I Literally Bring My Plant Back To Life Every Day
And other thoughts about self-care
I’ve never had the green thumb that runs in my family. My grandfather had an 8th grade education, but was invited, nevertheless, to share his expertise on poinsettias, roses and tomatoes at a major university in Maryland. My parents had these same three plant varieties proliferating in our home. My siblings seem to have a handle on keeping plants alive as well. Not me. I can kill anything that requires a green thumb.
Therefore it pleasantly surprises me daily to look out my back window and see that this Thunbergia alata is still with us. I wanted to impress some friends back in June, so I bought this beautiful climbing annual when it was full of gold, yellow and white blossoms. Here we are in mid-September and she is still alive! It’s all about “turgidity”, folks. (You’ll have to take it from here, google!)
A place in my soul is compelled to go find my own drink of water whenever I look at this plant before I have rescued it each morning from dehydration. If a mere summer annual responds so thoroughly and immediately to a glass of water, what about me and my cells? And why delve into watering plants on a mental health blog?
Straight up: Self-care requires water. So many of the issues addressed in a counseling session can be improved by increasing water intake. For example:
Low energy and fatigue that are often associated with depression may really be your heart working extra hard to deliver oxygen to all your organs, etc. on too little bodily fluid
Lack of turgidity in skin cells can show up as acne, lines, flakiness, and may test your self-confidence
Dehydration can trigger addictive cravings for sugar, carbs, alcohol (and alcohol can cause dehydration!)
Anxiety can mean that your “Fight or Flight” is activated: all of your body’s oxygen is sent to your large muscles for survival purposes. Water is one way of delivering the oxygen back to all of your body parts, providing calming stability and the ability to think clearly
Sexual function is highly related to water intake. Erectile dysfunction can improve with every glass of water, which can improve your marriage!
The fluid from water cushions the brain neurotransmitters, spinal cord, and is involved in the production of hormones, which directly affect mental health and wellbeing.
Now please go back to the plant photos I shared at the top of this blog post. If a simple plant is clearly about to die of dehydration, and an hour after watering almost shouts its gratitude to me, how much more will your body respond to this basic need for care? Fill ‘er up! *Please note that the grill has also been used in the time lapse between photos and may also be responsible for an increased sense of wellbeing.*