How Colour Therapy Can Alter Your Mood

Have you ever wondered why you feel so good when on holiday? Whether it’s relaxing by the sea, walking along a glistening white sandy beach or walking/hiking/cycling amongst the lush green countryside?

‘Everything is energy’ wrote Albert Einstein and as colour is energy, what colours you see around you on a daily basis can alter how you feel.

Colour psychology looks at how we respond to colour emotionally, mentally and physically. We see colours all around us, from the choice of clothes we wear to the car we drive, and the interior decoration of our homes or offices. We are bombarded with the visual stimuli of colour in advertising on a daily basis and it’s big business in getting the colours right to appeal to consumers on subconscious levels.

So How Do We Know Colour Alters Our Mood?  

As early as the 1920’s research was being carried out to understand the effect of colour on a physiological level. In 1979 Alexander Schauss conducted an experiment in a Seattle prison by painting the walls of cells pink. The result? Inmates responded with less aggression leading to other US prisons following suit. In 2007 The University of Texas carried out a study using red, white and blue-green demonstrating that worker productivity was influenced by colour.  Research from Cardiff University found that seeing red colours before tackling a challenging task undermines performance.

Colour & Wellbeing

Carl Jung said ‘Colour expresses the main psychic function of man’ and whether you are aware of it or not, colour affects us on a deep subconscious level. We even use colour in our language to describe how we feel: feeling blue, tickled pink, yellow belly, seeing red, green with envy -these are ways in which we express our feelings through colour.

As we start to understand the importance of our mental health and wellbeing, especially after the past two years with the global pandemic and the ongoing crisis in Europe, we look around for what can reduce stress and promote our wellbeing.

If you think back to a time when you felt particularly stressed, or you were going through a difficult period in your life, what colours did you wear? Most likely when feeling under pressure we avoid bold colours like red, orange, and yellow and prefer more muted tones, such as black, grey, and blues as these mirror our feelings. When feeling happy you may be more inclined to add vibrant colour to your wardrobe or buy bright yellow sunflowers.

On both the conscious and subconscious level colour mirrors how you feel and can have an impact on how others perceive you. If you tend to prefer blues, you could appear trustworthy and promote confidence and authority. Pinks and softer colours like coral are more nurturing and feminine which would show a gentle and caring side. Green would indicate honesty whilst purple would be sincere.

Whilst others may see this in you, your internal landscape is telling a story. You may choose blue because you need confidence and struggle to communicate how you feel. If you choose green you may be looking to have stronger boundaries in place and yellow could indicate you are feeling stressed out and need time to switch off. You may feel frustrated and have underlying anger around a situation, event or person and whilst red would give you some energy and excitement it could also be like a ‘red rag to a bull’ for others, as research has shown how we perceive colour through our own internal mapping and context is different for each person.

Understanding Wellbeing Through Colour…

Many people go through times of change and stress, whether looking for a new job or a complete change in career or relationship. Change is a necessary part of life as we are continuously evolving. Evaluating our wellbeing whether it’s work or relationships or work/life balance is increasingly important as levels of mental health rise when we are not taking care of ourselves.  

A colour therapist can help you to understand where you feel limited or blocked by repeating patterns that stop you from feeling good. As we are not one dimensional, there are many layers to the psychology of colour that would indicate what you are feeling.  Understanding and awareness about how colour can alter your mood is a start in becoming conscious of what may be impacting your wellbeing.  If you need more nurturing and/or self-love then choosing red and/or pink would start the process. If you are feeling stressed then choosing colours that are calming such as blue or even blue/violet will help. Equally, as with homoeopathy, we often treat like with like and yellow is the colour for stress so introducing some yellow to your home or wardrobe would help you get out of your mind.

Your Holiday Destination…

Travel, holidays, and spa breaks are ways in which we take a step back from our work and recharge. Our choice of holiday will indicate how we are feeling and what support we may need emotionally and physically:

For balance, harmony, space and expansion - choose a destination that offers you lots of greenery, whether it’s being in the mountains or forest, or simply a resort surrounded by nature and lush vegetation as green will give you a feeling of being open and put you back into harmony with your natural rhythm.

To recharge, and take away stress – choose a destination with beautiful blue skies and azure waters as blue will help you feel peace and calm.

For an energy boost – choose a destination with plenty of bright colours. Beautiful golden sandy beaches and sunshine will bring us joy and laughter and lightness. Equally, red and orange are energising colours, which we see in the sunrise and sunset.

To feel more connected and grounded – choose a destination that has plenty of earthy tones such as copper and brown as these colours help you to connect to your body and feel part of the earth.

Where ever you decide to go on holiday taking time out to rest and reset is vital for your wellbeing.

About The Author Katherine Louise Jones is a colour therapist and coach. She works with colour as a foundation for understanding patterns and beliefs and uses energy psychology techniques including EFT (tapping) to help clients shift through change. Katherine has presented workshops on colour at events such as The World Energy Conference in Manchester and the Transformation Conference in Brighton and spoken to various groups around the South West (UK). Katherine has written for publications and was featured in a ‘master class with colour’ for a leading holistic magazine and is a teacher in The Colour Mirrors system.   Mobile: 07961 102066 Email: katherinelouisejones@proton.me