Have more energy, be productive, and reduce stress: These aspirations may sound tough to accomplish in reality, but what if resetting the space around you could help?
According to the governing principles of feng shui, the ancient Chinese practice of space alignment, rejuvenating your life might be as simple as moving things around.
Do you find yourself feeling more stressed or anxious when your home is a mess? Per feng shui philosophy, that’s because there’s a direct relationship between your space and the way you feel when you’re in it.
“There’s a Chinese concept that everything is filled with chi, or energy, and the chi is going through the space,” says R.D. Chin, a feng shui architect in New York City. “You want to have it go in a nice smooth fashion — as easy as possible.”
First and foremost, Chin recommends opening up spaces to encourage the chi to fill your home in a way that best supports you. This can be done by paying attention to what makes you feel good or bad when you’re in your space.
“I think feng shui is much more of a universal human philosophy, and the Chinese happened to create words for it,” Chin explains. “We all have spaces. We have our bedroom space, we have our office, we have our apartment, we have New York City, wherever we live — that affects us.”
Dos and Don’ts of Feng Shui
When you use feng shui to intentionally craft your living and working spaces, you may improve your energy and mindset, and foster more peace.
“Feng shui is a way of looking at your spaces in your home and reflecting upon the layout and your relationship with your home to create a more supportive environment,” says Anjie Cho, a feng shui educator in New York City. “How you invest in your home represents how you invest in yourself.”
Here are some feng shui principles to help you get started.
Do Clear Your Clutter
Sometimes having too many material things in a space can clutter our minds and create an overwhelming feeling of having too much to do. Clearing out the space or organizing it may help reduce feelings of stress and promote positive energy flow.
“The flow of energy is about having it feel easy to move around from room to room. It feels good,” says Chin. “You don’t want to be tripping over your clothes or stuff to get into a room.”
Putting things back where they belong might help you feel less overwhelmed in both your physical and mental space, so you can worry less about what’s next on your to-do list. It’s also helpful to declutter regularly throughout life. Older adults who let clutter build up have lower levels of life satisfaction compared with those who do not procrastinate on these disposal decisions, according to research
Don’t Mingle Your Home and Work Environment
The way you feel at home (at rest) should ideally be the opposite of how you feel at work (in go mode). In feng shui, it’s important to pay attention to these different energies and craft your space accordingly. Chin relates these energetic nuances to the Chinese principles of yin and yang.
“Your home energy I would categorize as more of a yin — much more quiet. This is where you want to relax and let go of the things you do during the day,” says Chin. “The office is a much more yang energy — a lot of activities going on. You have your computers, meetings, and lots of walking around.”
If you work from home, try to separate the spaces where you work and relax, so you can truly unplug and restore when it’s time to wind down.
Do Honor the Commanding Position
The commanding position principle governs the ideal place where your desk, bed, and stove should be situated in a room.
“You want to see the door without being directly in line with it. This usually means being diagonal from the door,” says Cho. (In direct line is not a commanding position.)
According to Chin, this belief stems from ancient times, when it was considered dangerous to have your back to a doorway. Chin recommends working in a commanding position in which you can observe what’s happening in front of you.
“Find a desk where you can see everything in front of you and not have too many people coming from behind you. When you’re in a position where you can see everything, you feel a bit more in control,” he explains. “Your focus and attention will be much better.”
Of course, sometimes it’s impossible to set up your space this way. In that event, you might set up a mirror so you can see the reflection of the door, adds Cho.
Don’t Block Windows
In feng shui, natural light can help support a happy, balanced environment. Avoid completely blocking windows with furniture. For example, place your bed and headboard against a solid wall, as opposed to a window, says Cho.
A window behind you and your furniture carries more fragile energy, she explains. Instead, keep windows clear to allow for the free flow of energy.
Do Show the Center of a Room Some Love
Feng shui places your well-being at the center of your life. As such, Cho recommends bringing attention to the center of your bedroom. (There is often a call to focus on the center of your home, but she says it can be difficult to identify the center of your home without help from a feng shui expert. Finding the center of your bedroom is generally more straightforward.)
“The center of your bedroom represents your health,” says Cho. You might hang a feng shui crystal ball (a small glass orb on a red string) from the ceiling in the center of your bedroom to enhance your health, per feng shui principles.
7 Feng Shui Tips for Beginners
Now that we’ve outlined some basics of feng shui that could be implemented without major changes or expense, here are more expert-recommended tips to apply feng shui in your home.
Make Use of Natural Light
Natural light provides measurable health benefits, such as boosting levels of vitamin D, reducing seasonal depression, and improving sleep. In addition to its health and mood-enhancing benefits, light is an essential component of feng shui because it’s considered an energy source. Since feng shui is all about the flow of chi, the more natural light, the better.
A nonacademic survey of over 1,600 North American employees found that natural light and views of the outdoors were considered the top office perks, outranking other employee benefits like on-site cafeterias and fitness centers. The study also found that 47 percent of employees felt tired due to the absence of natural light in their office.
So open those windows, let the light in, and get that energy flowing.
Bring Nature Indoors
Potted plants do more than make a room Instagram ready.
According to Chin, bringing nature inside is the founding principle of feng shui. As a matter of fact, “feng” translates to “wind” and “shui” translates to “water.” Therefore, feng shui seeks to create the calming feeling of nature, and having plants indoors is one of the best ways to do so.
In research conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, people who had access to green space or views of nature had higher levels of self-esteem and happiness, and less depression, anxiety, and loneliness compared with those who were more isolated away from nature.
“Orchids, bamboo — it could be any plant — just bring some green energy into the space,” says Chin. “They enhance the flow of energy, or chi, to enjoy the space.”
If you have a bare room, try adding a plant to bring a grounding energy into your space. If you lack a green thumb (hey, no judgement), faux plants can also be a solid option.
Make Your Bedroom a Sanctuary
Your bedroom should ideally have a restorative energy and be your favorite place to go at the end of a long day. Chin recommends utilizing spa-like practices in the bedroom, such as soft lighting, aromatherapy, plants, salt lamps, and noise machines.
“Create an environment that’s very peaceful or create an environment that really nurtures your soul,” he explains. Here are a couple of recommendations to get you started.
Remove mirrors. In feng shui, large mirrors are thought to create too much energy and prevent restful sleep in the bedroom, says Chin.
Set up matching end tables. Chin’s advice to couples sharing a bedroom is to have matching end tables on each side of the bed. Matching end tables are thought to create a sense of harmony and balance in a couple’s relationship.
Tidy up under the bed. If you must store something under your bed, keep it to sleep-related items such as pillows or blankets, says Cho. Items under the bed block the flow of chi. They’re also often emotionally charged, such as mementos from past partners, memories from childhood, or even divorce papers — all of which creates energy that can keep you stagnant.
Remove electronic devices. Try your best to keep electronic devices like phones and laptops out of the bedroom. Using electronic devices that emit blue light before going to bed can prevent you from having restful sleep. One study found that the blue light emitted by smartphone screens throws the body’s circadian rhythm out of whack and reduces levels of melatonin, which can impact your ability to sleep at night. “By not having these electronics in the bedroom, at least you’re trying to separate the different energies,” says Chin.
Mind Your Front Door
“Your front door represents your face to the world,” says Cho. Her recommendation? Clean it. That’s right: Wipe down the outside of your front door. It should also remain clutter-free, and the house number should be visible and easy to find. “If a delivery person can’t find your door, the chi has trouble finding it. The goal is to open up the energy at your front door,” she says.
The door should also open fully to allow people to enter without obstacles, so make sure that any extraneous items (shoes blocking the entryway, anyone?) are removed.
Use Your Stove Regularly
Feng shui isn’t just about designing where you sleep, relax, or work. It’s about each room in your home, including your kitchen.
“Your stove represents your wealth and resources. How well you can cook for yourself directly relates to how you do in the world,” says Cho. Even if you don’t cook, ensure that your stove works, and if not, repair it.
Cho also advises using your stove once a day to activate the fire energy in your home. “When you cook food, you change one thing into something else. Fire is what creates this transformation,” she says.
Finally, check your fridge and pantry to see what needs to be tossed, like expired condiments or untouched items in the freezer. “If you have old, expired, or spoiled food, that represents what you’re holding onto in your body,” says Cho.
Hang Multidimensional Artwork
There are lots of ways to use artwork to encourage feng shui. If you love a work of art, incorporate it into your feng shui decor. Remember: What you put in your space should make you feel good.
Chin recommends hanging photographs of nature in your space or artwork that allows you to look off into a distance. “Paintings with layers or a horizon may help reduce stress,” he says. “It also helps soften the space.”
Create a Quiet Space
To stay grounded, it’s important to seek restful solitude.
“Create a quiet time for yourself, even for 5 to 10 minutes or whatever you can do. If you can, try to be in nature, and don’t turn on your phone,” says Chin. A quiet place for yourself can be anywhere: a room in your home, a place in your neighborhood, somewhere in nature, or anywhere you feel like you can mindfully breathe.
“We’re just trying to balance ourselves amid all of this stuff that’s surrounding us,” he says. “That’s what feng shui is: It’s a balancing act.”
Justin Laube, MD
Medical Reviewer
Justin Laube, MD, is a board-certified integrative and internal medicine physician, a teacher, and a consultant with extensive expertise in integrative health, medical education, and trauma healing.
He graduated with a bachelor's in biology from the University of Wisconsin and a medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School. During medical school, he completed a graduate certificate in integrative therapies and healing practices through the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing. He completed his three-year residency training in internal medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles on the primary care track and a two-year fellowship in integrative East-West primary care at the UCLA Health Center for East-West Medicine.
He is currently taking a multiyear personal and professional sabbatical to explore the relationship between childhood trauma, disease, and the processes of healing. He is developing a clinical practice for patients with complex trauma, as well as for others going through significant life transitions. He is working on a book distilling the insights from his sabbatical, teaching, and leading retreats on trauma, integrative health, mindfulness, and well-being for health professionals, students, and the community.
Previously, Dr. Laube was an assistant clinical professor at the UCLA Health Center for East-West Medicine and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where he provided primary care and integrative East-West medical consultations. As part of the faculty, he completed a medical education fellowship and received a certificate in innovation in curriculum design and evaluation. He was the fellowship director at the Center for East-West Medicine and led courses for physician fellows, residents, and medical students.
Brianna Majsiak
Author
In her role as an editor, Brianna writes and edits content around breast cancer, gynecological cancer, and hereditary cancer risk. She received her master of science degree from Columbia Journalism School, where her thesis focused on young women who are at high risk for breast cancer.
Brianna is excited to work with the Everyday Health team, which she first joined in 2018 as an intern, because she is passionate about sharing stories and resources to help others feel less alone when navigating a diagnosis or health condition. When she’s not writing, you can find Brianna creating a community for those affected by breast and gynecological cancers through the nonprofit The Breasties.
Jessica Migala
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Jessica Migala is a freelance writer with over 15 years of experience, specializing in health, nutrition, fitness, and beauty. She has written extensively about vision care, diabetes, dermatology, gastrointestinal health, cardiovascular health, cancer, pregnancy, and gynecology. She was previously an assistant editor at Prevention where she wrote monthly science-based beauty news items and feature stories.
She has contributed to more than 40 print and digital publications, including Cosmopolitan, O:The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Woman’s Day, Women’s Health, Fitness, Family Circle, Health, Prevention, Self, VICE, and more. Migala lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, two young boys, rescue beagle, and 15 fish. When not reporting, she likes running, bike rides, and a glass of wine (in moderation, of course).