Colors can have a serious effect on our moods. Our psyche is affected by colors whether we realize it or not. Green with envy, seeing red, feeling blue— there’s no doubt that colors are linked to our emotions. Colors can excite or depress, relax or intensify, even make you feel upset and angry if there’s too much around you. The color red is a great example of this and can symbolize fiery passion or deep-seated anger. There are many ways we can take advantage of color’s ability to change our moods in a positive way and use it to better our daily lives, from seeing color through RainbowOPTX sunglasses to immediately change mood, relaxing and detoxing using chromotherapy (curing diseases using the visible spectrum of electromagnetic light) through an infrared sauna, to even changing your wardrobe by straying from dark colors such as blacks and grays.

RainbowOPTX is a sunglass company that uses color therapy in every pair of glasses they sell; they have a plethora of colors and frames to choose from, allowing you to fit your personal style while improving your mood. Red lenses can help you feel grounded, while a cooler color like blue can keep you feeling calm and relaxed. I have a pair of orange lenses that help me feel stable, balanced, and calm; I keep them in my car because I feel most nervous when I’m driving. Having the quick option to throw on a pair of shades to help with a mood change is a great and stylish way to relax, boost your energy, or gain focus and clarity. Any colored lenses can do the trick; just pick out a color that suits your needs best and choose a frame style. This may be a good option for someone who’s looking for a quick fix for emotional clarity, who isn’t quite ready to spend a ton of money or isn’t ready to commit to a complete wardrobe/style change.

If you’re looking for a more long-term way to boost your mood (and your health), chromotherapy could be right up your alley. The concept of using infrared color to change energy and cure disease and ailments has existed for centuries. Perspire Sauna Studio is a company specializing in combining this therapy with sauna relaxation techniques. Customers have found that the process decreases fatigue, can help aid in weight loss and detoxifies the mind, body, and soul. Their color options range from red to yellow, blue, orange, and violet. Red is used as an energy booster and can even help with arthritis, while violet is calming and can alleviate pains stemming from cramps. They have an entire page on their website that explains each color and it’s benefits to your well-being and physical health.

Surrounding yourself in a color while relaxing in a sauna could be the perfect way to clear your mind and boost your everyday health. If you find yourself really benefiting from infrared chromotherapy and it’s in your budget, Perspire Sauna Studio gives you the option to purchase a sauna for your own home to use at your leisure. You can sweat out those toxins while relaxing in an infrared color suited for your specific needs. It’s a fun, new, and exciting way to work on both your mental and physical health.

Now, if you’re looking for a lower-cost way to change your mood through color, try changing up your own wardrobe. Although wearing dark colors like black can be effortless as well as comforting like a favorite blanket, it can also put a damper on your daily mood. Without you even realizing it, wearing a lack of color could be the reason you got a little snappy with a co-worker this afternoon. We’re all, in one way or another, aware of the depressive qualities blacks and grays hold within them. Although it might be comfortable for us to wear these colors, they can set a dark mood that impacts the rest of your day. While we all know what a sexy black dress can do for confidence, wearing black everywhere could very well be what’s tearing you down emotionally.

There are many ways we can take advantage of color’s ability to change our moods in a positive way,

Next time you’re standing in front of your closet in the morning, coffee in hand and feeling extra groggy, try throwing on burgundy to help you feel stable and grounded, blue to boost creativity, purple to feel powerful and make a statement, or yellow (my current personal favorite) for a sense of mental clarity and simple joy. There are so many wonderful colors to add to your wardrobe, each with its own special way to boost your mentality while giving you a fresh, fun look!

Whether we choose to tune into the effects of color on our mood or not, it is important to recognize the potential that colors serve to change our mindset. And there are so many fun ways we can allow alignment of color and emotion to benefit our daily lives! Break out of your comfort zone and try a new color— whether it be a new shade of sunglasses, a relaxing trip to an infrared sauna, or even just a bright jacket to throw over one of your favorite outfits. Let the colors around you give you a sense of clarity!

Madeline is a Senior at Michigan State University studying Creative Writing. After graduating she hopes to work in social media marketing.