How Indoor Plants Can Improve Your Studying

Office plants on a desk to help you study

Being outdoors is a great way to refresh your mind when you’re working, helping you to focus better and manage your stress levels. Unfortunately, when you’re studying, you can’t always go outside to work in order to get the benefits of fresh air. You can bring a little of the outdoors inside by adding plants to your study space. Studies have shown that even a small plant can make a difference in helping to reduce your stress. 

Less Stress, Better Focus

Extensive research has been done on the benefits of nature on cognitive functions. One study showed a clear decrease in anxiety after only a fifty minute walk through nature. Another experiment showed that taking breaks to water and tend to plants for as little as three minutes can significantly reduce a worker’s pulse rate, which is generally a good measure of stress. 

For college students, finding ways to reduce stress is important. Decreased stress and anxiety can improve your ability to focus, and this can be especially helpful when assignments pile up and your time becomes scarce and valuable.

Choose Your Plant

The ideal plant for a study area is something easy to care for so that it doesn’t require you to spend too much time caring for it. Depending on the lighting conditions in your apartment, you may want a plant that requires minimal light. A cactus is a great plant for a student apartment, as they’re low maintenance and usually inexpensive 

When choosing the right plant, think about how much care it will need and how much you’ll be able to give. You should also consider how much light your desk gets, how much space you have, and what style of plant best fits your personality. 

Location, Location, Location

If you live near Ohio University off-campus housing, there are many east-facing windows which are great for plants. Look to put your plant where you’ll see it often. You could choose a small plant for your desk or windowsill, or you could pick a larger plant to sit on the floor in a corner. You don’t have to limit yourself to just one plant either. Try growing a few small plants and making arrangements in multiple study locations around your dorm or apartment.

If you’re studying away from home, consider studying near a window, where you can look outside to view any greenery. When you can’t work at your own desk, you can still get some of the benefits of being able to see green plants. 

Conclusion

Though finding time to be in nature can be difficult as a student, you can still gain the benefits of nature by buying indoor plants. Having plants near your work area offers more benefits than you might think and is a great resource for minimizing stress levels.

Choose some plants that you can care for easily and position them where you can see them. With greenery in your workspace, you’ll find that you don’t get stressed as easily, and will be better able to concentrate on your studies.