Every single colour can make you feel a specific emotion or feeling, and colour therapy is using colour to invoke those feelings to boost your mental health and can change your life.
I wouldn’t blame you if you thought the idea of using colour to treat ailments sounded a little woo-woo. But colour therapy is one of the oldest methods of treatment, tracing back to ancient Egypt, where temples built for healing used sunlight and crystals to reflect different colours into different rooms dedicated to the healing powers of each colour. In ancient India, colours were thought to enhance the body and remove blockages from our internal energy centres, known as the chakras. This is why I’ve named each MY Journal colour after a specific chakra. Evidence has since supported these ancient concepts, and we can all agree that colour at the very least impacts our mood.
You’ve probably actually experienced the benefits of colour therapy already - the peace you feel when you’re surrounded by green nature or looking up at the blue sky, or even the joy you feel when putting on your favourite red dress. Warm colours are thought to energise and stimulate, while cool colours are thought to calm and bring serenity.
Blue is soothing, and can have calming effects if you’re stressed or anxious or clear your mind if things feel hazy. Darker shades of blue are thought to have sedative effects, which can be helpful if you’re restless or struggling with insomnia. Green has similar effects, while red is more invigorating and thought to boost your energy if you’re feeling unmotivated or in a slump, but can also intensify feelings of aggression if you’re already in a bad mood. Yellow and orange are thought to invoke feelings of happiness, enthusiasm and optimism, and some believe orange in particular can actually increase your appetite if you’re struggling with malnutrition.
While we can’t solely rely on colour therapy to treat conditions that also need therapy or traditional medicine, we can absolutely benefit from using colour to improve our lives. Figure out how different colours make you feel. Go out in nature - what shade of green is your favourite? What colours are most prominent in your favourite room of the house? Which colours in your wardrobe make you feel invigorated?
Once you have figured this out, incorporate this into your everyday life. If you don’t feel confident, pick out an outfit with your colours that energise you. Wear these colours when you exercise so you feel motivated. Add accents of colours that calm you in your bedroom so you find it easier to switch off and rest. Use colours that inspire you in your creative spaces and colours that hone in your focus in spaces where you need to be productive.
The combinations of colours you can use to impact your mood are endless. Go out in the world and figure out how different colours impact you, and be sure to scatter these colours across your everyday life.
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