People often see Feng Shui as simply a way to decorate their homes, but it’s so much more than that. Feng Shui is a philosophy of design that provides you and your home with countless benefits that might not be readily apparent. Most importantly, Feng Shui focuses on improving your mental and physical health through a proper home organization. If you feel like your home could benefit from Feng Shui, you should consider some basic tips that are worth applying.
Live among natural elements
A big part of Feng Shui is bringing your home as close to nature as possible. It’s where we all feel more attuned to our inner selves. Despite the introduction of very fast and dynamic life in the past hundred or so years, humans are still natural beings that long for their habitat. This is why we feel calm and relaxed when we return to it.
Much of our homes aren’t really packed with natural elements, but they aren’t far from it either. All you need are some slight changes to make it ideal. You are constantly surrounded by plastic and synthetic elements that don’t make for a comfortable environment. What you need are some natural materials to bring life to your home.
Try to aim for natural elements and materials for every room in your home. Instead of choosing plastic and metal, you should be adding more wood to the inside. While this may make it a more expensive endeavor, you can be sure that it’s going to be worth the trouble. Natural environments will have a good impact on your mental well-being. Their smell, look and feel stimulate calmness and make you feel at home. When you’re surrounded by synthetic things, you’ll hardly ever feel at ease.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to transform your entire home into a completely natural environment. Some parts of it will require synthetic elements for structural integrity or design. It’s possible to influence your mood another way – by creating a natural view out of them. Lots of Feng Shui practitioners use natural colors to mask items and parts of their homes that aren’t natural. Adding green and brown hues improves the feel of the room and makes you feel calmer.
The east compass direction is where you’ll find the Bagua sector for health. To bolster this sector and increase your well-being, you must place natural objects here. As it just so happens, the east sector element is wood. This is where you should be adding the most natural elements, as it can focus your efforts more efficiently.
Have a calm and restful sleep
Where and how you sleep is a very important part of proper Feng Shui. Placing your bed is no small task. This is where you spend around a third of your entire life, which is why it’s such an impactful part of it. There are metrics that can help you determine what would be the best bed position for your mental health and spiritual well-being.
Your health luck direction is a very important thing to consider when positioning your bed. Utilize the eight mansions Kua formula to find your health luck direction. This is something that is individual, and it may vary from person to person. A Kua calculator could come in handy. Feng Shui sources have many such calculators, so it won’t be hard to determine.
Once you know your personal Kua number, you’ll be able to get closer to your ideal sleeping direction. For every group of Kua numbers, there’s a direction that is most suited for improved health. Lie down on your bed so that your head is facing this direction. If your bed isn’t already accommodated to fit this position, you might have to rotate it. However, this isn’t where the story ends. There are further rules that you need to follow so that your quality of sleep is improved.
Make sure your bed is in a power position. Behind the bed, there should always be a solid wall for support. Make sure you avoid placing your bed right under any windows. It also shouldn’t be adjacent to any wall that leads to the bathroom. With all of these criteria met, both your body and spirit may rest easy at night.
Surround yourself with fresh air
Very few things are as important as the quality of air that surrounds you. Most people don’t pay it any mind, but it’s something that can have a huge impact on your health and mood. Feng Shui aims to put as much fresh air in your environment as possible. Whether you’re inside your home or out, you need to be getting your fill of fresh air. There are lots of ways that Feng Shui can help you achieve this.
The easiest thing you can do is open your windows as often as possible. Feng Shui advocates for keeping windows open in most types of weather, simply because air needs to circulate around your home. Otherwise, stale air is going to make it feel uncomfortable and unhealthy.
Air purifying plants can also come in handy when cleaning your home’s air. Place a few aloe vera or English ivies around your living room and enjoy the cleaner air. It’s a small change, but it can have a huge impact on the air in your home. Keep in mind, plants also have a significant effect on your mental health as well. Green, leafy plants soothe the mind, allowing you to find your inner peace. They have also found to reduce anxiety just by being present in a room. When you can’t find time to surround yourself with plants in nature, you can always bring some nature to your home.
Alongside the air they provide us, plants also bring in good energy. Nurturing these living creatures in your home will make you feel as though you’re keeping your home alive. It will bring you closer to your home and make you feel like you belong in your self-made ecosystem.
Decorate for personal harmony
A lot of people think of Feng Shui as a strict set of rules for creating a specific kind of living space. While many homes that follow Feng Shui might have similarities, they will often have unique elements that adhere to the person’s tastes and beliefs. This is because there’s an important element of personal enjoyment that shouldn’t be disregarded. When you’re living in a space that feels like it’s truly yours, you’ll feel more at peace. This is why you should emphasize your tastes and wishes with your décor choices.
When you decorate your home, try to find the right balance between what creates harmony within the layout and harmony inside of you. Place sentimental items front and center in your most personal areas. Your bedroom should include photographs of your loved ones and yourself. Create motivation by using photographs of your achievements, so that every morning you wake up and feel like you can conquer the day.
The entrance of your home should make you feel powerful. Introduce elements that evoke a feeling of success and motivation. Every time you leave your home, you should feel motivated and ready for the challenges ahead. Use different personalized logo mats to see what makes your entrance hall feel most powerful and attractive. It’s going to be the first thing you see as you enter your home, so make it count. The entrance hall should also feature a large mirror that will allow you to get a good view of yourself as you leave your home. This will give you a boost of confidence every time you go out, whether it’s for work or socializing.
Clear the space around you
A clear living space equals a clear mind. When your home is well-organized and clean, you’ll find that it has an enormous impact on how you feel inside of it. Space needs to be cleared of any clutter and unnecessary items that get in the way.
A cluttered space will constantly make you feel on edge. When your home is full of items that you don’t particularly need, it’s something you’ll subconsciously take note of. Trying to move around improperly placed furniture will make you anxious and ruin the flow of the home. Rooms need to be easily traversable and intuitively organized. When you know the focus of the room and how it goes with the layout, you’ll feel more comfortable as you pass through it.
To resolve any problems with the flow of your room, you’ll want to take a look at what’s essential and what isn’t. Feng Shui advocates against any unnecessary clutter. Even items that look nice, but aren’t well-placed need to go. Remove this clutter and see your room’s energy to improve right before you.
Introduce proper lighting
The lighting in your home is a crucial part of good Feng Shui. Lighting influences how we perceive a room and how we feel within it. There’s extra emphasis on sunlight, as it’s the most natural source of light you can get. Studies have shown that natural light stimulates productivity and makes for a calmer atmosphere. This is why you’ll often see offices with cubicles that are adjacent to large windows. Try your best to introduce as much natural lighting to your home as possible for maximum effect.
Have windows in your living room that will allow sunlight to shine through and light up the décor. If you spend your mornings drinking tea or coffee here, you’ll find that natural light will refresh you and increase your wakefulness. Every room needs to have access to some amount of natural sunlight. Even a small window can allow for enough sunlight to create a cozy atmosphere.
After the sun goes down, the lighting needs to remain healthy and stimulating. Avoid artificial lighting sources where you can, and introduce healthier ones as you go. Candles can prove to be especially useful when you use them right. They’re pleasant to look at and their smell will soothe you.
For artificial lighting, it’s recommended that you avoid harsh lighting from sources like fluorescent bulbs. Your best bet would be to go the softer route with LED lights. They’re pretty efficient and don’t harm your eyesight.
Conclusion
Properly applying Feng Shui principles will give you a host of benefits whenever you’re in your home. Even if you aren’t particularly experienced in home design, you’ll find that Feng Shui is something that is intuitive. With some small changes, you’ll be able to turn your home into a bastion of positivity and mental health.
