The Power of Flowers and Sunshine!

Do you ever battle with too little sunshine? I sure do! If I go too many days without soaking up the sun, I get grouchy! I could never live in Alaska, though it is such a beautiful state, because they literally spend six months of their year in the dark! I am like a flower, and I need that sunshine to be healthy!

Right now my home is filled with flowers. Its summer, so the flowers are blooming in my yard, and it was also recently both my anniversary and my birthday, so flowery presents have come my way! I love it! They are pretty to look at, and fill my house with some of my favorite scents. Due to the summer weather the sun is shining a lot where I live, which fills me with feelings of happiness. Why do the flowers and sunshine have such power over me?

Research continues to show that flowers indoors, along with plants, give a sense of mental well-being. It brightens up your space with color and something alive and fresh, and that improves our moods. In addition to the looks of the flowers, the scents actually can be a source of relief from anxiety and stress. That is one of the reasons botanicals are used in essential oils that go into lotion, bubble bath and diffusers so that, when fresh flowers are not around, we can smell them and feel more relaxed.

Flowers are interesting and beneficial in a variety of ways, and another is that they are a language all their own. Granted it is us who has assigned meaning to them, but flower messages are part of our culture in a very real way. Different flowers have different meanings to people, and we read emotions by them. If you give a gal a dozen roses, it symbolizes emotion and worth. Roses are expensive, so it tells us gals we are worth the cost of those roses. When you add in the color of the rose, well it says a lot about your feelings for us. Guys, never give a red rose to a gal unless you want her to believe you love her! The emotions of flowers are a big deal to us gals!

So, what about the benefits of sunshine? Well the first benefit is that it is light. Do you feel the blahs when it is cloudy? A lot of people do. There is a reason for that. Sunlight is known to provide real health benefits. It increases levels of serotonin. This hormone is often called the happy hormone. We all have it, and we all need it. I helps balance us out and improves mood. In addition to happy feelings, sunlight also uses serotonin to to keep our circadian rhythms straight so that we can sleep at night. Sunlight helps our bodies produce Vitamin D naturally, so that our bones are stronger over time. Finally if you are battling with a skin condition, sunlight can actually help you along the way to clearing it up!

So, a mood booster, with real physical benefits, both flowers and sunshine really are a power in their own right! Beautiful to look at, and to enjoy, and healthful for us too! Nothing like the power of flowers and sunshine!

Reprinted from My Stories at https://medium.com/@elisewelburnmartin