Have you ever been called “yellow-bellied?” Felt the “blues?” Been “green” with envy? Or so angry that you saw “red?”
These vibrant expressions of color have been typically used to describe “negative” emotions and moods as experienced by humans. It is obvious that colors psychologically affect people on both the conscious and subconscious levels. But why not flip the script and instead of using colors to denote negative situations, apply specific hues to promote positive mental states and improve well-being.
Colors vibrate at different rates, which results in how the colors are seen. These frequencies thus have different vibratory signatures for each tone of color. So not only do different colors have different signatures (blue vs. red), but different tones (navy vs. baby blue) carry different emotional associations and frequencies. Use color to help you dress for success, work through personal challenges, or liven up the décor of your home to help you create the ideal life you aspire to live.
Please note: it’s OK to start small! It may be a bit of a stretch to all of a sudden flaunt a bright red outfit one day if you are used to always wearing dark tones. As an alternative, pick up an accessory in the color you desire (jewelry, belt, shoes, necktie, socks, scarf, etc.) and test it out. You may observe that certain accessories suit you better than others, which is totally fine. Although it may be uncomfortable at first, keep a journal to track how you feel every time you wear a specified color. Ask yourself these questions to help shed light on any benefits you’ve experienced as a result of wearing that color: What are your initial reactions? How did you feel before and after introducing the color? Did you notice any shifts in your behavior or thinking patterns?
Likewise, you may choose to instead bring a color into your personal space, such as a home or office. Incorporating a bouquet of flowers, potted plant, paperweight, painting or art piece, lampshade, photo frame, or other decorative knick-knacks can create an inspiring environment that reflects your intentions.
For example, while working indoors at your office, you could add in some green in the form of a plant that sits on your desk to help ground yourself and connect you with nature. Or, perhaps you might wear a violet t-shirt when you want to reflect and meditate on what your next steps in life will be. If you are nervous about an upcoming speaking event, carry a bright blue gemstone like lapis lazuli in your pocket to calm you down and encourage you to confidently speak your truth. The possibilities are limited only by your own creativity.
Now, use the color information below to figure out what colors (and corresponding attributes) YOU would like to bring into your life. Of course, there may be multiple colors to choose from depending on what your intentions are. If that is the case, incorporate the color(s) that speak to you most. The next time you need to do some creative brainstorming (yellow, turquoise), increase your spiritual connection (indigo, violet) or feel more at peace (blue, white), choose to wear or surround yourself with colors that will help you to achieve these intentions. You can always turn to the color spectrum to help you paint the picture of a joyful and harmonious life that you will love.
Explore the attributes of the following colors and the conditions that they promote:
- Red — Sexiness, energizing, drive, physically stimulating, passionate, self-assertiveness, power, wealth, ambitious. Promotes increased drive and burst of energy while working out or playing sports. Use to grab the attention of a hot date!
- Orange — Outgoing, uplifting, expansive, friendly, warmth, sexual nature, independent, fun-loving, enthusiasm, brave. Promotes a major self-esteem boost, so wear to a party or out dancing, or to help cope with emotional distress.
- Yellow — Self-confidence, cheerfulness, alert, stress-free, intelligent, enlightenment, creativity, optimistic. Promotes confidence and bringing more joy to your life. Also use when brainstorming or working on creative/design projects.
- Green — Earth connection, healing energy, balance, security, selflessness, relaxation, feeling centered, youthfulness, luck, generous. Promotes connecting with nature through taking a walk at a park or in the garden. Also is a great color to wear when volunteering or after surgery to stimulate healing and rejuvenation. Use when working in groups to make decisions and to nurture others.
- Turquoise — Confidence, intuition, truthfulness, expressive personality. Promotes getting back in touch with emotions, and freedom of expression while dancing or creating art.
- Blue — Love, wisdom, unity, perceptive, calming, logical, relaxation, intellect, truthfulness, healing, peace, harmony, loyalty (The world’s most popular color in fashion and décor!). Promotes speaking your truth (when giving a presentation, writing, or creating art), reduced anxiety, and relaxation (light blue). Wear to increase concentration, and to command authority (dark blue).
- Indigo/Violet — Spirituality, royalty, opulence, luxury, religion, high self-esteem, personal reflection, altruistic, enlightenment, psychic abilities, humanitarianism, mystical, intuition. Promotes better management and decision making, meditating or engaging in reflective practice. Also increases spiritual connection and enhances psychic abilities.
- White — Purity, cleanliness, simplicity, aspiration, divine light, balance, peace, innocence, optimism, generosity, sophistication. Promotes open-mindedness, hope and encouragement in times of need, clean slate to move forward, charitable work, finding more focus in life.
- Pink — Femininity, love, kindness, self-care or caring for someone else, empathy, nurturing. Promotes caring for and working with children, compassion, anger dissipation, and hope in seemingly bleak situations.
- Brown — Groundedness, earth connection, practicality, richness (coffee, tea, chocolate), nurturing, depth, supportive, stability, studious, dedicated. Promotes comforting or supporting someone, being more practical, self-grounding, concentration when studying for a test or working on a school project/paper.
- Grey — Realistic, subtlety, reliability, independence, wisdom, receptive, controlled, individualistic, respectable. Promotes discernment, respect from others, the appearance of being calm, cool, and collected.
- Black — Protection, opinionated, disciplined, mysterious; in fashion: sleek, stylish, sophisticated, empowered. Promotes a commanding presence and “Like a boss” attitude!
