During the last few years, more people have turned to houseplants — not just for style, but for sanity. What might look like a decorating trend is actually a quiet health shift. When your external world feels uncertain or disconnected from nature, your internal systems, including your stress hormones, your mental focus and even your immune responses, start to feel it.
Living with Plants Reshapes Your Home and Your Health
A wellness article published by Piedmont Healthcare similarly reviewed how houseplants influence your mental and physical well-being.8 Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors.9 This context makes indoor environmental quality — not just the air but also the energy of the space — central to your overall health.
•People with limited exposure to nature benefit from houseplants — Those who are homebound, ill or elderly often spend even more time inside than the average adult. Bringing elements of nature indoors isn’t just nice; it’s necessary for well-being.
•Mental recovery improves with plant exposure — Cognitive function is another surprising area of improvement. In one study, exposure to houseplants helped people recover from mental fatigue more quickly.10
In another example cited by Lauren Garvey, a counselor and facilitator at Piedmont, dementia patients showed noticeable improvements in short-term memory after spending time in a Japanese garden. While not every home can install a full garden, a few well-placed indoor plants offer similar benefits on a smaller scale.11
•Your home becomes a healing environment — Garvey described your home as a “sanctuary” where your body and brain recharge. Adding plants creates a space that reflects health, care and calm. That design tells your nervous system you’re safe. This kind of sensory input has downstream effects on blood pressure, cortisol levels and even immune function.
•The human-plant relationship is mutually beneficial — “One of the best things about caring for indoor plants is the beautiful exchange that happens,” Garvey said. “Plants depend on us for care and in turn, they take care of us by improving the air we breathe and making our space more beautiful.”12
This give-and-take dynamic taps into a psychological concept known as self-efficacy — when you feel responsible for something and see its response, it boosts your confidence and purpose.
•The act of care becomes a healing ritual — What makes this even more powerful is the emotional rhythm plant care introduces. Whether you’re watering a fern or adjusting sunlight for an aloe plant, those repetitive, thoughtful actions help anchor your day. The consistency and reward create what Garvey calls “hopeful” interactions — ones that help you shift out of survival mode and into a more peaceful, forward-thinking state.13
How to Use Houseplants to Improve Mood, Focus and Recovery
If you’ve been feeling anxious, unfocused or mentally drained, your home environment is likely part of the reason. The good news is, you don’t need to move or renovate to change that. Adding a few specific types of houseplants, and knowing how to interact with them, helps reset your nervous system, improve air quality and support recovery from physical and mental fatigue.
Whether you’re healing from illness, stuck indoors more than usual or just overwhelmed by your current routine, these simple steps will help you turn your living space into a restorative, energizing environment. Here’s how to get started:
1.Start with a plant you’ll enjoy taking care of — Choose a low-maintenance option like a pothos, snake plant or peace lily. These plants are hardy, don’t require much water and tolerate low light. If you’re someone who forgets to water regularly or travels a lot, that matters. If you enjoy seeing quick growth, pothos is especially rewarding — it responds visibly to care.
Avoid overwhelming yourself with too many new plants at once. One or two is all it takes to make a noticeable difference.
2.Place your plants where you spend the most time — Keep plants in the spaces where you live your life, like next to your bed, on your desk or by the kitchen window. Your nervous system responds to your environment even when you’re not consciously thinking about it.
The goal is to create pockets of calm in the exact spots where you experience the most mental noise. For example, if your mornings feel rushed and chaotic, add a leafy green plant near your coffee maker or bathroom mirror.
3.Make plant care part of your daily rhythm — Tending to your plant doesn’t need to become another chore. Think of it as a pause button. Watering, trimming dead leaves or rotating it for better sun exposure gives you a chance to slow down, breathe and reconnect.
If your days feel repetitive or overly digital, this hands-on interaction with something alive resets your focus and helps calm your thoughts. For people recovering from illness or burnout, this kind of routine anchors the day.
4.Use bigger or leafier plants for air purification — If you’re trying to reduce indoor toxins or deal with stale air, go for large-leafed varieties like rubber trees, Boston ferns or bamboo palms.
These types are especially good at absorbing pollutants such as formaldehyde, which is often released by cleaning products and furniture. Keep in mind, though, that the soil is just as important as the plant itself — microorganisms in the dirt help clean the air and improve your mood, too.
5.Create a “green zone” for deep recovery — If you’re recovering from surgery, managing a chronic illness or dealing with long-term stress, dedicate a small area in your home as your plant zone. Fill it with three to five plants of varying sizes and textures.
This creates a layered sensory experience that helps soothe your mind and support healing. Even a corner by a chair or a windowsill counts. Let this space be a place where you sit, breathe and let your body recharge without needing to do anything at all.
Your home, once seen as separate from health, is now part of the equation. And while that includes things like lighting, noise, environmental toxins and temperature, it also includes something far simpler: plants. Bringing greenery indoors taps into your biology in a way few other changes can. It’s not just the color, the shape or the smell. It’s the living presence of nature that tells your nervous system to slow down and recalibrate.
For people who spend most of their time indoors, whether by choice, obligation or necessity, creating a healthy environment is necessary for optimal health. This is especially true if you’re recovering from illness, managing chronic stress or working in high-demand spaces that drain your focus. Indoor plants offer one of the most accessible, low-cost tools for restoring balance.
In the sections ahead, I’ll walk you through what the latest science says about houseplants and health, including how they influence your stress levels, your cognitive function, your emotional well-being and even the way your body recovers.
Stress Drops and Focus Sharpens When You Add Real Plants to Your Space
A study featured by The Hearty Soul and published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology set out to explore how indoor gardening affects mental and physical health outcomes.1,2 Researchers asked participants to complete two simple tasks: one group repotted a houseplant while the other worked on a basic computer-based assignment. This was designed to mimic two typical activities you’d experience on any given day: interacting with a plant versus digital screen time.
•Gardening group showed physical signs of relaxation — Those who worked with the plant had significantly lower heart rates and blood pressure compared to the group working on the computer. These two markers — heart rate and blood pressure — are among the most reliable physiological indicators of stress.
•Hands-on plant care brought measurable mental calm — In addition to physical changes, participants who engaged with the plants reported greater feelings of comfort and calm. They experienced reduced mental tension, which researchers attributed to a reduction in sympathetic nervous system activity — the part of your nervous system responsible for your fight-or-flight stress response.
•Real plants, not photos or fakes, sharpen mental focus — Another study tested attention and focus in classroom settings.3 Children were placed in rooms with either a real plant, a fake plant, a photo of a plant or nothing at all. The group exposed to the real plant performed significantly better on tasks requiring attention. In other words, your brain knows the difference between a living, breathing plant and a plastic placeholder.
•Memory and response time also improved — Beyond attention, the presence of real plants also supported cognitive processing. A systematic review and meta-analysis showed that houseplants helped boost memory retention and reaction speed. These effects have real-world implications, especially in environments that demand consistent focus like classrooms, offices or even your own kitchen during a chaotic day.4
Plants Anchor Emotion and Speed Up Healing
In the U.K., medical clinics in Manchester have started prescribing potted plants to individuals with anxiety, depression or cognitive decline.5 Patients are told to care for the plant as a daily task, and in doing so, many report feeling a restored sense of purpose, rhythm and connection.
•Patients recover faster when plants are nearby — Several studies highlighted by The Hearty Soul confirm that greenery supports healing. Hospital patients exposed to plants or natural views needed less pain medication and were discharged sooner compared to those without that exposure. This effect is believed to be due to a combination of reduced stress, visual comfort and improved air quality.6
•Specific types of plants support indoor air quality — Certain houseplants, such as spider plants and Boston ferns, play a role in removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like formaldehyde from the air. Though you’d need a large number to match mechanical air filters, these plants still help reduce indoor pollutants, especially in smaller or poorly ventilated spaces.7
•Biological mechanisms trace back to nervous system modulation — The underlying biology isn’t complicated. When you interact with plants, your body shifts from fight-or-flight mode to your rest-and-digest state. This helps lower stress hormones, improves heart rate variability and supports digestion and immune function. It’s a full-body recalibration prompted by something as small as a houseplant.
Living with Plants Reshapes Your Home and Your Health
A wellness article published by Piedmont Healthcare similarly reviewed how houseplants influence your mental and physical well-being.8 Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors.9 This context makes indoor environmental quality — not just the air but also the energy of the space — central to your overall health.
•People with limited exposure to nature benefit from houseplants — Those who are homebound, ill or elderly often spend even more time inside than the average adult. Bringing elements of nature indoors isn’t just nice; it’s necessary for well-being.
•Mental recovery improves with plant exposure — Cognitive function is another surprising area of improvement. In one study, exposure to houseplants helped people recover from mental fatigue more quickly.10
In another example cited by Lauren Garvey, a counselor and facilitator at Piedmont, dementia patients showed noticeable improvements in short-term memory after spending time in a Japanese garden. While not every home can install a full garden, a few well-placed indoor plants offer similar benefits on a smaller scale.11
•Your home becomes a healing environment — Garvey described your home as a “sanctuary” where your body and brain recharge. Adding plants creates a space that reflects health, care and calm. That design tells your nervous system you’re safe. This kind of sensory input has downstream effects on blood pressure, cortisol levels and even immune function.
•The human-plant relationship is mutually beneficial — “One of the best things about caring for indoor plants is the beautiful exchange that happens,” Garvey said. “Plants depend on us for care and in turn, they take care of us by improving the air we breathe and making our space more beautiful.”12
This give-and-take dynamic taps into a psychological concept known as self-efficacy — when you feel responsible for something and see its response, it boosts your confidence and purpose.
•The act of care becomes a healing ritual — What makes this even more powerful is the emotional rhythm plant care introduces. Whether you’re watering a fern or adjusting sunlight for an aloe plant, those repetitive, thoughtful actions help anchor your day. The consistency and reward create what Garvey calls “hopeful” interactions — ones that help you shift out of survival mode and into a more peaceful, forward-thinking state.13
How to Use Houseplants to Improve Mood, Focus and Recovery
If you’ve been feeling anxious, unfocused or mentally drained, your home environment is likely part of the reason. The good news is, you don’t need to move or renovate to change that. Adding a few specific types of houseplants, and knowing how to interact with them, helps reset your nervous system, improve air quality and support recovery from physical and mental fatigue.
Whether you’re healing from illness, stuck indoors more than usual or just overwhelmed by your current routine, these simple steps will help you turn your living space into a restorative, energizing environment. Here’s how to get started:
1.Start with a plant you’ll enjoy taking care of — Choose a low-maintenance option like a pothos, snake plant or peace lily. These plants are hardy, don’t require much water and tolerate low light. If you’re someone who forgets to water regularly or travels a lot, that matters. If you enjoy seeing quick growth, pothos is especially rewarding — it responds visibly to care.
Avoid overwhelming yourself with too many new plants at once. One or two is all it takes to make a noticeable difference.
2.Place your plants where you spend the most time — Keep plants in the spaces where you live your life, like next to your bed, on your desk or by the kitchen window. Your nervous system responds to your environment even when you’re not consciously thinking about it.
The goal is to create pockets of calm in the exact spots where you experience the most mental noise. For example, if your mornings feel rushed and chaotic, add a leafy green plant near your coffee maker or bathroom mirror.
3.Make plant care part of your daily rhythm — Tending to your plant doesn’t need to become another chore. Think of it as a pause button. Watering, trimming dead leaves or rotating it for better sun exposure gives you a chance to slow down, breathe and reconnect.
If your days feel repetitive or overly digital, this hands-on interaction with something alive resets your focus and helps calm your thoughts. For people recovering from illness or burnout, this kind of routine anchors the day.
4.Use bigger or leafier plants for air purification — If you’re trying to reduce indoor toxins or deal with stale air, go for large-leafed varieties like rubber trees, Boston ferns or bamboo palms.
These types are especially good at absorbing pollutants such as formaldehyde, which is often released by cleaning products and furniture. Keep in mind, though, that the soil is just as important as the plant itself — microorganisms in the dirt help clean the air and improve your mood, too.
5.Create a “green zone” for deep recovery — If you’re recovering from surgery, managing a chronic illness or dealing with long-term stress, dedicate a small area in your home as your plant zone. Fill it with three to five plants of varying sizes and textures.
This creates a layered sensory experience that helps soothe your mind and support healing. Even a corner by a chair or a windowsill counts. Let this space be a place where you sit, breathe and let your body recharge without needing to do anything at all.
18.9″ High x 10.1″ Wide x 14″ Deep, 12 lbs.
Effectively treats air in rooms up to 200 square feet.
Cleaner air on a smaller scale. Perfect for small apartments, the Atmosphere Mini™ Air Treatment System filters indoor air that can often contain pollution, viruses, allergens, formaldehyde, mold and mildew. 3-in-1 filtration system filters 99.99% of airborne contaminant particles and removes more than 300 contaminants from air passing through the unit. Removes particles as small as .0024 microns, that’s 1/40th the thickness of a human hair. This mini unit is the perfect companion to an Atmosphere Sky™ unit, bringing superior cleaning performance and built-in connectivity to your home.
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Particle sensor continuously monitors room air quality when the unit is on.
Easy-to-change 3-in-1 cartridge includes a pre-filter that captures large, airborne fibers and hair, HEPA filter that removes small airborne contaminants and smoke, and a carbon filter that reduces household odors and other contaminants.
Reduces odors from smoke, cooking, pets, formaldehyde and more.
Motor assembly features redesigned fan blades for optimized air flow.
Connect your Atmosphere Mini to the Amway™ Healthy Home app to monitor air quality levels in your room and track changes over time.
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The Atmosphere Help Desk provides information to register your unit, find warranty and filter replacement information, as well as how-to and demo videos for your Atmosphere Mini air treatment system. Plus, contact our dedicated support team for further assistance.
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FAQs About the Health Benefits of Indoor Plants
Q: How do indoor plants reduce stress?
A: Interacting with real plants helps lower your heart rate, reduce blood pressure and decrease levels of cortisol, the hormone your body releases in response to stress. Studies show that even basic tasks like repotting a plant calm the nervous system more effectively than screen-based activities.
Q: What types of plants are best for improving indoor air quality?
A: Larger, leafier plants such as peace lilies, rubber trees, bamboo palms and Boston ferns are excellent for filtering pollutants like formaldehyde and benzene from the air. The soil they grow in also contains microorganisms that help clean indoor air and offer mood-boosting effects.
Q: Can houseplants improve focus and memory?
A: Yes. Research shows that exposure to real, living plants enhances attention, improves memory retention and even boosts response time. In classrooms and workspaces, students and employees perform better when real plants are present.
Q: What are the emotional benefits of caring for houseplants?
A: Caring for a plant creates a sense of responsibility, purpose and routine. This interaction supports emotional resilience and reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression. In the U.K., doctors have even begun prescribing potted plants as a form of mental health support.
Q: How can I use plants to support healing or recovery at home?
A: Adding houseplants to your home environment supports physical recovery by reducing stress and improving air quality. Patients recovering from surgery or illness often experience faster healing and feel more emotionally stable when surrounded by greenery.
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