1 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning. 2 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 1: This is Laura, Welcome. 3 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 2: To the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's tip is to green 4 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:24,560 Speaker 2: your space. Having a plant or two in your workspace 5 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 2: can reduce your stress, and greenery just looks pretty too. 6 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:35,120 Speaker 2: I am writing this from my home office, where I 7 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:39,520 Speaker 2: have three nice succulents on my window sill. I also 8 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:43,920 Speaker 2: look out that window at lots of lovely trees. Whenever 9 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 2: I am feeling stressed, I look out the window and 10 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 2: feel at least a little bit more relaxed. There is 11 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 2: pretty good evidence that people do report feeling lower stress 12 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:03,160 Speaker 2: levels when they have plants in their workplaces. Humans like 13 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 2: being outside, and given that a lot of our work 14 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 2: happens inside these days, having plants nearby is one of 15 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 2: the best ways to approximate the experience. Rooms with plants 16 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 2: are perceived as more cheerful, pleasant, and inviting. If you 17 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,959 Speaker 2: work from home, this is easy enough to pull off. 18 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 2: Get a few easy houseplants. The upside of my succulence, 19 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 2: for instance, is that they really don't require a lot 20 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:41,039 Speaker 2: of care. There is no need to water them frequently, 21 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 2: and they tend not to lose a lot of leaves. 22 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 2: Randomly or see the leaves go brown. But there are 23 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 2: plenty of others that can work too, like snake plants, 24 00:01:52,720 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 2: alo jade, cast iron plants and such. Just google easy houseplants. Also, 25 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 2: be mindful of what you see outside. 26 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:08,639 Speaker 1: If possible, position your desk so you can look out 27 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 1: a window, then curate what you see out that window. 28 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:17,799 Speaker 1: If you can move furniture or cans or kid bicycles 29 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:21,680 Speaker 1: so you can see more greenery, you will probably be 30 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:26,799 Speaker 1: happy about that. If you can plant something ever green 31 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 1: in your view so that even during winter you'll see 32 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:35,800 Speaker 1: at least some green. Skip laurels and leyland cypresses are 33 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 1: two plants that are used a lot in landscaping because 34 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:44,360 Speaker 1: they grow quickly, grow densely, and provide privacy even after 35 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:48,640 Speaker 1: other plants lose their leaves. But of course you can 36 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 1: google options for this as well. If you work in 37 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 1: a corporate office, this is obviously a different matter, but 38 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: as long as you can have your own desks, you 39 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 1: can probably get away with at least one small plant. 40 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: Choose a tasteful container, and plants that don't have a 41 00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 1: strong smell or tend to inspire allergies. It is much 42 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:20,519 Speaker 1: like having a family photo. Most likely no one will 43 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: object if you and others in your organization do work 44 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 1: that doesn't involve desks. Maybe it would be possible to 45 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:35,040 Speaker 1: green up and employee breakroom put a few pretty plants 46 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: in that communal space so people can enjoy the greenery 47 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:44,440 Speaker 1: in between shifts. You might volunteer to care for the 48 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:48,440 Speaker 1: plants if it would help make this happen, and if 49 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:52,280 Speaker 1: you choose easy ones, they won't need watering more than 50 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:56,160 Speaker 1: once a week or so. It truly is a big 51 00:03:56,240 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 1: payoff for not much effort. Sometimes we accept that work 52 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 1: is just what we have to do. People aren't necessarily 53 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: going to enjoy it, and maybe that's true, But we 54 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: enjoy everything more when a space is calming, and pretty 55 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 1: plants can make that happen while making very few demands 56 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:25,479 Speaker 1: of the people caring for them. So green up your 57 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:32,440 Speaker 1: space and work will feel a lot less dreary in 58 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: the meantime. 59 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:35,520 Speaker 2: This is Laura. 60 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:40,920 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of 61 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you. 62 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:52,840 Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. 63 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at 64 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:03,640 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast Pod that's b the number four then breakfast pod. 65 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:07,360 Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast 66 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:11,360 Speaker 1: Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com that before Breakfast is spelled 67 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 1: out with all the letters. Thanks so much, should I 68 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:21,919 Speaker 1: look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a 69 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:26,680 Speaker 1: production of iHeartRadio. 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