Having been through many traumatic life events I understand what stress can do to you so when I became involved in a battle on a matter of principle I knew I needed a coping strategy if I was to survive intact. It was the coping strategy that led me into colour therapy and get back into activities that I thought were lost to the passage of time, while winning the battle is still my main concern my future lies with what I have learned along the way. When stressed we are under pressure and have some kind of battle on our hands the causes of which are too numerous to be specific. However, here are a few general tips based on personal experience that you may find useful to keep stress under control or face up to the need for a serious change in lifestyle.

Try to Attribute Meaning to Your Experience - Violet

Most people know about Chiron the wounded healer, the premise is the therapist and client sharing the same problems creates a levelling effect preventing exploitation of the client by the therapist. My interest in shamanism led me to discover the path of the wounded healer whereby constant wounding and healing in our lives gives us an empathy with the client and because we have been through similar problems it helps us put or own ego needs to one side.

The most important thing is that we have been able to heal ourselves; that gives the client hope that they too will heal from the emotional trauma they are going through particularly when they cannot see any end to their despair. In this situation colour therapy may not make any noticeable change to how a person is feeling nor take the pain away but it will help them heal quicker and more completely from any emotion loss. Violet is the colour to use to reinforce your spiritual belief and faith especially when those around you are beginning to have doubts. Read a bit of existential psychology as it also helps if you can attribute some meaning to what you are going through, and helping others through a similar experience is the most meaningful of all.

Is This for Real? – Red, Blue, & Green

The old saying I could pinch myself when in doubt had some validity as inflicting pain is a way of finding out is something is really true and is a possible reason why some people harm themselves. When we are wondering am I losing it colour can bring put us in touch with reality, red is for grounding to bring us down to earth but is also extrovert, blue is introverted and mentally cooling to calm the hot head excesses of red, green is to maintain a sense of balance and to see things in proportion. The best way to experience these colours is in green fields under a blue sky by the sea wearing a red coat; better still get some exercise while you are there. Do not read a plot into everything that happens, on the other hand just because you are paranoid it doesn’t mean that people are not out to get you! If you are being bullied then http://www.bullying.org/ is a good place to learn about how they operate.

Anxiety & Shock – Green & Orange

Only expose yourself to what stress you have to and pace yourself; when feeling anxious the colour green will calm the heart and chest. If you are shocked then orange is the colour you need to cope with it and the effect it has on the stomach. Do not respond in the heat of the moment; leave it for a while, letters and emails read differently when you have calmed down and are in a different frame of mind.

Believe in Yourself and the Wisdom of Your Own Judgement – Orange and Gold

When stressed we do not feel very good about ourselves and begin to doubt our judgement, sometimes being able to ‘give’ is a sign of strength it means you are bigger than they are. To do that you must be confident but you must also be able to stand your ground when you know you are right in situations where compromise is not going to work. Stay positive and aim for your goals as pessimism is not reality; reality is what you can make it and even if you fail what you learn may help you get it right the next time.

Within this there is the issue of needing to be in control of your own life, sometimes we desperately need answers but the answer to your situation lies within yourself. As much as we would want it to happen it is highly unlikely that someone else is going to come into your life to solve it for you. If your self esteem needs a boost then orange is the colour you need and gold to value your judgement but too much gold is a sign of insecurity, gold is also good for the skin so use it if you have a stress related skin complaint.

Walking the Wire – Green & Yellow

If you feel as if you are walking a tight rope then you must hang onto something like the pole to stay balanced as these situations are very destructive either to yourself or to other people and neither of which is an option. Use green for balance and yellow to stay focused on getting to the other end. Beware of people wanting you to fall off!

Relationships – Magenta, Green or Blue!

This applies to relationships in general; partners, friends, colleagues and family etc. If you have supportive relationships then you need to look after them as best you can hence the magenta for compassion and green for harmony. However never get involved in a battle with anyone unless they share the same principles as you and are willing to pay the same price for failure, and that especially applies to your partner. People can grow and change through conflict and in doing so you leave others behind, they in turn can hold you back from winning the battle in order to hang onto you.

The conflict can become displaced setting up all sorts off jealousies and feelings of inadequacy and end up with a battle with those around you hence the blue as you may well end up grieving for a loss! It is also the colour to use to keep things cool and trustworthy in the work place. Sometimes we need to clear the decks before we even start in the knowledge of what is going to happen and the conclusion that sometimes you are better off on your own however painful it maybe at the time.

If your faith in human nature has taken a knock then the only person you need to believe in is yourself and if you are able to do that then you can also believe in others. Being cynical means that your thoughts and emotions are still dominated by the past, you are not in control and it may prevent someone else coming into your life as constant reference to the past can be nauseating; use blue to leave the past behind.

It’s Good to Talk But Silence is Golden – Blue & Gold

Conventional wisdom has it that talking things through can help and I believe that to be true hence the blue for communication so you can be heard and get the words out. However, the old saying that its easier to talk to a stranger is sometimes true because you do not have to deal with other peoples perception of you. Therefore you can deal with your own ego needs without having to deal with somebody else’s ego needs as well. So yes it’s good to talk but consider a counsellor who will help you decide what is best for you rather than make a decision based upon a load of competing interests, in this situation to avoid being drained by an argument its best to say absolutely nothing as you are not going to be dragged into an undignified argument.

Know Your Limitations – Red, Indigo, Gold & Black

This is a paradox because you do not know what your limitations are until you have pushed yourself and its surprising what you can do when you have to; you need the masculine energy of red for that push. However, you need indigo to listen to your intuition to know when its time to hand over to someone else; that you can trust. When stressed accept the fact that things are going to be less than perfect and make sure others accept that too.

The gold is to value yourself at the same time as letting go of the perfectionist aspects of indigo. Take a step back if you cannot see the wood for the trees and think what needs to be done next rather than what do ‘I’ do as the ‘I’ is the ego which has all the problems associated with it.

Do not exceed your authority and play it by the rules do not agree to anything outside of these or if you do reserve your rights as you will have a problem complaining about it later; use black for distance, tradition and the mystery of what’s up your sleeve. It is a sign of strength to accept your vulnerabilities with an attitude of nothing to prove; it means nobody can get to you.

The Prescribed Walk in the Park! - Red Blue Green Yellow & Indigo

This issue was recently in the news as doctors are prescribing it for their patients; here are the reasons from a colour therapy viewpoint why such an activity is so beneficial for a sense of well being.

There is a link between blue sky and levels of melatonin, which regulates our body clock and helps us sleep. The green of the countryside has a physically calming effect and is good for any heart conditions including high blood pressure. However, to balance green you need its complementary colour, which is red, red and blue are the most balanced colours.

So when stressed and wondering am I losing it colour can bring put us in touch with reality, red is for grounding to bring us down to earth but is also extroverted, blue is introverted and mentally cooling to calm the hot head excesses of red, green is to maintain a sense of balance and to see things in proportion.

Recent research has confirmed what we have known for years that exercise is as useful as psychotherapy in dealing with depression which seems to go with stress. However, most people myself included do not like exercise for the sake of it so I do it to enjoy other activities for which I need to keep fit. I do a lot of walking using sticks, which means I get upper body exercise at the same time and it makes walking much easier. I also use exercise as a time to think things over the extra flow of brain through the brain does help with the mental processes. Exercise is difficult when feeling debilitated but just 10 minutes exercise will boost the metabolism as a start to rebuild the connection between mind and body.

Exercise increases the flow of blood through the brain and stimulates the thinking processes, if you need to think things over then wear something yellow to help the mental processes or indigo to get in touch with your intuition.

Recommended music is Elgar’s Nimrod or Mozart's EineKliene Nacht Music, which is in the key of G and blue music. Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony is very good as it includes the keys of

• B = Violet – for spiritual inspiration
• D = Orange - to remove mental blockages,
• G = Blue mentally calming and healing,
• E = Yellow which is grounding and helps you think things over,
• A = Indigo which helps you use your own intuition.
• F = Green for personal space and calm during a crises, also helps with a sense of balance.

Also recommended is Simon and Garfunkel or any acoustic guitar music is generally green.

Music & Aromatherapy – Red & Green

Music is good as sound is the oldest form of healing and can be used to balance the chakras and fire us up ready for an event or to calm us down after a hard time. The main colours for this are some heavy rock for red to get fired up and the calming effect of green from Simon and Garfunkel or similar music with an acoustic guitar, for classical music the Pastoral Symphony is just that green. I also use disco lights which are good you can change the bulbs for a predominant colour, I have mine set to produce turquoise which is very calming.

Drug Abuse / Risk Taking - Red & Blue

Obviously not a good idea but understandable as we need a lift or a brush with death to appreciate life, but there are safe ways to do it such as a white knuckle ride in a theme park. I go canoe surfing which on occasions absolutely terrifying but there is something about a rush of adrenalin that is highly addictive, it also keeps me fit and there is something about being in the sea that is also very therapeutic leaving negative energy behind. Red is for courage, I wear a red anorak when canoeing and often stare at the sleeve, the blue is for addiction to keep to keep the alcohol intake under control.

Areas of Concern and Areas of Influence - Yellow

I read this one in an ezine and it works, divide all your concerns into two groups the first being your areas of concern the second areas of influence which are defined as follows. Areas of concern are those issues that obviously concern you but over which you have not control whatsoever. Therefore, accept this as a fact yes it bothers you but do not let it bother you that much because there is nothing you can do about it, moreover it is wasted time and energy trying to do the impossible. Think along the lines of how best to manage the situation rather than trying to solve it. Areas of influence are those areas of your life over which you do have control and you can do something about it, therefore, looking for a solution is going to be worthwhile; so do it. Yellow is for hard logical thought.

Creativity – Yellow & Violet

Sublimation is a sort of defence mechanism whereby any kind of artistic activity is an expression of our inner feelings which for that reason also has a therapeutic value, art therapy is the usual means by which colour therapist achieve this. However if like me you cannot draw then in tune with some online art therapist use a graphics programme like Photoshop instead, there are many tutorials on the net for graphic design that are excellent for art therapy and you can improve your graphics skills at the same time. Writing can be therapeutic as is writing this article for all the reasons I have described.

Psychic Protection – White, Indigo & Gold

There are various books on this subject and I recommend reading them, here are some aspects that I have found useful. The use of white light visualisation to blot out any form of negativity and staying cool when people who make put down comments is I believe the most important as it trains you to do this naturally. So you if come across any negativity do not take it on board just blot it out as it’s not worthy of an answer and they are not worth the bullet. This is contrary to the conventional wisdom of talking things through but that presupposes there is a solution and game players will try to drag you into their game of blaming you for their actions in which case you will never win; again blot it out and leave it behind especially at the end of the day.

Sometimes just a calm look can be all that’s needed especially when things are getting a bit heated; you also need to know when it’s appropriate to make eye contact and what body posture to use to let people know you are in control. You can also visualise colours according to the situation.

You may find symbolism useful for this purpose such as pentacle, an Atlantean cross or a crucifix the colour gold for self worth is best. Indigo is the colour of psychic protection to be used when needed. Love thy enemy is a bit much but a poor misguided soul that you are going to torment in the next life will do! The reason for this tall order is they cannot get to you but you can get to them. Sometimes your enemies can be friends as they help you move on in life whereas friends try to keep you where you are.

Transition – Brown, Light Green & Blue

If you are stressed out then something has to go and in that respect it maybe a warning sign that you about to go through a life change, in which case plan it before it is forced upon you. At first you will not have all the answers they will come with the passage of time, if you are in the brown stuff see it a fertiliser for the light green opportunities of new growth which you need to grasp as they do not fall out of the sky. In nature a caterpillar goes into a chrysalis before it becomes a butterfly and it maybe you need to cocoon yourself to do the same. Brown is also a colour of retreat so you can take time out to rebuild and recoup. The blue helps in letting go any form of residual grief you may have about the past.

Look After No1 – Yellow, Orange, Blue & Rainbow

You are the most important person in the world; this is not selfish because if you cannot look after yourself then you are not much good to anyone else, and if you are on your own then nobody else is going too, yes it’s easier said than done but make the effort. There are a multitude of psychosomatic illnesses that result from stress the most common are stomach complaints hence the yellow and orange, but these colours also boost the immune system which gets run down and that is the most dangerous. The blue is to relieve the sense of guilt some people have on this issue. A rainbow diet should be followed as you need to keep healthy with immune boosting foods.

Feeling SAD or Need Some Sleep? - Sunlight, Sky Blue and Turquoise

Regularly waking up at three in the morning means you are stressed, no matter how tired you feel always get up in the morning as day night reversal means you are on a road to nowhere. Our body clock is regulated by the secretion of melatonin; it shuts off during the day and is secreted at night to help us sleep. Recent research has found that if you work under yellow fluorescent lighting you need twenty times the amount of yellow light as sunlight to stop daytime melatonin production, this also related to SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) so get out during the lunch hour to not only get sunlight but there is something about seeing the blue sky that also plays a part in our body rhythm. Bedroom colours are important no yellows for instance and the use of turquoise for sleep works for some people so try using turquoise bedding.

Colour Acupuncture & TCM - Yellow

Chronic fatigue syndrome is also associated with being stressed; there are several interesting articles on the net concerning the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine to unblock the flow of chi around the organs. It is the stomach meridian that is usually associated with this ‘dis-ease’ so try a bit of colour acupuncture with the colour yellow as a direct treatment.

Conclusion

I have read a bit about stress, psychology and helping theories, the problem is sustainability, yes they work for a short time but people just give up as its an effort. The good thing about colour therapy is on a bad day all you have to do is smell it, look at it, wear it, or listen to it, you can build colour therapy into a life style that in itself is rewarding and enjoyable that way it keeps working with very little effort.