The Healing Power of Colour

Having been heavily involved in the world of colour for many years, I’m used to meeting people who suddenly become conscious of the colours they are, or more probably are not, wearing. 

A couple of weeks ago, I met a friend who’s going through some challenging times.  She noticed she’d been wearing black recently during a period that felt like bad news on bad news.  We’ve all recovered from something in our lives, from a lost toy as a child through to lost friends, relatives and health.  Our reaction to each event and our recovery time, is relative to many other factors in our lives.   However, I’ve noticed colour frequently plays a part; whether it’s wearing colour as a confidence boost or removing colour due to a knock in confidence, the colours we surround ourselves in can give a clear indication to our emotional state.

I recall a situation when I had an important deadline to meet at work.  I woke up on the day of the deadline feeling awful but decided that the inconvenience to myself and others of missing the dealine through taking time off was not worth it.  I put on my red top, brightly patterned skirt and headed off to work with the intention of keeping my head down, getting the job done and not attracting attention – I didn’t feel like interacting with anyone.

Well blow me!  Nearly everyone who walked past my desk (remember, I’m feeling awful!) commented on how well I looked.  The effect was fascinating; as the day went on, I started to feel much better – the psychological impact of people saying I looked well rather than a sympathetic ‘Are you OK? You look a bit tired!’ was profound.

Feng Shui, Chakras and other energy disciplines understand that colours carry energy and represent elements of our life.  Why else would we decide that today is the day for the red (green/blue/yellow/brown) item of clothing?  Therefore, it stands to reason that our mood can dictate the colour choice or the colour choice can influence the mood.  Chromatherapy uses colours to actively promote healing and there are lots of references to the energy of colours and what they mean.

Two years ago my winter wardrobe was almost exclusively in the Burgundy/Purple/Smoked Grape/Pink range – incoroporating the need for love, grounding, creativity and homeliness… I was ‘recovering’ from the birth of my second child.

The following summer, I wore almost exclusively blues and pinks – incorporating comunication, peace, relaxation, safety, security and love.

So, how interesting to come across this really candid article  written by Jenni Murray relating to her experience of wearing black almost from the day she was diagnosed with cancer.  I can relate to everything she says about herself but also about her friends who’ve done the opposite and used colour to give themselves a boost through their recovery.   It’s easy to give advice from the outside about what we can do to improve our outlook, not so easy from the inside.

The power of image is subtle and yet immense.  If the image and perception is healthy, we feel uplifted, if the image and perception is less favourable we can feel downhearted; sometimes we’re just not ready to feel better.  

So what small steps can you take to enhance your reflection while keeping a low profile?

Have a colour consultation to find out what colours suit you and put these colours around your face so your reflection is lifted.

• Make-up: knowing your colours enables you to achieve the subtle, natural glow
• Hair colour: match warm tone skin with warm tone hair, and cool tone skin with cool tone hair.  Anything else competes and drains you.
• Jewellery: Use the right metal colour for you (silver or gold), choosing beads, pearls and stones in your colours can bring real joy.
• Tops and scarves: Choose the colours which reflect your healthy, positive, confident side to feel happier and more at ease in your skin (i.e. with your reflection).

Have a style consultation to identify flattering styles for your body … the one that you have now.  Learn to choose the right:

• Shapes
• Proportions
• Neck lines
• Patterns

 …to start feeling comfortable and gradually build your confidence.  You don’t want to be swamped or looking like you’re trying to squeeze a ‘quart into a pint pot’.

Jenni closes her article by saying:

‘I see a different woman from the one before.  I’d like to see her in the pink, but am not sure I ever will’

When the desire to achieve that goal becomes strong enough or the pain of sitting in the dark becomes intolerable, or we wake up one morning and decide to do something different, it’s amazing what can happen. With all these tools at hand, a dash of courage, a little action every day and a lot of friendship, love and support, you’ll be amazed at what is possible when you embrace The Healing Power of Colour.