid #trees #plants #dailystressreleaf #mentalhealth

    I realized in my post about small trees to remember a lost loved one by, I only included conifers. So today, let me correct that oversight and highlight three wonderful but small deciduous trees. Coral Bark Maple This little maple tree (Acer palmatum ‘Sango-Kaku’) sports coral colored stems in winter, lovely green-yellow leaves in summer, and nice yellow color in fall. It’s an elegant vase-shaped tree that grows to about 15 feet tall and maybe 6 feet wide. I have one at the back of my yard and it absolutely…

  • 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…

  • Daily Stress ReLeaf,  Plants & Happiness

    #24 The Amazing Effects of Forest Bathing

    Forest, The Amazing Effects of Forest Bathing, Daily Stress ReLeaf, Karen Hugg, https://karenhugg.com/2021/03/11/effects-of-forest-bathing/ #forestbathing #effects #shinrinyoku #Japan #woods #nature #relaxation #destressing #stress #mentalhealth

    By now, you may have heard of forest bathing. Though it has a dreamy Western name, it’s really just the act of mindfully walking among trees. Researchers started investigating its health benefits in 2004. Dr. Qing Li, a professor and immunologist at Nippon Medical School and vice president of the International Society of Nature and Forest Medicine, along with Yoshifumi Miyazaki, a researcher at Chiba University, were the first to scientifically explore this phenomenon. Until that time, the country’s forestry department had started the program as a healthy lifestyle choice.…