Martha Beck, Oprah's Life Coach, has written an article about how to create positive (and happy) energy in our homes. It's such a good concept, but not something most of us think of on our own, so we wanted to share her key points:
*think of each area of your home - your entry way, your hallway, bedroom...and think about what emotion comes to mind. Does the space make you happy, anxious, stressed?
*the spaces that illicit a negative emotion...think about why. Martha helps by listing a few possibilities:
- Sensory elements are everything you experience physically.
Start with the visuals. How do the room's colors, lighting, and patterns
make you feel? Touch-elements, such as texture and temperature, are
also important; if your fabulous industrial-modern chairs are hard and
cold, you'll never be able to fully relax in them. Don't forget the
smells and sounds that waft through a space—the fragrance of
aromatherapy, the laughter of friends, the quiet that means your
children are plotting some outrage.
- Utility refers to the usefulness of a space. Is it convenient
to do whatever you need to do there? A friend bought a zillion-dollar
refrigerator, which, it turned out, could be opened only by a strong
man, preferably one using explosives. My friend's kitchen was
spectacular—and she was miserable in it until she trashed that fridge.
- Organization is about order and chaos, ranging from absolute
precision to the full-on catastrophe of a teenager's bedroom. Nothing is
more depressing than clutter run riot—except for antiseptic
cleanliness, complete with plastic upholstery covers. Is your space too
tidy, or too spartan? Either merits change.
- Association can charge even a perfect-seeming space with negative emotions. If you decorated your bathroom to please the ex who dumped you, or you slavishly copied your mother's taste until therapy revealed you're absolutely nothing like her, then your home may be dragging you down. Time to redecorate.