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How Can I Be Happy: Feng Shui For Happiness
Finding “happiness” is quite a hot topic these days. As our 21st-century lives get progressively faster and more anxiety-inducing, we are left feeling drained and unfulfilled, wondering what happened to the blissful, carefree days of yesteryear. Here are some popular Feng Shui tips for happiness.
People attempt to fill this void in different ways—“happiness projects,” task fulfillment, attention-seeking selfies, etc. We think:
“If I can just get that next promotion, then happy.”
“If I get that engagement ring, then I am happy.”
If I 1 get the newest iPhone, then I’ll be happy.”
Still, despite our best efforts, happiness in 2016 remains an elusive concept. Maybe, just maybe, we are looking in the wrong places.
In our achievement-obsessed culture, where we focus on achieving career success, financial prosperity, relational perfection, and social media fame, maybe we should instead focus on our inner lives instead of our outer lives. Maybe happiness isn’t something that we “achieve,” but something that we experience.
This seems to be a growing idea in our culture, with yoga and meditation practices on the rise as a way of seeking true fulfillment. Certainly, yoga and meditative practices help with this, but culturally we have been ignoring another ancient Asian custom that could be helpful as well, Feng Shui.
What is Feng Shui for Happiness?
Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of connecting inner harmony and outer harmony, usually through manipulating the outer environment. But, Feng Shui is much more than just moving furniture.
It offers an effective answer to a current predicament—“I’m so relaxed and peaceful when I’m doing yoga, but when I get home, I’m just as anxious and miserable as ever. How do I continue this inner peace into my outer life?” If this struggle seems familiar, read on to see how Feng Shui can bridge your happiness gap.
How to Attract Happiness With Feng Shui?
#1. De-clutter your life
Our culture is undeniably materialistic and getting progressively more so. Yet, we know that this materialism has not made us happier. There is a direct relationship between the level of clutter and the level of anxiety.
Therefore, as hard as it may seem, we need to work on de-cluttering our lives. Our homes should be peaceful environments that foster relaxation and reflection. However, if we are constantly tripping over our fourth pair of tennis shoes or looking at magazines from three months ago on the counter, it is easy to let anxiety overtake us.
The first step is to decide what possessions matter to you and which you have just been holding on to for a security blanket. Then, take the possessions that matter to you and display them in a prominent spot, like on a bookshelf.
Doing so will increase your home’s energy flow, allowing energy and people to move through it more easily. It also will allow you to spend more time looking at and appreciating the possessions that do matter to you.
#2. Encourage socializing
Even though we are now more connected than ever, many people still report feelings of isolation. We may talk all the time on social media, but a true human connection is almost a thing of the past. This is a necessary area of change.
Humans are naturally social beings, and therefore happiness is almost always relational. Feng Shui teaches the importance of organizing a home (and a life) to invite other people in. Building off of step 1 means de-cluttering a home to allow other people to fit in. It also means arranging rooms in a conducive, inviting way.
Maybe switch out your oversized, awkward, rectangular coffee table for a smaller, circular one. Circular shapes are thought to be more inviting and conducive to the conversation (think King Arthur’s Round Table).
If you have crammed your tiny apartment full of end tables and trendy ottomans, ditch what you don’t need to make some room! Also, think about how you are presenting yourself to the world.
Do you constantly have your headphones in? Do you make eye contact with strangers? Inviting other people into your life, even strangers leads to greater inner peace and fulfillment.
#3. Pay attention to color
Feng Shui has a lot to say about color and its effect on our mood. When designing your environment, or even yourself, when you get dressed in the morning, look at Feng Shui’s color analysis to align yourself with the emotions you want to experience.
Red/Orange/Purple—Passion, Emotion
Brown/Yellow—Grounding, Stability
White/Metallic—Strength, Independence
Black/Blue—Relaxation, Inspiration
Green/Teal—Growth, Expansion
This might mean painting your bedroom blue to create a room more conducive to soothing relaxation or wearing white to a job interview to feel stronger and more independent. These small adjustments can have an enormous effect on our mood.
#4. Pay attention to sound
Feng Shui also has a lot to say about the sound. We currently live in what is likely the noisiest time in the history of the planet. From the fluorescent lights buzzing at the office to the hum of the air conditioner, most of us probably do not even remember what it is like to experience true silence.
That constant hum in the background can increase our anxiety, affect our sleep, and keep us from finding peace and happiness. Tackling sound pollution in our lives might seem like an impossible task, but a few small adjustments can make a big difference.
First, start paying attention. Try to tune in and notice all of those sounds that we have been conditioned to tune out. Then, find some small ways to bring more silence back into your life. Turn your cell phone off at night, so you don’t hear incoming text messages or emails.
When possible, replace fluorescent lights with more natural forms. Unplug noisy appliances. If you live in a city where silence is likely an impossible goal, look into getting noise-canceling headphones or a CD of natural sounds.
Limiting the sound pollution that infiltrates our lives and choosing to incorporate more natural, peaceful sounds can have an enormous effect on our mood and overall anxiety and happiness levels.
#5. Avoid unnecessary formality
Many of us were raised with a room in our house that we were not allowed to enter. “You can’t play in the formal dining room,” our parents said, or “no watching TV in the formal living room.” Feng Shui teaches that this unnecessary formality, these additional rules that we put on ourselves, increases our anxiety.
In our own homes as adults, we might implement similar restrictions on ourselves. If not, we might restrict ourselves by our clothing choices. “I can’t walk to work if I wear these shoes because I will get them dirty,” or “I can’t wear this shirt if I plan to play basketball after work.”
Our lives should be able to be lived in all of the spaces we occupy. If space is adding unnecessary restriction and stress, eliminate it as best as possible. Materialism should not take precedence over the frame of mind.
#6. Focus on the bedroom
No, this is not intended to be dirty. Most people who employ Feng Shui do so predominantly in their bedrooms and for a good reason. Lack of sleep is an epidemic in our time. We are told that we need to work harder, work longer, and work more consistently.
Vacations and relaxation are seen as weaknesses. Also, with anxiety surging, the quality of our sleep is diminishing. Therefore, focusing on our bedrooms’ quality can have an enormous effect on the quality of our happiness.
Make sure you do not use your bedroom as a storage facility; if you can’t adequately abide by number 1 and need a place to store your stuff, pick a different room. Also, make sure that you separate your work life from your sleeping life.
Do not work in bed, and if possible, leave all electronics (including the TV!) out of your sleeping space. The effect on your sleep quality, and your resulting happiness, can be profound.
#7. Minimize your screen time
This might be the hardest recommendation of all, but it is likely also the most important. Although technology has brought us many gifts as a society, those gifts have come at a cost. Many of us can’t seem to get away from our phones, which means that we are constantly surrounded by work, social comparison on social media, and distressing current events. Setting strict technological limits and sticking to them will help your overall sense of peace.
It will also likely help with your work/life balance, self-esteem, and sense of purpose. All of these things lead to true happiness.
So, if you’re looking to make a true change towards more happiness in your life, it is important to recognize that happiness starts from within. Try these Feng Shui happiness tips for a more relaxing, purposeful, peaceful, and happy existence.