Tips On How To Not Turn Into A ‘Houseplant’

Author : Neha Solanki

Sure, March 2020 vs March 2021 memes are hilarious. Humour is an interesting way to cope with the unnatural events that have taken place. The memes keep getting better but the pressing reality is getting burdened somewhere. In the course of the pandemic, we’ve all collectively baked banana bread, tried eternally long ab workouts, whipped equal parts sugar and coffee to get the colour and the consistency right. Eventually, we all ran out of things to do and now we are here with NetFlix staring right back at us with a boldening audacity to ask those words,

‘ARE YOU STILL WATCHING?’

As soon as the screen flashes, you have realised that you’ve spent the entire night and the day in your bed. You look at the plant that is shrivelled in the corner of your quaint desk. You notice the plant and you notice that there is no difference left anymore between you and the shrivelled plant.

Tips on how to not turn into a houseplant

1. Cook for one. Yes. Learn to cook for one. If you live alone that is. However, if you live with your family, try to cook for them too. Its an act of self-preservation and self-nourishment. Remember when making banana bread made you feel good? The cooking, the cutting and the stirring can help you brush your motor skills. This act of cooking has also been used by experts to evaluate motor skills within individuals with traumatic injuries, substance abuse, strokes and in the elderly. (see Raphael-Greenfield, 2012), M. Y. Wang, Chang, & Su, 2011). Studies have shown that cooking interventions have often improved nutritional status and other health-related factors in a low income or minority populations.The health-related benefit is icing on the cake but it is proven to help with eating disorders and as well as anxiety-related problems. So go on! Bake another Banana Bread I guess!
   
   
2. Prioritise sleep. Plan your day around it. Make sure you get your quality sleep. Do not kid yourself. That all-nighter Netflix binge may seem like a good idea but in truth, you are going to wake up groggy and then it is an endless cycle of all-nighters. Sleep is controlled by the human body in the same way as food, drink and respiration. Even though we often consider sleep as a time when our minds and bodies are shut down and drive in mode, it is the opposite. As you sleep, your body is working hard, restoring energy, cell repair and the release of key hormones. Sleep is the last time to heal and recover, allowing you to feel rejuvenated and sharp the next day.
   Tip: Come up with a soothing bedtime ritual. A relaxing routine just before bedtime when done away from the bright lights allow your body to distinguish sleep time and activities that can make sleeping or deep sleep an arduous task.
   
   
3. Get that Vitamin D! Low vitamin D levels are causes for distress in other health-related areas, including auto-immune diseases, depression and various cancers. A supplement is a good example of self-care, prevention of health shortcomings, and reduction of low levels of vitamin D during autumn and winter months. Maybe, spend twenty minutes in the sun in the morning?
   
   

These tips are not enough but these do not require you to burn a hole in your pocket. They do not require you to get a bunch of aroma candles ( those do help we are not gonna lie). All you need to do is cook your own food, sleep well and get some sun. Well, we realised we are essentially asking you to turn into a plant. It is always better to be an outdoor plant than a houseplant!