Feng Shui 風水: 5 Ways To Harmonize Your Home

The words “feng shui” may sound foreign, but “having a home that make you feel comfortable, happy and healthy” is a description that all of us can understand.

While I was doing research on this blogpost, I discovered that many well-known companies and famous celebrities have hired feng shui experts.  Businesses want continued success and celebrities want fame and fortune.

But what is feng shui and are there simple strategies that you can use to create more balance in your own home?  Why not kill two birds with one stone by using decluttering and organizing tips and create more harmony in your home at the same time?

What is Feng Shui風水

Feng shui is based on ancient Chinese interpretations to provide balance between people and their surroundings.  It is about adjusting “qi”, or energy.  By rearranging elements in the natural world, the feng shui practitioners improve or shift the “qi”, to create harmony and to promote prosperity, health, happiness and better relationships.

Before we go into the tips, let’s discuss symptoms of good and bad feng shui.

Symptoms Of Bad Feng Shui

Symptoms of bad feng shui in your home are usually quite easy to detect.  There is usually an overall negativity in the household, which include at least one of the following:

• The home makes you feel anxious making you agitated, uneasy feeling upon entering.
• Continual restless, sleepless nights experienced by one or more members of the household.
• At least one person in the home has a sudden health condition (e.g. injury, critical illness). It may also be frequent illnesses experienced by one member of the household.
• Endless stress.
• Money issues – despite diligent efforts, the family can’t seem to save money, or the family has constant legal problems.
• Never-ending arguments within family members or troubled relationships with coworkers or friends.

Symptoms Of Good Feng Shui

In contrast, when the energy in your home is balanced, you and your family can:

• Feel calm as you enter your home.
• Have improved sleep.
• Have better overall health.
• Feel more content and less stressed.
• Have better productivity and prosperity, i.e. less money troubles.
• Better relationships with your loved ones and/or colleagues and friends

Decluttering And Organizing Tips for Better Feng Shui

As a professional organizer, I recommend lots of strategies to help my clients to be more efficient.  Some of these strategies can also be applied to create better flow in the room, i.e. better feng shui.

1. Remove Physical and Visual Clutter

Clutter causes stagnant energy and prevents the qi from circulating through the space.  Physical and visual clutter radiate an unsettling feeling and cause unnecessary stress.

Common clutter can include:

• Expired foods in the kitchen.
• Expired medication and supplements.
• Shoes accumulating at the front entrance.
• Outgrown toys and clothing.
• Broken items e.g., toys, missing piece in games/puzzles, equipment and tools.
• Overabundance of items, e.g., too many plastic bags, cosmetic samples.
• Accumulated junk mail, books, paper and documents.
• Piles of clothes and dirty laundry.
• Garbage and recycling bins overflowing.
• Keeping too many “just in case” items and too many unused items in storage

First impression matters! Welcome you and your visitors by removing the clutter at the front entrance. Eliminate visual clutter by using coat hooks, vertical storage or a closet to hang jackets and store shoes.  Once inside, allow you and your visitor to feel at peace by continuing to provide a serene, calm environment. Declutter items that are no longer needed.  Containerize toys in a large chest or bin.  Avoid having piles of stuff so you and your guest feel at ease.

2. Remove Electronic Clutter

Even though electronic clutter cannot be seen, it still creates a subconscious stress that can affect your health, your work and productivity.  Stay clutter-free by changing your mindset from having “things to do” to “getting it done”.  Whether they are documents to deal with or photos that you need to send to your friends, set a deadline and make it happen.  Once something is completed, file the work promptly and clear hard drive/cloud drive on a regular basis.

3. Remove obstacles and hazards

Keeping you and your family safe is incredibly important.  Injury prevention is a top priority particularly if you have a young child or a senior in your home.

Common hazards and risks within a home include:

• Flooring: Rugs that slide, uneven flooring, stairs, changes in floor levels and slippery/wet surfaces.
• Electrical cords, cables and wires.
• Toys and books.
• Areas with poor lighting.
• Contaminates and spills.
• Products stored at the wrong height.
• A space too cluttered to perform tasks.
• Inappropriate footwear.

Preventing tripping hazards are recommended by both professional organizers and feng shui practitioners.  Provide clear clutter-free pathways by ensuring the environment is clean and safe. Keep the house clean so that there are no unnecessary spills.  Pick up toys and clean up any messes lying around.   Install additional lighting for increased visibility.

4. Set a Schedule for Regular Maintenance

Feng shui practitioners will also recommend you set a regular maintenance schedule to stay on top of any clutter and keep things from accumulating.  Less clutter means better energy flow and better overall health for everyone in the family.  The more you make your home a comfortable, safe environment, the better the qi.

5. Other Factors

Furniture placement will help with the flow of the energy in the space.  Surround yourselves with positive images by using the right colours and décor pieces that will create the balance that feng shui strategies strive for.  Make your home feel natural and comfortable.

Who doesn’t want to have a safe, comfortable home to relax in?  These strategies are simple and easy.  Like they say, “it doesn’t hurt to try”.  So, implement some small adjustments to improve the qi and create a better harmony for you and your family.