Many of us, especially in Western society, feel like stress is just something we have to deal with.
Demanding jobs, family life, social calendars, and even the news cycle all seem like things we can’t control, and that spills over into our homes!
And while we usually can’t change much about the external factors that cause stress, there is still one area we can control: our homes!
Our homes are a natural extension of our lives, and they should be where we go to rest and recharge.
Feng shui can make this an easier process, helping us to create sanctuaries where we and our families can not just survive, but even thrive.
Here are some ways to use feng shui to reduce stress in your life and home!
One: Clear your home of clutter and unfinished projects.
Clutter is anything that stands between us and the lives we want to be living. But clutter also causes stress, so even if it feels like you are used to the clutter – your body isn’t!
Any time you see things piled up around you, stuffed in closets and drawers, or projects you’ve been “meaning to get around to” your subconscious recognizes it.
This puts your body on alert, which raises stress levels and cortisol.
Don’t underestimate the effect clearing things out of your home can have on you.
I know it can be hard to get started, but just do a little at a time and you’ll feel your body exhale.
Plus the more your home reflects the life you want, the happier you’ll be!
Two: Better sleep.
Your bedroom should be the most relaxing place in your home. Sleep is the foundation of destressing your life, which means it’s one of the most important things you can do whenever things feel out of control.
Sleep often is one of the first things to go, but this just means that we end up burning the candle at both ends.
In feng shui terms, the bedroom is your sanctuary. It is the place where you go to recharge and relax.
Even though the whole home is important to your overall health and well being, the bedroom is the ultimate place you go to relax and destress.
If you can’t sleep well, your body can’t heal itself.
Some feng shui tips to destress your bedroom:
- remove electronics if possible. Electronics are active energy, which means they can affect your body even when they are turned off. If you can’t remove them, putting them in a cabinet or drawer can help dampen their energy.
- remove items from under your bed. If that isn’t possible, organize everything under there to the best of your ability. Also clean really well under there! Spaces under furniture hold stagnant energy, and sleeping over that energy can disrupt your sleep.
- decorate with restful colors. You don’t have to change everything overnight, but if your room is full of bold colors and you’re having trouble sleeping, it could be that the bright colors hold too much energy.
Three: Try meditation.
Meditation has been shown to lower stress, reduce negative emotions, and help you focus on the present.
While you can do meditation pretty much anywhere, at any time, meditating in your home’s wisdom/spirituality area can take your meditation practice to new heights.
The knowledge/spirituality area of your home is also the area of wisdom and self-cultivation, which means it can help you learn more about yourself and become more of who you’d like to be.
To find your home’s knowledge/wisdom area, click here to see a picture of the feng shui bagua map and learn how to use it in your home!
If you can’t meditate in your home’s knowledge area, that’s okay!
You can also choose another area of the bagua – such as the love/relationship area (which is good for self-love,) the health area, or even your bedroom (also an area of love and relationships!)
Four: Smudge your home and yourself!
If you or anyone in your family has been particularly stressed lately, smudging can also help clear the air and restore calm.
Emotions have frequencies and those frequencies can get stuck in the aura of your home.
Smudging can remove the negative energies and help you regain balance in your home and body. Click here to learn how to smudge!
Five: Boost your feng shui health area.
The health area is the very center and heart of your home, and affects every other area around it! (Click here to see the feng shui bagua map and see which areas of your home relate to the areas of your life!)
Strengthening this area can help you and your family respond to stress better and become more resilient.
You can strengthen this area by adding plants – plants represent growth and stability.
You can also add a fountain or other water feature – water represents fluidity and moving around and over obstacles.
Both can be great additions when you are ready to get rid of the stress in your life!
Six: Add some peace and calm to your bathroom.
Bathrooms represent draining energy (because of all of the drains in the space.) They also tend to hold dirt, grime, and bacteria which all contribute to stagnant energy.
To counteract this, make your bathroom feel like a safe haven.
Give it a good deep clean, open the windows for a bit (if you have them) and add some peaceful touches like a plant or an aromatherapy diffuser.
Also keep the lid closed on the toilet, and the bathroom door closed as much as possible to limit the draining energy in the rest of the home.
This will keep the good Chi (life force energy) going and give everyone in your home a boost of fresh energy!
Seven: Check your home for a sense of connection.
One way to destress your life and your home is to make sure your home is supportive of connection and interaction with you and your family.
Whether you live alone or with other people, check to see how your furniture flows.
Arrange your furniture so that you can easily walk around it. Arrange seating areas or couches so that it encourages people to relax and interact. And keep eating areas are free of clutter and easily accessible. This will create a sense of unity and relaxation for everyone in your home.
Also creating areas in your home where everyone can relax (even your pets!) can help everyone decompress and relieve stress.
Making sure your furniture is arranged so that it can be used and encourages sitting and hanging out will go a long way towards creating flow and harmony!
Bonus tip: Don’t forget that your home’s energy is directly tied to your and your family’s energy.
You get out what you put in, and if you feel stressed, your home’s energy will also feel stressed! And if your home’s energy is stressed, you will also feel stressed.
The basis of using feng shui to reduce stress is that the more you clear your home’s energy, the more clear your personal energy will be. And the more you clear your personal energy, the more clear your home’s energy will be!
Intention is everything!
If you apply all of these tips with the intention that you are destressing both yourself and your home, then each tip you apply will help you feel better and better.
Each tip you apply to yourself will be reflected in your home, and each tip you apply to your home will be reflected in you and your body!
This is the magic of feng shui!
Now that you know the best feng shui tips for relieving stress, you might also want to try:
- how to boost the positive energy of your home with feng shui
- how to use feng shui to attract what you really want
- feng shui energy flow: how to use feng shui when you feel stuck
- 10 feng shui money tips for manifesting wealth