April Is Stress Awareness Month

April is Stress Awareness Month - #StressAwarenessMonth

Now we all know that being in and around nature can seriously boost mood and support mental health and wellbeing – during this April’s #StressAwarenessMonth lets take a more detailed look at how to incorporate nature into man made environments to mimic a similar effect. 

Boosting Mental Health In The Office

It has been found that plants in interiors can boost mental health and help to make office-based workers more productive.  Now, as we return to our offices and co-working spaces, the power of plants to make us happy has never been more relevant.  Many workers still have high anxiety about returning to an office location and corporations are turning to interior planting and exterior landscaping of breakout spaces to support the transition from home-based working back to the office environment.

The Science Behind The Benefits Of Plants

Gardens and plants have been enjoyed for as long as history can guide us – this is nothing new!  What is new is the science that finally confirms what we already knew: plants make our lives happier and our minds healthier.

Nasa did some extensive research on the best plants to feature in interiors to benefit air quality. Here are just some of the favoured air filtering plants according to the Nasa research.
 

Dr BC Wolverton was one of the Nasa scientists on the research project, if you want to learn more about the plants why not read ‘How to Grow Fresh Air’?, great guidance on which plants to include if your client’s really want to freshen up their interior space.

Removing Toxic Substances From The Air Using Plants

What exactly are the plants filtering? you may ask, referencing the key below each plant are icons representing each gas:

As you can see, just by purifying the localised interior air you are certainly improving the environment for building users.

Exterior Landscaping Ideas

In addition, improving outdoor landscaping for staff also can bring nature into the working day. 

How about creating outdoor seating, perhaps some pot plant combinations with some vibrant and colourful planting, tree planting for shade in the summer and to reduce acoustics.  All help to create a happier healthier work environment where staff can de-stress and reset. 

Using Nature Based Solutions To Reduce Stress

The John Lewis Roof Garden in Southampton - an ideal breakout area for staff and customers created by Unique Projects Devon.   Click here for the case study.