We all know that colour can affect our moods. We find some colours uplifting and inspiring, and others depressing. We often use terms such as “feeling blue,” “yellow – bellied,” “green with envy,” and “seeing red” without thinking of the meaning behind the words.
Our feelings and emotions are directly affected by the balance or imbalance of hormones in the body; since this is affected by colours , they will also have marked influence on our moods and feelings. Certain colours can calm our minds, while others stimulate mental activity. By restoring a balance of colour energy flowing to pituitary, metabolic and emotional equilibrium can be restored. This can alleviate stress, tension, anxiety and depression. Certain colours ca help us deal with feelings of loneliness, frustration, and grief.
Using colour to alter emotional energy also results in changed perceptions of the world, and our experience of it. Since colour directly links to the subconscious mind we can use it to diagnose and treat a problem at a deep level.
RED
Red is a powerful colour that has always been associated with vitality and ambition. It can help overcome negative thoughts. However, it is also associated with anger; if we have too much red in our system, or around us, we may feel irritable, impatient, and uncomfortable.
Pink is emotionally soothing and calming, and gives a feeling of gentle warmth and nurturing. It lessens feelings of irritation and aggression, surrounding us with a sense of love and protection. It also alleviates loneliness, despondency, oversensitivity, and vulnerability. While red relates more to sexuality, pink is associated with unselfish love.
BLUE
Blue is cool, calming colour and is associated with a higher part of the mind than yellow. It represents the night, so makes us feel calm and relaxed as if we were being soothed by the deep blue of the night sky. Light and soft blue, makes us feel quiet and protected from all the bustle and activity of the day and alleviate insomnia. Blue inspires mental control, clarity, and creativity. Midnight blue has a strong seductive effect on the mind, allowing us to connect to our intuitive and feminine side. Too much dark blue can be depressing, however.
ORANGE
Orange is joyous colour. It frees and releases emotions and alleviates feelings of self-pity, lack of self-worth, and unwillingness to forgive. It stimulates the mind, renewing interest in life; it is a wonderful antidepressant and lifts the spirits. Apricot / peach is good for nervous exhaustion.
YELLOW
Yellow is also a happy, bright, and uplifting colour, a celebration of sunny days. It is associated with the intellectual side of the mind, and the expression of thoughts. It therefore aids the powers of discernment and discrimination, memory and clear thinking, decision-making and good judgement. It also helps good organization, assimilation of new ideas, and the ability to see different points of view. It builds self-confidence and encourages an optimistic attitude. Conversely, dull yellow can be the colour of fear.
GREEN
Green has a strong affinity with nature, helping us connect with empathy to others and the natural world. We instinctively seek it out when under stress or experiencing emotional trauma. It creates a feeling of comfort, laziness and relaxation, calmness and space, lessening stress, balancing and soothing the emotions. Dark green is helpful for emotional uncertainty.
But when green becomes muddy, dull or olive, it indicates decay. Just like fallen leaves when they return to the Earth, muddy green represents the onset of death and is nondescript, unassertive, a negation of life and joy. Lime and olive-green can have a detrimental effect on both physical and emotional health since sickly yellow and green are associated with the emotions of envy, resentment, and possessiveness.
TURQUOISE
We associate blue-greens with the refreshing and cool ocean. It is therefore invigorating, cooling and calming. Like green, turquoise is good for mental strain and tiredness or feeling washed-out. It is an elevating colour that encourages us to make a sparkling fresh start. Turquoise is also helpful for feelings of loneliness, since it heightens communication, sensitivity, and creativity.
INDIGO, VIOLET, AND PURPLE
Indigo, violet and purple have a deep affect on the psyche and have been used in psychiatric care to help calm and pacify suffering from number of mental and nervous disorders. These colours balance the mind and also help transform obsessions and fears.
Indigo is a powerful, psychic colour associated with the right side of the brain, and stimulates intuition and imagination. It is also a strong sedative. Violet and purple are colours of transformation at a very deep level, bringing peace and combating shock of fear. They have a cleansing effect in emotional disturbances. They also connected with artistic and musical impulses, mystery, and sensitivity to beauty and high ideals, stimulating creativity, inspiration, sensitivity, spirituality, and compassion. Violet can exert strong psychic influences, however, and a person attracted by it has to guard against living in a fantasy world. Purple is associated with psychic protection.
MAGENTA
When we are feeling despondent and worried about our condition, or are feeling angry and frustrated, magenta draws us out of this attitude and lets our spirits soar. It is a spiritual colour but also with practical overtones, associated with a compassion, support, and kindness.
From a negative perspective, magenta, like violet, makes us desire to be lifted out of demanding world and avoid challenges. It can also be too relaxing. So avoid magenta is you are chronically depressed or introverted.
WHITE
The colour of ultimate purity is white. It is an all-round colour of protection, bringing peace and comfort, alleviating emotional shock and despair, and helping inner cleansing of emotions, thoughts, and spirit. If you need time and space to reflect on your life, white can give you a feeling of freedom and uncluttered openness. Too much white, however, can be cold and isolating, because white separates us from other people.
BLACK
This colour is both comforting, protective and mysterious. It is associated with silence, the infinite, and the feminine life force – passive, uncharted, and mysterious. Black can also prevent us from growing and changing. We often cloak ourselves in black to hide from the world.
GRAY
Associated with independence, self-reliance, self-control, gray acts as a shield from outside influence. However, gray generally has a negative feeling – thick gray clouds, fog, and smoke. Gray is the colour of evasion and noncommitment since it is neither black nor white. It relates to walling everything off, remaining separate, uncommitted and uninvolved, inevitably leading to loneliness. It also denotes self-criticism.
SILVER
Silver is the colour of the moon, which is ever-changing. It relates to the feminine principle and the emotional, sensitive aspect of the mind. It balances, harmonizes, and is mentally cleansing.
GOLD
Like yellow, gold is associated with the sun and therefore related to abundance and power, higher ideals, wisdom, and understanding. It is mentally revitalizing, energizing, and inspiring, and helpful for fear, uncertainty, and lack of interest. Pale gold is excellent for depression and sharpens the mind.
BROWN
The colour of Mother Earth, brown brings a sense of stability, alleviating insecurity. However, it also relates to bottling up of emotion, a retreat from a fear of the outside world, and also narrow-mindedness. This often results from a lack of self-worth.
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATIONS OF COLOURS
RED: vital, powerful, warm, cozy, sensual, determined, friendly, courageous, assertive, antidepressant, angry, impatient.
PINK: emotionally soothing and calming, gently warming, nurturing, kind, considerate, unselfish loving.
ORANGE / PEACH: warm, secure, glowing, creative, stimulating, fun, enlivening, uplifting, bringing laughter and joy, humorous, independent.
YELLOW: uplifting, happy, light, bright, mentally stimulating, logical, intelligent, orderly, optimistic, clear thinking, fearful
GREEN: harmonizing, mental and physical relaxation, peaceful, natural, cooling, calming, balancing, sincere, secure, free, contented, sharing, self-control, generous.
TURQUOISE: refreshing, cooling, mentally calming, youthful, strengthening concentration and control over speech, and powers of communication, confidence.
BLUE: cooling, cleansing, relaxing, mentally calming, bringing peace, tranquillity, and wisdom, spacious like the sea and sky, sensitive, hopeful, faithful, trusting, flexible, reassuring, accepting.
INDIGO/VIOLET.PURPLE: dramatic, spiritual, creative, intuitive, meditative, mystical, inspirational of beauty and art, protective, cleansing.
MAGENTA: supportive, natural, yielding, compassionate, kind, considerate.
WHITE: peaceful, purifying, cold, isolating, creating space to think.
BLACK: comforting, mysterious, feminine, protective, restrictive.
GRAY: independent, self-reliant, separating, lonely, self-critical.
SILVER: Changing, balancing and harmonizing, feminine, sensitive.
GOLD: wisdom, understanding, powerful, high ideals, abundance.
BROWN: nurturing, earthy, supportive, retreating, narrow-minded
