Colours can perk you up at work
Feeling sluggish at work? Uninspired? Anxious? A spoonful of colour might be just the medicine you need.
Colour therapy isn’t exactly new. We think about relaxing hues for the bedroom and fresh and lively ones for the kitchen. Maybe it’s time to start tackling those Monday “back at the office” blues with colour, too.
Stylist Home diagnoses workplace attitudes and offers colourful remedies to those sour moods.
Kaitlyn Davis writes the trick to finding the perfect colour for your office lies in wavelengths.
“Different colours have different wavelengths and generally low-wavelength hues require less energy from us to detect while high-wavelength colours have the opposite effect.”
Typically, warm colours are higher in wavelength than their cooler counterparts.
“Warm colours, which include red, orange and yellow, that create more aggressive responses and cool colours, which include blue, indigo, green and violet, that bring about relaxing reactions,” writes Alice Shapiro of Patch’s House & Home.
[See also: 5 work rules you should break]
So if you’re stressed out with a hectic work schedule, stick to low-wavelength colours at the office.
Even if you can’t paint the walls, strategically accent your space with colour that will make your day happier.
Unmotivated? Try purple.
Purple is a low-wavelength colour that’s both calming and rejuvenating. In Feng Shui, purple is “a colour of protection and power,” providing mental and physical healing.
Stylist Home suggests pairing a black desk — an authoritative piece — with violet or lavender accents to help you feel in control of your work life.
Confined? Try green.
Maybe your cubicle is too tiny, or the office feels dark, small and prison-like. Bring the outdoors in, subsequently making your space feel more open and alive, with a few natural accents. Put a potted plant on your desk, hang landscape photography on the wall, or paint a piece of furniture in this relaxing low-wavelength shade.
Uninspired? Try orange.
For creative types, writer’s block — or the equivalent in another medium — is frustrating. Add a pop of high-wavelength orange. The stimulating colour will kickstart your brainstorming.
"Orange is associated with vitality, activity and adventure in colour psychology," says interior-design-tutor.net.
Opt for warmer hues — burnt orange, maybe — to avoid that distracting jolt from too-bright shades.
Read the rest of Stylist Home’s article for colour ideas when you’re feeling anxious, depressed and tired.
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