Calming Colors for Stress and Anxiety – Color Psychology
Color Psychology is the study of colors, and different shades of colors to find out how they affect human behavior. Color Psychology helps us understand how our emotions, choices, moods, and behavior can be influenced by the colors surrounding us. It has been established and accepted that colors influence us on a deeper level than we might think.
Therefore, Marketers spend millions of dollars on research on Color Psychology to determine the packaging of their products and what colors to paint the stores in order to impact buying behavior.
However, we are not going to discuss ways Color Psychology can help businesses make profits, we are going to discuss calming colors and how certain colors can bring us peace of mind.
Here is a list of 9 calming colors to reduce your stress and anxiety, just keep in mind, the cooler the shade of the color, the more calming it is. The warmer, bolder, or louder the shade, the more stimulating it is.
Stimulation is not a bad thing, it stands for excitement, and activity within the brain, but here we are talking about calming colors. Colors that reduce this activity or chaos in the brain and bring peace of mind by reducing this stimulation that sometimes causes stress and anxiety.
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9 Calming Colors for Peace of Mind
Calming Color 1 – Blue
“Blue is the color of peace. Water is blue. I like the color blue because it just puts me at peace. The patriotic symbol is blue. I just like blue.” – Antonio Brown
Blue is the most common favorite color amongst men and women in the world. It seems like nature has been predesigned to bring us calmness. Colors found in nature are mostly associated with calming us down.
Looks like the Creator has us covered. Research found that blue streetlights seem to reduce crimes and suicides, which is why some areas in Japan switched to Blue night lights in streets. The color also helps reduce blood pressure. The color of the sky is one of the most calming colors there is. Blue has several shades within it, so think of more cool tone blues when you want to reduce stress and anxiety, Click here for the top reasons for stress in the United States.
Calming Color 2 – Green
“Nature in her green, tranquil woods heals and soothes all afflictions.” – John Muir
In keeping with the nature, green is another soothing, calming color, that symbolizes growth, peace, and abundance. It is often called the color of life, the color of God and the color of peace. Green helps people feel well rested, that is where the concept of the “Green room” came into existence.
Same as blue, green too has several shades, some are more stimulating, while others are cooler toned, think of the trees, the grass, the leaves. The closer you are to the beautiful shades of green in nature, the more it will help reduce stress and anxiety. This calming color is also associated with God.
Calming Color 3 – Gray
“The color of truth is gray.” – Andre Gide
Gray is another calming color, it soothes the soul, and has a cooling feel about it. The right shade of gray can bring peace of mind to an exhausted soul. It is a popular color for many happy homes, the dentist’s clinic, and courtrooms. It would be best not to over stimulate a patient who is already facing stress and anxiety about getting a root canal. Ouch!
Calming Color 4 – Purple/Lilac
“Lavender – the Color and Scent of Relaxation, Youthfulness, Creativity, Imagination, Optimism”
This beautiful color not only looks amazing, but it also has relaxing properties. Purple is associated with prestige, royalty, power, elegance, and sophistication.
Cool shades of purple can evoke creativity and relaxation, which is why several spas and lounges have included this color in their layout. It affects the mind like gray does by alleviating stress and anxiety, only it feels more youthful and classier.
Calming Color 5 – Pink
“And her pink skies will keep me warm.” – Frank Ocean
Psychologists believe pink to promote peace, it balances energies and soothes those around it. Pink is often symbolic of being girly, cute, romantic, and playful, and now we can also add peaceful to the list. Think Pink, think Peace.
Calming Color 6 – White
“I call white the most powerful non-color; it’s clean, optimistic, powerful.” – Jason Wu
Probably the purest color on the spectrum, white symbolizes cleanliness, serenity, purity, creativity, new beginnings. Surrounding ourselves with this calming color brings peace of mind, it de-stresses our overworked mind and encourages relaxation.
Calming Color 7 – Brown / Tan
We connect brown to coffee, to warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and with golden, sun-kissed skin. Brown is hearth and home, and it’s the color of our roots and of history – sensationalcolor.com
Another color brought to us by nature. The color of the trees, the roots, the mud. That scent right after lovely rain shower, its wet mud and it is delightful. Brown is often overlooked, but a cool tone brown is one of the most calming colors. It is soothing to look at and helps reduce stress and anxiety.
Calming Color 8 – Yellow
Experience teaches us that yellow makes a thoroughly warm and comforting impression.
Yellow and a calming color? Color psychology says “YES”. This one might surprise a lot of you but not many colors spark a feeling of joy like yellow does. It is vibrant, bright, and brings with it sunshine – The feeling of hope, optimism, cleansing.
For a calmer effect, I would recommend a cool tone yellow. Think more pastels, yellow tends to be more warm than cool, so pick more natural hues, shades that are more pleasing than blinding will result in reduction of stress and anxiety.
Calming Color 9 – Silver
Silver affects the mind and body as a conductor and communicator that aids in public speaking and eloquence. Silver is believed to draw negative energy out of the body and replace it with positive energy – Bourncreative.com
Another beautiful calming color, silver is cooling, calming, soothing, relaxing, positive, and classy. The right amount glimmer, this color is not only luxurious but also creates a peaceful ambiance.
Calming Colors vs Stimulating Colors
Not a lot of research has been done on color psychology, but there is enough data to determine that colors affect our brain, our moods, our decisions, the way we behave and how we perceive the world. It is no surprise that certain colors bring us peace of mind, while other colors stimulate our brains.
There is no good or bad color, just depends on what we seek and what is the need of the hour. There are certain places that seek stimulation of the mind, for instance, when shopping at the mall, fast music and loud, stimulating colors help the brands make more profits. These stimulating colors impact the human mind in a way that they are tempted to buy more stuff.
Likewise, there are certain places that need to have calming colors because of the nature of work done there. For example, the doctor’s clinic, the court room; these places already evoke stress and anxiety in people, so the need of the hour is to make it as calming as possible. Using calming colors when thinking about the color scheme in these places is useful in the long run.
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