Feng Shui in Quarantine

Use Feng Shui to lose the overwhelming, uneasy or overworked feelings that can come with working from home.

Probably like you, I went from driving to school, to the office, to visit clients, back to school, and to the kids’ practices, to now setting up work meetings, my kids’ distance learning and virtual practices, all from the “comfort” of my home via videoconference, while giving in to provide snacks seemingly every fifteen minutes to the kids.  That run-on sentence captures how this new normal can make us feel.  During my first two weeks at home, I felt overwhelmed, frustrated, angry, and sad. I just wanted to be left alone. These are not typical personality traits of mine at all.  Then, during a teleconference with a home builder client, I was reminded of the solution.

The Ancient Meets the Modern

The modern practicality of the 3,000-year-old practice of Feng Shui consistently amazes me.  Most people only think of Feng Shui for its placement of objects and the use of colors. But it’s also about the placement of ourselves within our environment, whether-or-not we have an expansive home office.  Working from home is challenging. The environment is designed primarily for relaxation, not for focused work, especially when others are also at home.  The good news is that Feng Shui helps us integrate better with our environment, even in times like these.

In a famous incident a few years ago, BBC World interviewed a political analyst from his home office. Midway through, his two small children crashed his interview. His wife had to drag the children out, knocking books off the bed on the way.  Since the quarantine started, such incidents now seem normal.  Our efforts to find a quiet place to work or conduct videoconferences have resulted in multiple examples of poor office Feng Shui, which also happen to have real-world implications, even for a videoconference.

Our New Normal

The client videoconference I alluded to had many examples of bad Feng Shui.  One person had her back to a window, darkening her face in the video and overwhelming her with energy.  Another had their back to the office door, just like the political analyst. We saw her kids running down the hallway and probably giving her an anxiousness of people watching over their shoulder.  Yet another had a poster behind him of large waves crashing onto a lighthouse. That symbolism probably manifested into a feeling of unease that would explain the bags under his eyes.  I even saw someone working from her closet, probably the only way to provide segmentation between home- and work-life.

It was this video call that reminded me of my bad Feng Shui positioning that needed to be remedied.  I unwittingly placed myself in a position on the dining table near a fireplace where my back was to the patio door. My intention was to give my husband space for his video calls in our home office and to be close to the kids to help with their distance learning. Once I realized my error, I moved to a location at the table. I did this so my back was to a solid wall and I could see all of the doorways to the room.  My mood immediately improved.

I still juggle my work, a flood of emails, the kids’ distance learning, and snacks every fifteen minutes But I no longer feel stressed out, trapped, or overwhelmed. I now have natural light hitting my face and perspective over the entire room.  It also prevents my kids from videobombing my calls, allowing me to preserve my professionalism.  I feel in control of my domain again.

Next Steps

If you feel overwhelmed, uneasy about your work environment, or simply can’t stop working at all hours, try to implement these tips for your workspace, however small that workspace may be:

• Keep your back to a solid wall where you can see all windows and doors in the room.
• Ensure proper lighting is in front of you, rather than only behind or directly above you.
• Make sure only calming pictures and elements surround you.
• Eliminate clutter from your home.
• When the workday is over, hide it from view however you can, even if that means covering your computer with a blanket or storing your documents in a closet at night.
• Ensure you always have good posture at your computer workstation.
• Apply these same principles to your workspace at your office once restrictions are lifted.

Learn more about Feng Shui on my website.

If you are interested in improving your life through Feng Shui, I can help with a virtual consultation.

I am a 3rd generation Feng Shui expert and have helped thousands of people add harmony and balance to their homes and offices without making it look like a Chinese restaurant exploded.

I can help you attract the life that you deserve with Feng Shui.  Contact me today!

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