Your Life's Palette

When we enter a room or see an object for the first time, our minds register its colour before any other detail. The colours our eyes can perceive are like words that form a subtle language of mood, energy, and insight. Colour can exert a gentle effect on the mind and the body, influencing our dispositions and our physical health. Colour has the ability to trigger our emotions, affect the way we think and act, and influence our attitudes. You unconsciously respond to the colour of the walls in your home, your car, your clothing, and the food you eat based on your body's natural reactions to certain colours and the psychological associations you have formed around them. The consequences of the decision to paint a room or wear a specific article of clothing therefore goes beyond aesthetics.

The colours you encounter throughout your day can make you feel happy or sad, invigorate you or drain your vitality, and even affect your work habits. Throughout history, cultures spread over many different parts of the globe have attributed varying meanings to different colours. In China, blue is associated with immortality, while people in the Middle East view blue as a colour of protection. There is also evidence that human beings respond to colour in a very visceral way. Red excites us and inflames our passions. Too much red, however, can make us feel over stimulated and irritated. Pink tends to make people feel loved and protected but also can cause feelings of lethargy. Yellow represents joy or optimism and can energise you and help you think more clearly. Bright orange reduces depression and sadness. Blue and green are known to inspire peaceful feelings, and people are often able to concentrate better and work in rooms painted in soft blues and greens. The darker tones of both colours can make you feel serious and introspective.

There are ways to integrate colour into your life that go beyond picking the hues of your décor and your wardrobe. You can meditate with colour by concentrating on the colours that make you feel peaceful or using a progression of colours to symbolize a descent into a relaxed state. Colour breathing involves visualizing certain colours as you in inhale and exhale. Choose to surround yourself with the colours that you are attracted to and make you feel good, and you can create an environment that makes you feel nurtured, peaceful, and uplifted.