Use Feng Shui to help clear your home of stress

Do you step into your home with a sense of serenity? Or is it with a sense of foreboding as you contemplate that leaky faucet, those piles of unopened mail, and your family’s ever-growing mountains of “stuff”?

If you’re souring on home sweet home, try borrowing some ideas from Feng Shui (pronounced “fung shway”). Arranging space to be in harmony with nature might seem like a New Age fad, but it’s actually an ancient Chinese concept with many practical applications. The main premise is that what you place in your environment and how you arrange and balance those objects can enhance — or hinder — your heath and well-being.

Basic Feng Shui

In her book Feng Shui and Health, Nancy Santopietro compares clutter in the home to cholesterol in your bloodstream: just as high cholesterol clogs your arteries and leads to physical illness, so too can clutter clog your home and feed feelings of stress and anxiety.

Keep your home as free from clutter as you can. Anything disorganized, unused, or unfinished qualifies as clutter — papers that need to be recycled, old clothes that could be given away, broken-down appliances that are gathering dust. Besides removing clutter, be sure to promptly repair or replace worn-out or damaged items, such as broken light bulbs and squeaky doors.

Once you’ve toned down on the visual noise, pacify your home with echoes of nature. The sound of gurgling water can breathe more life into your environment. Tropical plants such as lucky bamboo, dracaena, and ivy are easy to keep and will help to naturally renew the indoor air.

Regularly clean and air out your home. Also plug sinkholes and put toilet seats down. Make sure your doorways and entryways are clear of obstacles.

Install lighting appropriate to the area. Have high-quality luminous lighting in rooms that require greater attention to detail, such as in the kitchen or office. Reduce the amount of lighting in areas like the den or bedroom to help create a quieter, more relaxed environment.

Bathe your home in a sufficient amount of sunlight to uplift and soothe the spirit. (In areas of your home that don’t have access to natural light, full-spectrum light bulbs will do the trick.) Open drapes and add mirrors to draw in the sunlight.

Find a quiet spot in your home that can be reserved for meditation, soul-searching, and creative thinking. Add plants, a comfy chair or couch, and soft lighting, all of which will help to foster a sense of relaxation.

In Feng Shui, the bedroom is considered an inner sanctum. Position your bed so that the view is of something nurturing, rather than straight into the bathroom or down a hallway. Remove TVs or other electronic devices that can distract you from a sound sleep. Above all, don’t work in your bedroom: the goal is to never compromise its status as your ultimate oasis.

Feng Shui for the Office

You can also apply Feng Shui principles to the workplace to help relieve stress and unleash creative energy. You don’t even have to devote a lot of time to rearranging things. According to Kirsten Lagatree, author of Feng Shui at Work, “Subtle changes, such as the placement of your desk or use of color in a room, can bring dramatic results.”

As in the home, clutter in the workplace gives rise to mental and emotional chaos. Keep your desk tidy by dedicating at least an hour per week to organizing it.

When decorating, choose complementary, muted colors over bright colors and/or colors that clash. Avoid an overabundance of white: it reflects light, leading to eyestrain.

Make sure your computer screen is the brightest object in your line of sight. If the overhead light is too bright, your eyes will have to work overtime to make out what’s on the screen.

Bring in some plants or a tabletop fountain to add an element of nature to your office.

Situate yourself in what Feng Shui practitioners call the “Command Position” — with your desk facing the door. Having your back to the door can make you feel vulnerable, increasing stress.

Remember: You don’t have to believe its claims of mysterious cosmic energy to enjoy the very real benefits of Feng Shui. By transforming your space into your personal refuge, you can achieve greater relaxation and reduce your stress, thereby improving your overall health.