It’s easy to think that if you want to make big changes in your life, you need to go crazy and make really big changes. You’ve been feeling unhappy for awhile so you think okay, I’ll move across the country, get a new job and find a new relationship!
All in the next couple of weeks!
There’s no doubt that sometimes that wholesale change of scene is a great strategy.
At the same time and even more often, we can get even more bang for our buck by making some surprisingly small changes; and once you start thinking about it, there’s lots of ways you can do that…
By varying your routines by a little each day; by going out and doing some small thing you perhaps thought you couldn’t do; by spending some small time each day or week engaged in quiet meditation; by engaging in a new activity that interests you…
And as in the case I want to talk more about below, you can make a big difference in your life by simply focusing on the colors that surround you.
5 Ways You Can Use Color to Boost Your Self-Esteem
Yep, you read that right, you can make big changes simply by focusing on the colors that surround you.
Think about that a little more. Color brings a lot more benefits than most of us usually think about.
It helps us become better observers of detail. Different colors give us different perspectives, and having color in our lives or adding in more color can be just what the doctor ordered for a new way to view the world.
Working with color can prove a surprisingly simple way to improve the quality of your life, and in the process, it can be just plain fun.
Note: Pick your color(s)! You might want to do all 5 using the same color, you might try using your favorite color, a color you don’t like to see what you learn from a very different way of looking at the world or you might just pick the first color that comes into your head.
Here are 5 ways you can use color to boost your self-esteem:
1. Wear the color
We’ve all heard that what you wear can affect how you feel and even how other people react to you. That said, if you’re like me, you also know that when we’re in a hurry, it’s easy to just put on the first clean thing you find in your closet and head out to work.
In a spirit of experimentation and fun, what if you more consciously pick the colors you choose to wear each day.
What do you have in your wardrobe of that color? How does the color make you feel when you wear it? How do people react to you? Do you want more of the color? Less? What does all this tell you about yourself, and what’s the learning that comes from your experiment?
2. Decorate With the Color
As is true for when we’re out and about, the things we surround ourselves with in our immediate environment impact how we feel.
How does it feel to have more of the color around the house? Find something of the color (a picture; a small object; a plant with a particular color flower; even a new piece of furniture).
How does the object fit in with what’s around? How does it make you feel to have it around? Would you want even more of the color? What does all this tell you about yourself, and what’s the learning that comes from your experiment?
3.Create With the Color
Many of us de-emphasize our creative side, implicitly assuming such endeavors are difficult and beyond our reach. At the same time, you never know what you’ll learn from engaging a little fun.
Get a pen, pencil, crayon or paint. Make a picture or just a doodle with the color. Maybe it’s not your style but maybe it’ll get your creative juices flowing. You don’t need to spend a lot of time. You don’t need to produce anything big.
Regardless, you might even find you’re more of an, “artist” than you think.
How do these actions make you feel? What does all this tell you about yourself, and what’s the learning that comes from your experiment?
4. Associate With the Color
Once you start thinking about it, you often have pretty strong associations with particular colors. Those associations can remind you of profound experiences and get you back in touch with things you really like.
So when you think of the color you have picked for the week, what are some words, images or associations that come to mind? Memories? Feelings? What does the color make you think of? Remind you of?
What does all this tell you about yourself, and what’s the learning that comes from your experiment?
5. Imagine You Yourself are the Color
How would you feel?
What would you be doing? How would you be interacting with others? Would you be bolder and more assertive? Make a different set of decisions? Would you handle conflicts differently?
What does all this tell you about yourself, and what’s the learning that comes from your experiment?
The Psychology of Color (Infographic)
Summary
Here’s a quick recap on how you can use color to boost your self-esteem:
- Wear the color
- Decorate with the color
- Create with the color
- Associate with the color
- Imagine you yourself are the color
