We are like plants more than you think
Everyone on the See What I Mean team has seen at least a handful of my plants on camera during our zoom calls. Total I have at least 45 plants (it’s been a while since I’ve counted). My interest in botany has been growing for the past 6 years when I was a summer intern at a local botanical garden during my time in undergrad. Since then, my collection has grown, more extensively during the start of the pandemic like many others. I bought a few plants right before embarking on the remote work lifestyle and just couldn’t stop. Here are a few things that I’ve learned along my plant journey that I believe we all can benefit from as well.
Sunlight is incredibly important
All plants need some sunlight to look their best and produce more leaves. There are a few plants that can handle minimal light, but the majority of them need a few hours of sunlight. Same for us. I try to work near a window when possible (don’t forget your spf) to bring some light into my work day. Being in a dark corner can make us feel sluggish and unmotivated.
Water Water Water!!
Now we all know that water is incredibly important, but sometimes when we get in the groove of the work day, we fuel ourselves with espresso and cold brew, but fail to consume adequate water which is what our bodies are really craving.
Sometimes you gotta let the bad stuff go in order to embrace the good!
A few months ago, I had to chop up one of my favorite large plants because they weren’t looking their best. It was a pretty large plant, but had more yellow droopy leaves than green ones. I took those cuttings and put them in water and hoped for the best. The main plant was dying, but I managed to save those healthy cuttings which have now grown to the same size as the original plant, but they look 10x prettier. It may be difficult to let go of certain pieces of ourselves that we are attached to, but it is necessary to let go of what’s holding us back, both professionally and personally so that we can blossom to our full potential.
Fertilizer
Now that the weather is warming up, I have begun adding fertilizer and plant food into my entire plant collection. Plants need proper nutrition and so do humans. Take some time this week to make sure you’re eating foods that make you feel good, whatever those may be.
Movement is necessary
Before we scooped up these plants to fill our homes, they used to be out in nature. A lot of tropical plants experience heavy rains that shake their leaves and trunk. I like to take some of my tropical plants by their trunk and shake them as they would experience in nature. Sometimes I’ll carry a plant with me around my home so they can get some movement in. Like those tropical plants, we need to get up from our desks and get a little movement every now and then. Sometimes the occasional lunchtime walk or post-meeting stretch is all we need to feel our best.
A good check-in is necessary
Finally, I like to take some time to do a wellness check with my plant collection. I take some time to look at each one and assess their growth, check for pests, watering needs, etc. It is just as important to check in with ourselves. Do we need more water? Do we need a break? Do we need to ask for help? Are we making incredible progress and should congratulate ourselves? If you haven’t in a while, take 15 minutes today to ask yourself “how am I doing?”
Author: Joi Latson