How do colors make you feel?

Colors have always been fascinating to me. When I was a kid I’d ignore my toys and play with my markers, not even necessarily drawing with them but by creating little color families! I think I instinctively knew, even then, that color is influential on our emotions. However, black will forever and always have a special little place in my grinch heart. But! If we’re getting real here it’s a pigment… a pigment whose abilities are totally downplayed. We’re often told it’s a depressive color but I think it can definitely be a bold power color. Imagine black shiny lacquered walls with white crown molding. Is that depressing? Hell no! It’s bold and luxurious! It’s all in how you perceive it.

This photo is taken from sarahsarna.com, it’s such a great example of a subdued glamorous interior with black walls.

A quick way to put a little pep in your step is to close your eyes and visualize a certain color. It’s true! It’s used in design frequently to give a room a certain feel. It’s also used by certain therapists to delve deeper into the psyche or to heal through Chromotherapy. On the same token, some say visualizing a certain color can help with energy blockages in your chakras.

You know who already really knows all the ins and outs of psychology of color? Businesses, corporations, marketers and advertisers of all kinds. Color helps with branding and to create personality or rapport with the potential buyer or voter. Color is wild in that it can be used in therapeutic ways but is also now largely used to appeal to emotions for purposes of consumerism. Isn’t that a delight? Not really…

But what IS a delight is the ability to create your space with colors that make it shine however you want it to. Livening up your space in your house is easy, all you have to do is infuse certain colors into the furniture, walls or decorations.

Let’s talk some colors, shall we?

RED is known to raise your blood pressure. It speeds the heart rate and is super stimulating. Often used in warnings, it beckons your attention. Red is good in touches but may not be the best for full wall colors. Sometimes it’s used in dimly lit clubs or bars to create a sexy environment. If you want some splashes in the bedroom, add some throw pillows or red paintings or pictures. Add candles and it’s insta-romace.

YELLOW is generally a happy color. The color of the sunshine, it uplifts your spirits. It’s a great color to visualize when you’re feeling in the dumps. Again one of those colors that’s usually best in small doses. Maybe not the best color to use on every wall in the house… It’s really nice in kitchens, bathrooms, and rooms with many windows. Large doses of yellow are known to cause irritability, so recognize what yellow makes you feel first.

BLUE brings down the blood pressure! Especially light blue, who seems to be the opposite of abrasive red. Blue is calming and relaxing, often used in soothing spaces like hospitals and therapy rooms… but not as often as green.

GREEN brings down your blood pressure and heart rate as well. It’s a relaxing color (as long as it’s not neon!) and can be used pretty much anywhere as a main color. Certain greens make you feel like you’re sitting outdoors, which is the best way to calm yourself down. Think: Nature, forest, grass.

I l-o-v-e green, blue and yellow together. It reminds me of the ocean and sunshine. Anytime you decorate your interior to mirror the natural world it’s guaranteed to be a relaxing environment. In an ocean room adding sea shells, sand, aquatic creature’s skeletons (you collected on the beach I’m hoping) or branches from trees near the ocean are all wonderful ways to bring the outdoors in.

Next time we’ll talk about purple, orange and neutrals and get more into what Chromotherapy* is all about. Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll be happy to research it

*I’m not certified in Chromotherapy, just interested & learning right along with you!

Zen –

Although the word zen is used often in modern culture, it’s roots are in Mahayana Buddhism. The definition from Merriam Webster is, “A Japanese sect of Mahayana Buddhism that aims at enlightenment by direct intuition through meditation.”

Just as with anything else, philosophies are open to interpretation… I am not attempting to attain enlightenment here per say, but I am attempting to attain an inner stillness. To me the feeling of zen is peaceful. An oasis of sorts. Finding (or awakening) to the true “you” without allowing any outer noise to get in the way of pure understanding.

A lot of times people meditate to get in touch with themselves, to feel their center, and to literally clear their mind. People also practice yoga, attend spiritual or religious group gatherings, read self help books, take a vow of silence… the list is endless! Religion, spirituality and “self help” are alike in so many ways. They’re there to help a person find the higher truth, the reason we’re here, to love others as ourselves and to BE!

I don’t think the important part is – what – you’re doing, but that you are… Or at least you’re trying! This quote from John Lennon speaks volumes:Zen to me is feeling so high on good stuff that the bad stuff can’t get me down.

As someone who has dealt with depression through my adolescence and adulthood, it’s worth finding something that lifts your spirit up! It’s those deep breaths and connecting with what is real that helps. It’s closing your eyes and visualizing your center or feeling grounded to the earth that helps. Those are things that both calm me down and make me feel alive at the same time. It seems so easy, right? But it takes questioning things that are tangible and realizing that we are more than flesh and bone. It takes becoming aware that we are our thoughts and our actions, both! We can control that feeling inside. It’s liberating, especially in the culture we live in now.

That being said, I am a child of the 21st Century! I love technology, the material world can be fun, I don’t lead a life of silence and I can definitely be armed for battle when it comes to debate… But the important thing is finding the balance.

Two books I am reading right now are: Spirit Junkie by Gabrielle Bernstein and Meditation Express by Nancy Butler and Michael Suib. Both are absolutely fantastic. Here is an excerpt I found especially helpful on how to quiet the mind in M.E:

Imagine a rushing mountain stream flowing through your mind. Every time a new thought enters your mind, throw it into the stream and watch it flow away from you.

A way I am finding my zen right now is by taking my dogs on daily long walks. I found a forested area and we walk an hour to an hour and half. Sometimes at a slower pace, sometimes we jog, and sometimes we run and walk- but it’s always in silence, in nature and pace dependent to how I feel. It’s a great lesson for me on listening to my intuition.

As a kid I was raised by pretty metaphysical parents and grandparents but it’s taken me until my early 20s to fully focus on self improvement and raising my own consciousness. It’s all okay though, and this practice of finding my own little piece of zen has taught me that.

Finding your inner happy place doesn’t have to follow any rules but your own. Whether it’s organizing your house so the clutter is gone, deciding to take up painting, or meditating for one minute… Go out there and give it a try!

Leading a zenful life is a practice! This post is the first in a series of mindfulness.

xoxo