If these last few months of quarantine have inspired anything good, it’s that all of us are finally getting the opportunity—and the free time—to channel our inner HGTV star and bring all of our interior design dreams to fruition. And according to wellness gurus, there are more than just aesthetic benefits to creating good Feng Shui in your home, as it can actually be good for your emotional wellbeing and work productivity too.

First, What Even Is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui is defined as a pseudoscientific traditional practice that originated from ancient China, and which claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. The concept can be applied anywhere, but it’s especially trendy in the home design space.

What Are The Benefits?

There’s been an undeniable and growing interest in interior design and home decor over the last decade or so. The trend can be equated to a number of things—a committed base of HGTV fans, constant sources of inspiration that are ever-present on social spaces like Pinterest or Instagram, or even the abundance of Youtube videos that breakdown the basics of DIY projects and that enable anyone to feel confident about their creative pursuits.

Redesigning your home and adding your own personal touches can make a space feel cozy, beautiful and totally Instagram-worthy. But it can also make it feel like a source of comfort, freedom and an outlet for self-expression. I’ll never forget when I interviewed Queer Eye‘s Bobby Berk a few years back. He said that we have to learn to think of ourselves like cell phones—at the end of the day, our phone’s battery is often drained, so we naturally want to plug it in to recharge it. Similarly, when we come home and feel drained after a long day of work, it’s important that we have a space that recharges us and our souls.

His comparison was true then, but it’s even truer now—especially in a day and age where so many people are spending the vast majority of their time at home. If we create a space that is harmonious and comfortable, we’ll be supported by positive energy that will guide us to be more productive in our work flow.

How Do We Create Good Feng Shui?

Here are four key tips to creating good Feng Shui in your home:

4. Plants Embody Life Energy

In Feng Shui, plants are regarded as sources of life because they connect the greater world and environment into our intimate home spaces. They are symbols of vitality, growth and the complexities of life. Their imitable and vibrant energies brighten our spaces and serve as reminders that our home is as alive as we allow it to be.

3. Remove Obstacles

We can read into this both metaphorically and quite literally—be sure to assess what physical obstacles sit in the way of your daily path, and then reflect on how they might be evolving into actual obstacles in our greater lives as well. A great example of this is in our storage cabinets or closets. If these spaces are cluttered or sources of conflict when trying to get items, then they are filled with obstacles that are only making your life more difficult—even if they don’t feel like a big deal, clutter can affect our energy.

2. Don’t Be Afraid to Open New Doors

Doors are meant to represent voice and communication in Feng Shui terms. It’s important to always make sure that your doors are not only open, but that they’re working without flaw. If they aren’t open or aren’t functioning properly, then there’s a chance that positive energy that’s meant for you is unable to clearly get to you.

1. Keep Your Entry Bright

If we’re attempting to think of our home in very human terms, then we can understand the entryway as the mouth—it’s the space where things both enter and exit. And within regard to Feng Shui, it’s the place where good energy can enter. With that, you want to make sure that the space is uncluttered, welcome and immediately reflective of who you are and how you want people to see. If it’s important to be impeccable with your word, it’s even more important to make sure that your entryway is impeccable with its taste and energy.

Keep up with all of Green Living‘s content on our website and on social media.