Stress Less with These Colors

Anjie Cho December 2, 2020

Photo by Dayvison de Oliveira Silva on Pexels

Feeling stressed? Get this: Your decorating color scheme can help you keep the chaos of your to-do list in check and the weight of the world off your shoulders. In BTB feng shui, colors are one of the simplest ways to shift the energy of a space.

Set aside some time to grab a paint brush and coat your walls with a soothing, stress-busting hue of calm from the following list:

Cool Blues

Is there anything more relaxing than gazing up at a clear, blue sky, other than, perhaps, watching rippling blue water? It’s no wonder blue tops the list of stress-free color palettes. Take your pick from soft, watery shades to muted blue-gray hues for a tranquil, peaceful, and calm environment. In feng shui, blues also relate to the wood element.

Go Green

Evoking the tranquility of nature, green can relax the body and the mind. Stick with muted, natural shades in green-beige tones and muted yellow-green. You want to select colors found in nature, as supposed to the louder, bolder, brighter hues. Complement this wall color with décor made of natural materials. In feng shui, greens also relate to the wood element.

Think Pink

Although you’ll want to avoid its more saturated, bold cousin “red,” peaceful pink can promote balance. Look for pale dusty hues while avoiding the hot-pink and bubblegum shades. Not ready to commit to a room full of pink walls? Use it as an accent color in a room with neutral walls. Pinks also relate to the feng shui bagua map area of relationships and partnership, it's very yin and feminine.

Peaceful Purple

Looking for strength, peace and wisdom? Decorate with violet to introduce balance and relaxation. Finding the right shade of purple is key. Stay away from shades with too much black to avoid a cold feel. On the other hand, deep, rich purples can be stimulating. Select a purple like lavender for the best results. Purples also relate to the feng shui bagua map area of abundance and wealth.

Shades of Grey

Not only is grey the trending neutral, it’s also soothing. This versatile, calm color is the perfect canvas to build upon. Paint your room grey and use the other tonal families on this list for your accent pieces. In the feng shui bagua map, greys relate to the area of benefactors and helpful people, it's a related to the elements of metal and water.

Don’t get warm

Shades of red, yellow and orange are wonderful, energizing colors; and as such, they're not the first choice for stress-busting rest and relaxation. Red, as an example, is stimulating. It’s the color we associate with passion. If you’re looking for a pick-me-up and an energy boost, red is your go-to color. If peace is on your agenda, however, it’s best to leave it out.

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Decorating With Seasonal Flowers

Anjie Cho November 25, 2020

A bouquet of fresh flowers can add a pop of color and energy to a room. To really make a statement, however, look to incorporate hues and floral varieties that are in season. When you embrace nature’s floral decorating style as your own, you are able to take a simple bouquet and turn it up a notch.

Spring

Think first about color: spring hues include bright blues, yellows and pinks. If you’re going to reach for standard floral arrangements, stick to that color palette. If you’re ready to really commit to the season, however, think bulbs. Tulips and daffodils are spring’s floral staples. If you select potted versions of either you can try to plant them outdoors after the blooms fade so you’ll have them in your garden the following year.

Summer

Reach for something bold, bright and vibrant when selecting summer colors for your arrangements. Brightly colored gerbera daisies, zinnias, snapdragons and dahlias are big personality flowers. Mix them together or display a single variety in a fun container. Summer’s old-fashioned garden roses are a classic choice. If your green thumb extends outdoors, look to your beds. Cuttings of lavender, wildflowers and other garden favorites can make a beautiful, casual summer bouquet in the right container.

Autumn

It’s time for deep hues of red, gold, and amber. We typically associate this season with falling leaves and gardens browning up before they die back for winter. However, autumn can be bold and bright, offering seasonal flowers like the warm, dark-eyed sunflower. Don’t overlook the last vestiges of your flower beds for clippings, either. Those deep hued blue and purple hydrangeas may be tinged with pale green tones and hint at fading. As cut flowers go, those hydrangeas can make a statement!

Winter

It’s not often that we associate winter with flowers other than the traditional poinsettia. If you’re looking for something different, go for roses in rich shades of red and white. A bouquet of those two hues, especially if mixed with some boughs of holly or feathery branches of evergreen, add an elegant twist to winter décor.

Not only does incorporating seasonal flowers give your home a fresh taste of nature and a breath of positive energy, arranging your selected bouquets can be a meditation practice all on its own. Check out my experience with KADO here!

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Q&A Sunday: Feng Shui and Taking a Leap

Guest User October 11, 2020

Hi Anjie! I have been loving your podcast, especially the episode about how you got into feng shui. My question is about starting something new. I have been wanting to make some big changes in my life but I keep getting scared, and then I feel like I stay stuck. Do you have any suggestions?

Thank you so much for your question, and I’m so glad you’re enjoying the podcast!

When it comes to taking leaps in your life, whether it’s moving across the country, leaving a stable job, or any other big change, there’s a connection to letting go. Taking a leap is scary. It requires you to be courageous, to give yourself permission to do what you’re scared of doing, and to let go of anything that may be holding you back.

One way that this fear translates to how we live in our homes is being scared to get rid of things. People become terrified of letting go of even simple things like a cup or a sweater, because they worry that they might need it one day. Just by starting to practice letting go of things in our home, we are starting to soften our hearts. This helps us take leaps and let go in other parts of our life.

Decluttering can be challenging for many people, because we can get very attached to our things. There’s a traditional Buddhist practice of generosity that is very simple, and I would suggest giving it a try if you are having a hard time letting go of items in your home: Take an object, and practice moving it from one hand to the other. Begin to notice how it feels to let go of something in one hand, and how it feels to offer it to the other hand.

Once you’ve practiced this exercise, begin to practice letting go of things in your home that no longer serve you. You can start with the low-hanging fruit, like items that are broken. Notice how this begins to open your heart, and helps you become more courageous in letting go of things that no longer serve you in your life. This can apply to people and situations as well.

I think the reason feng shui is so attractive to people is that it can be easier to make changes in your external environment rather than your internal environment. In a way feng shui is sort of a gateway drug, because once you really unpack things and connect to your environment more deeply, you begin to see that you’re really interconnected to everything outside of you. You begin to soften and open up, and you can start to really dig deep within yourself, too.

I hope this helps, and I wish you all the best in the changes that lie ahead! If you’d like more feng shui support in making changes in your life, I encourage you to work with a consultant or join us for an upcoming session of Practical Feng Shui to dive deeper.

by Anjie Cho