Are You Taking Better Care of Your Plants Than You Are of Yourself?
I know a lot of plant people.
You know, those people who have about a zillion plants and love them dearly?
Yeah, I don't get it.
But I admire them tremendously for their efforts!
They spend a lot of time caring for these zillion plants, and they have all the bells and whistles and knowledge and support to do so.
I often wonder if they're taking as good of care of themselves as they are of their plants.
No joke - if everyone took care of themselves like plant people took care of their plants, we'd all be just fine.
What would that look like, exactly? I have a few ideas…
IMAGE BY BRINA BLUM
Have a Playlist for Every Mood
Are your plants major Swifties? Do they need something more calming - maybe some slow jams? - at night?
Music does great stuff, not only for plants, but for humans and their brains, too! If you haven't been stimulating your brain with some tunes lately, I highly recommend a dense and varied set of playlists.
Pump up the jams in the morning for a boost to your productivity.
Enjoy some soft rock on your drive home to wind down.
Play some meditation music at night before bed to quiet that mind.
Whatever kind of music you need to help you regulate, whenever you need it, play the shit out of it, friend.
Vitamin D, Baby!
In doing "research" for this post (i.e. talking to my plant people friends), I discovered that some people actually move their plants around multiple times during the day (on occasion!) so they can get enough sunlight.
How much sunshine are you getting, boo?
That Vitamin D is very important, and you need it. You really do. A deficiency can impact your blood pressure and your immune system, among other things.
Get outside. Go for a walk. Sit on your porch. If all else fails, get a Vitamin D supplement.
Whatever you, do, let that sunshine in!
Be Nice When You Talk To Yourself
Positive self-talk is a thing, yo.
I bet when you talk to your plants you are just the sweetest.
You let them know how grateful you are when they grow, you tell them how pretty they are, and how strong they are, right?
What do you say when you talk to yourself? How do you sound?
Is it really sweet and supportive and uplifting?
Yeah. I know.
How you speak to yourself inside your own head is vitally important to your everyday self-care.
There are enough critical and negative messages out there, you don't need to add to them.
Be nice to yourself! That's an order.
Get the Right Amount of Water
Just like plants can be over- or underwatered, so can humans.
The most universally accepted formula for determining how much water you need is to divide your weight by two and drink that many ounces. So, if you weigh 200 pounds, your goal would be about 100 ounces of water per day.
Just like everything else, if you are feeling like you are still parched, or you feel like you’re floating, adjust the amount accordingly.
You want the amount of water you get to make you feel better, not worse!
Humans are chronically dehydrated, and dehydration can cause fatigue, lightheadedness, and higher susceptibility to both heat and kidney stones.
If you're wanting to work toward being more consistently well-hydrated, having a goal that you know is right for your body is a huge help.
Ask for Support
Y'all, there are apps for these plant people! All sorts of apps!
Light meters, diagnostics, identifiers, care tips, almost anything you could think of, there's an app for that.
When anything is wrong with these plants, or when a plant person is struggling with the best way to care for one of their babies, they can turn to the apps and get the support they need.
What kind of support do you have?
Do you have someone you can call or consult when it comes to your physical health? What about when it comes to your mental health?
What other support networks or forms of support do you have? Do you feel like you have enough?
How can you build a support network so that you have a hand to reach for when you need you light metered or some diagnostics run?
Who are the supportive people in your life? Ask them to support you as you work to take better care of yourself.
Learn as Much About Yourself As You Can
I am learning that when plant people get a new plant, they find out all they can about it, so that they can take the best possible care of it.
If someone was trying to learn a ton about you, what would they need to know?
Do you know everything you need to know to take the best care of yourself?
The more you learn about yourself, the better you can care for yourself day in and day out.
Do no be afraid to lean into discomfort, or fear, or conflict, to discover more about yourself AND to declare who you are.
You are perfect, just as you are, and knowing that and all the things that make you who you are will serve you very well as you become your own best caretaker.
Buy the Helpful Things
Wow there are a lot of things out there for the plant people to buy - and if their plants need it, they buy it.
Here's the thing though - occasionally they'll buy something and realize that it maybe didn't help their plant so much.
Maybe it helped their plant person friend's plant, and so they thought they'd get one for their plant. Their plant and their friend's plant aren't the same plant though.
You are not the same as the person next to you. You are not Beyonce always. You are not Oprah or Martha Stewart or your bestie either.
Never feel guilty or hesitate when it comes to investing in the things that you know are going to help you.
Remember though, that the thing that is really helping your bestie or Martha or the person standing next to you may not work the same way for you.
Prune Regularly
You HAVE to prune.
Is there anything that just isn't working? Let's get rid of it.
Is there something that's maybe zapping the energy or time from your environment that you could be using for the things that are really creating joy for you? Out it goes.
You have to assess yourself and your environment regularly and be super honest about what needs to go and what can stay.
It's amazing how much you can thrive when the shit that's dragging you down has been cut out.
Treat Yourself Like You Treat Your Plants, and You’ll Do Great
So - plant people, non plant people, have your people call the plant people, and get all the tips and tricks to taking top-notch care of yourself.
Opinions may differ on what's harder to take care of, a plant or your own self, but taking GREAT care of either follows a similar protocol.
Whether you're jamming to T Swift at 7:00 AM, logging that water intake, shouting out for support, or pruning away, if you'll love and take care of yourself like you do your plants, you'll do great.
Want some ideas on how to start to take care of yourself and not JUST your plants? Sign up to get my 10 Beginner Steps to Self-Care here.