How To Feng Shui Your Way Out Of A Break Up
I went through a pretty difficult breakup last year. Breakups are never easy, but perhaps the biggest adjustment for me was moving back into my apartment. Even though I had an apartment for the entirety of our relationship — almost two years, I practically lived with him.
As a result most of my belongings lived there too. When I came to New York, I came with two big suitcases. And now I had managed to accumulate so much stuff, that I didn’t know what to do with it all. My tiny apartment seemed inadequate for this type of situation.
I remember being 12 or 13 and my mother telling me about Feng Shui for the first time. She would add mirrors in odd places, rearrange furniture, etc. But for some reason I always believed that it made a difference. I believe that your home is an extension of your mind and heart.
And so that’s when I made the decision to apply the laws of Feng Shui to my apartment. After all, if I was going to be spending hours upon hours of time there, shouldn’t it be a place I loved to be? Shouldn’t I look forward to going home at the end of the day?’
One of the biggest problems with my apartment is that space is limited. My room is so small that I can’t even store my clothes in it, which coincidentally works out rather well according to the laws of Feng Shui. Since I didn’t have much storage space, I used whatever space I do have under my bed and in my dresser for storage of odds and ends. Well that’s a big no-no.
Apparently storing things under your bed is not encouraged as it traps bad energy and inhibits good energy from flowing through. It can affect the quality of your sleep and overall mood. The only exception is if you store bed linens, towels or clothes. Here I was, with things such as shoes, books, shopping bags, drills and hammers under my bed.
No wonder I was having nightmares and trouble sleeping…although that could also have been attributed to my life changes too I suppose. I decided then to conduct an experiment. To Feng Shui myself into a better state of mind. To see if these laws really could attract success, health, wealth and love into my life.
Step one was finding a book that helped me better understand the laws of Feng Shui and the philosophy behind it. So I went to the book store and picked up a copy of “Feng Shui Your Life” by Jayme Barrett. Upon skimming over the chapters, my worst fear was quickly realized; it was going to take a lot longer than a few hours to complete this home makeover.
Cleaning out the closet was task number one. I moved all of my belongings home with me, but two weeks later had still not started the unpacking process: maybe it was because the packing process was so traumatizing for me or because I was still in denial about the end of my relationship. One day I just decided to finally do it. Rifling through two years worth of purchases along with old favorites was not only time consuming, it was emotionally draining as well.
There are memories in your possessions. They carry their own unique energy. The book encourages you to donate or dispose of any clothing and possessions you no longer wear or have use for. I found this particularly difficult because there were a substantial number of items that I didn’t wear or utilize often, but I did make use of from time to time. According to the book, if you haven’t worn or used it in some time, you should just get rid of it. Get rid of the old to make room for the new.
After hours of separating, hanging and folding, I ended up only donating about six or seven items. Whether that’s good or bad, I’m not sure. But I can honestly say I had a feeling of accomplishment and hope afterwards. I had been avoiding this for weeks because of what it represented: the end of something. ntil I finally realized, it wasn’t the end…only the beginning.
Here are some Feng Shui tips to live by:
- Choose your artwork and pictures carefully. They have deeper meanings than you might imagine. Make sure you use images that provoke positive emotions
- Do not hang anything on your door or allow anything to block your door. An open doorway is crucial to the flow of positive energy.
- Open your windows often to let fresh air in and keep your room full of oxygen.
- Avoid putting things under your bed, unless they are bed linens, towels or soft items. Energy should be able to flow under the bed as well or else it will trap the bad energy and promote bad dreams and health.
- If you can, avoid having a TV or computer in your bedroom. The bedroom should be used primarily for sleeping, so even books aren’t recommended.
- Throw away anything you do not have use for including clothing, paperwork and even old photographs.
- Make sure you do not pile up clothes or garbage and clean often. Dirt and dust trap promote bad energy.
Alice Panikian | Elite.
Alice Panikian is a Canadian model and former Miss Canada. She is currently working on a beauty blog and splits her time between New York City and Toronto. Follow Alice on twitter @alicepanikian.
