Using Light Therapy to Create Happiness and Health

While we easily associate light with lamps and sunshine, light pervades almost every area of life in some way. Illumination is linked to the idea of emotional well-being; we see happy people who appear to be “lit from within.” Light is bestowed in many religions upon the holy; radiating from religious iconography. New Age philosophy throws another perspective into the mix, elaborating on fields of light that surround our bodies known as auras.

The many ways we have absorbed ideas of illumination into culture paint a picture of the richness of light in life. Life is full of light. To some, light is life itself.
From this vibrant vantage point it becomes clear that shining more light on life can make us feel happier and more vital. Light therapy products make accomplishing this a simple task.

In the philosophy of feng shui- the ancient art and science of creating optimal environments- light brings the element of fire into a space. Fire elemental energy affects everything from romance and finances to daily motivation. More fire means more passion, more energy and more heat. Where there is a lack of fire, things feel stuck. Great difficulty turning dreams into action is often mirrored by a lack of fire and light in an environment.

Washing windows, waking up earlier and spending more time in nature during the day are simple ways to start adding light and fire to a daily routine. Upward-facing lamps add a great deal of “fire energy” and brightness to dark corners of a room.
Sometimes, though, we need a hefty dose of light. Light therapy products can provide us with the light we need.

Beating Insomnia & Jet Lag

Our bodies run on circadian rhythms- an internal clock that is triggered by light. Travelling through time zones leads to jet lag, confusing our internal clock. Night shifts, all-nighters and late nights can land us in a similar light confusion that leads to insomnia. If you have problems sleeping, putting lights on dimmers or shutting off many of them several hours before bed will naturally send your body the “signal” that it is time to sleep. To supercharge sleep time, Verilux makes one of the coolest light-and-sound-based sleeping and alarm systems ever! Their Rise & Shine Serenity Wake-Up Light works with your internal clock to create your perfect sleep rhythm, and they added in color and music to make it extra-extraordinary.

Bringing Emotion To Life.

Light creates color, and color has a profound effect on emotions. White light itself contains all the colors of the rainbow. What we see as color is what an object is reflecting back at our eyes. In the dark, there is no color. Color psychology has been used scientifically in healing (green), enhancing memory through color association, stimulating creativity (blue & green), and even calming anxiety (pink). This is why I always recommend using full-spectrum light bulbs indoors like the awesome LED bulbs from Verilux. They capture all of the colors of the spectrum and help us to see more “true” and vibrant colors.

I have revamped homes and moods by simply changing a few light bulbs!

Lifting Depression.

Much more seriously, lack of light can trigger depression in many known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, (SAD). It is common to feel a slump in mood when the hours of sunlight shrink as seasons change to Fall and Winter. There is innovative light therapy product now available to use at home to chase away these blues. Nature Bright SunTouch Plus light boxes can be placed near you at timed intervals to counteract a great deal of SAD symptoms. This amazing light therapy has also been shown to alleviate other forms of depression- a worthwhile tool to try if you need to lighten your life on many levels.

My feng shui formula for an instantly brighter life includes many rainbow-packed light bulbs, lots of sunshine, and at least three light sources in each room. Stir in more powerful doses of therapeutic light when you need a boost of joy and power.

So… are you ready to light up your life?