Try feng shui to boost your mood

When Kate Troyer discovered feng shui by reading the “The Western Guide to Feng Shui” by Terah Kathryn Collins, she realized she had been living out the ancient Chinese methods her whole life.

As a kid growing up in Wooster, she spent hours watching Martha Stewart’s decorating TV show and spontaneously made upgrades to her family home, such as repainting a bathroom. She noticed it improved her well-being.

“When I made changes in my environment, it affected my mood,” Troyer says. “It affected how I felt about myself, how I felt about having friends over.” She became a certified feng shui practitioner and launched her Chagrin Falls-based home wellness company, Feng Shui Kate. Through personal consultations and a virtual membership collective, Troyer makes the ancient concepts relatable.

“It’s the practice of realizing that your environment is a direct mirror of anything that’s going on inside you,” she says.

Troyer offers tips to begin applying feng shui to your space.

Cut Clutter

Since your environment mirrors your state of being, decluttering will help you feel a sense of calm in your home and nix stress about cleaning. Troyer recommends first redefining clutter.

“To me, the definition of clutter is anything that you do not love, that you do not use or that doesn’t serve a purpose within your life or within your home,” she says.

It can be overwhelming, so she suggests sitting in each room and scanning the contents. Ask yourself, How does each object make me feel? If you hate it, trash or donate it. If you love it, keep it.

Decluttering your home leads to decluttering your mind, Troyer explains. Often, her clients have items they can’t stand. And removing items that carry negative memories, such as clothes from an ex, can also remove their negative energy from your consciousness.

“Everything has energy,” she says.

And when it comes to filling your space, buy only what you like.

“It’s not about being trendy. … It’s what feels good to you,” she says. “It’s really important their energy is infused in their space. They need to look at it and say, Oh, my god, I love this.”

Maximize Functionality

It’s vital the items in your house are useful.

“Your home should really be set up to serve you and the lifestyle that you live or want to live,” Troyer says.

She offers a few examples. Say you’re excited about your new 6 a.m. yoga class but you keep losing your mat. Add a holder by the door you exit so you always know where it’s at. The same principle works for keys. Try putting a dish by the door that you can drop them in. Troyer tried this with her boyfriend, but one dish wasn’t enough since he’s on the move. Instead, she has four bowls throughout the house, and now he knows his keys are always in one of them.

Add Balance

In spots that are shared, like an owners’ bedroom, each person should have equal space.

“Bedrooms are really important for balance,” Troyer says. “It’s extremely important that you have equal amounts of room on the side of the bed.”

When she works on client bedrooms, she can tell a partner is dominant if they have more room on their side of the bed. Balance things out with matching nightstands and lamps on each side of the bed for each partner.

Increase New Energy

A simple act that we don’t always do can be key to a big energy boost.

“Feng shui believes that your front door is where all new fresh energy comes into your home,” Troyer says. She recommends using it several times a week or once a day. “[It’s] the intention that you’re allowing new energy in, especially if you’re in a home that feels stagnant.”

And because it’s how energy enters your home, your entranceway should feel good to you. Stand outside and examine it. Is the paint peeling? Is the lightbulb burned out? Is it appealing? Troyer says an unkempt space can be a reflection of the people inside and chaos in their lives. So make it a space you are proud of by decluttering, fixing issues and adding decor that feels like you.

“It’s also your projection of who you are to the world — your front door — that’s how feng shui sees it,” she says.

Feng shui is an ongoing process, so continue to check in and investigate each space and feel better in the process.

“Taking care of our space and setting it up to serve us and to reflect good feelings back is really important,” Troyer says. “Because I care about the energy I’m putting out and the energy that I’m getting in, that’s ultimately going to bleed into your personal life.”

fengshuikate.com