3 minute read
HEALTH
BY DR. ANDREA WICK
EBS HEALTH COLUMNIST
Did you ever think about the way that your outer world affects your inner world? Your living environment may directly affect how you think and feel. Practices such as feng shui, minimalism and decluttering can make us more aware of how to make our living space feel better. This has become especially important due to the stress of the last year and spending more time at home.
Color can change our mood in an instant by affecting our nervous system and activating different emotions. Colors like pink and blue are more calming to the brain, while red and orange are more awakening. Why is this? According to psychologist Ayben Ertem, when color is transmitted to the brain through the eyes, hormones are released that affect emotions and energy levels. Color can change heart rate and increase emotional awareness.
If there is a room in your home or office where you need to feel more awakened and stimulated, red may be your color. Orange is also a color that can commonly make people feel more invigorated. If you would like to feel more relaxed in your home, soft pinks and blues may be a good choice since they bring a sense of tranquility and calmness. Color is thought to affect everyone differently, though, due to personal preference and experience.
Feng shui is the practice of arranging personal belongings and furniture in a specific way to restore harmony and balance in a living space. It helps to create balance between the material and the natural world. The five elements, earth, fire, water, wood and metal, are incorporated into each room. The theory goes that if you balance the elements in your home, it will directly reflect in your life by the power of intention. In feng shui, the bedroom is the most important room in the house because of sleep and romantic relationship. We tend to spend most of our time in this room. This can be a good place to start when making a shift. Make sure your bed is against a wall and not facing the door or directly in line with the door. Mirrors should be pointing away from the bed. It is also important to keep electronics out of the bedroom, especially televisions and computers. The bedroom is not a place to have devices that may overstimulate. Also make sure to declutter under your bed—energetically it is not a good space to store belongings. Minimalism has been a new popular way of living where you only live with what you truly need. Taking things out of your life that may be a distraction may help you fulfill your life’s purpose. I jokingly thought that if you have closets full of stuff that are cluttered then what emotional baggage are you “hiding” or not wanting to clear out? Our external environment is a direct reflection of our internal environment. Do the things in your home bring you joy? If they don’t, it might be time to purge, clean and de-clutter. Who knows what amazing avenues may open up to you when you are mindful of the space you live in!
How does your home affect your health?
Dr. Andrea Wick is a chiropractor and applied kinesiologist. She graduated from Life University in Marietta, Georgia, and now practices in Big Sky. She has a passion for holistic health care and being active in the outdoors. Her practice, Healing Hands Chiropractic, is located in the Meadow Village Center. Visit drandreawick.com to learn more.
A combination of intentional colors, feng shui and decluttering could vastly improve your life, according to EBS health columnist Dr. Andrea Wick. PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDREA WICK
American Bison // Bison Bison
You can help preserve fish and wildlife habitat and scenic open spaces in Montana.
DID YOU KNOW?
500 years ago, at least 30 million bison roamed the plains. That number is now less than 30,000. The depletion of free range bison has been attributed to: • Decades of over-exploitation • Decline in genetic diversity • Habitat loss • Human Interaction
