AN ORGANIC APPROACH TO STRESS RECOVERY AMONG MIDDLE-AGED WORKING FEMALES WITH INDOOR PLANTS

Abstract

In the modern era, when the persistent pace of life and employment expectations may have a detrimental effect on mental health, an ancient connection between people and the environment has produced a ray of hope. Nature has been our constant provider, providing nutrition and life's necessities. Workplace stress management has become an important topic in the present day. Elements of the natural world, such as indoor plants, might help people get more engaged with nature, enhancing well-being and psychological health. This is due to the strong connection that humans have with nature. The current study attempts to carefully assess the usefulness of interaction with indoor plants in psychological stress reduction. This study looked at how indoor plants influenced the ability of middle-aged working women to recuperate from psychological stress. As an aspect of the study's experimental research design, participants' workplaces were provided with medium-sized snake plants. To measure the participants' stress levels, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), an eminent stress assessment tool was employed. The study assesses the stress levels of participants before and after placing a snake plant on their desks or their line of sight. The study's sample included thirty female office employees between the age of 35 and 50, divided into three age categories: 35-40, 40-45 and 45-50, who were chosen by using a random sampling approach. For data analysis, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and applicable statistical procedures in keeping with the study's aims were utilized. According to the findings, adding plants lowered total stress levels by 26.6%. The findings of this study contribute to workplace stress management insights, guiding employee stress reduction. Further, encourage research into tailoring indoor plant effects for precise psychological well-being interventions. This study explores how indoor plants can be helpful in recovering middle-aged working women from stress, providing an organic approach.