Relieve stress with nature
Find ways to help overcome that cooped up feeling.
When you spend a lot of time indoors, as many of us are doing now, it’s easy to succumb to a sense of malaise.
Scientists, architects and others who study the concept of biophilic design — creating buildings and interiors with cues from the natural world — say there’s a reason for that.
“Humans have an affinity toward nature that’s biologically embedded,” said Bethany Borel, a senior associate at CookFox Architects, which has designed numerous offices with biophilic elements. If you don’t have enough contact with the natural world, Borel said, there can be emotional and physical costs.
Biophilic design attempts to counter this by connecting people with nature, which “can help reduce stress, improve cognitive performance, elevate our mood and have various physiological benefits,” said Bill Browning, a founder of Terrapin Bright Green, a New Yorkbased sustainability consulting firm established in 2006 with the founders of CookFox.
A recent study by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, published in the journal Environment International, supported that claim, concluding that biophilic interiors helped inhabitants recover from stress and reduce anxiety more quickly than interiors without natural elements, and documented a notable reduction in blood pressure.
So how can this help you survive an extended lockdown? We asked architects and designers for tips on how to incorporate biophilic design at home.
Bring in the houseplants
One of the most straightforward ways to add nature to a space is with houseplants. But don’t just put a single orchid in the corner. Instead, try a little grouping of plants.
“We respond differently to a group of plants together,” Browning said. “Environmental psychologists are theorizing that when we see a cluster of plants together, the brain says, ‘Oh, look, there’s a habitat, so this must be a good place for me to be.’ ”
It doesn’t have to take up a lot of space: A few types of plants could be installed together in a terrarium.
Or, “if you’ve got one big potted plant, create an understory,” he suggested, with a small plant spilling over the side of the pot. That way “it becomes a miniature landscape.”
But avoid additional stress
Those of us who have a checkered history with houseplants should start slowly and choose plants that are easy to maintain.
“Sometimes, having a lot of houseplants around can actually make you feel anxious about taking care of them,” said Rebecca Bullene, a partner at the biophilic design firm