Best Room Colours for Anxiety (Using Colour Psychology)
This is an extensive list of the best room colours for anxiety. You can have your room painted in these colours or fill it with items of these colours. Either way, exposure to these particular shades will help ground you and lower your anxiety.
What are the Best Room Colours for Anxiety?
The top room colours for people dealing with anxiety are listed below:
- Alabaster White
- Tan
- Muted Grey
- Deep Blue
- Mediterranian Blue
- Bright Yellow
- Pastel Orange
- Neutral Beige
- Sage Green
- Magnolia
- Lavender
- Baby Pink & Dusty Pink
- Red (Lighting Not Walls)
- Empress Rose
- Coral
- Peach
Room Colours to Soothe Anxiety
Colours have historically been associated with many things, emotions being just one of them. This rich and complex heritage is shared by no other visual attribute like shape, line, or texture. That’s because humans definitely have some arcane relationship with how we see colours.
The importance we attach to our perception of light and colour and its emotional effects is a subject of many research publications. However, not everyone agrees that these connections of colours with emotions hold true. According to this paper, one should be wary of colour psychology and colour therapy claims made in popular culture.
However, if you are looking for a compilation of colours that could help with anxiety, we’ve made the following list for you:
Alabaster White
Colour influences perceptions which might not be very on the face. They have qualities that can cause certain emotions in people. Alabaster is a chalky, warm, almost plaster-like white. It is a gorgeous neutral, which is soothing and peaceful.
An alabaster white room would be perfect for the morning yoga or meditation. It will help you get your centre than can fuel you for the whole day. Be free from anxious thoughts to realise your full potential!
If you’re open to trying yoga for anxiety and stress relief, check out these top Yoga DVDs.
Tan
Colour is a powerful communication tool and can be used to signal action, influence mood, and even influence physiological reactions. Neutral colours are highly effective when it comes to having tranquility and composure.
Spending half an hour in a neutral coloured room, doing breathing exercises or grounding meditation can alleviate anxiety. Tan is a great neutral and works well as a base for highlighting other colours. There is a warmness to it that reminds us of candlelight, which is incredibly relaxing.
Muted Grey
Are you a little surprised to see gray on this list? Grey is often seen as being a bit dull and boring. Some people might even consider it to be a little depressing. This happens because we often feel a bit sad on days where the sky is very cloudy.
However, the right shade of grey can actually be very calming and slackening. Muted grey is a perfect light-toned colour. It works well with pretty much any colour or palette, which makes it a great option for any room.
Deep Blue
Blue is a classic colour that many people turn to when decorating their homes. There is a good reason for that. Blue is a colour often found in nature. For example, the pale blue of a daytime sky or the rich dark blue of a deep pool of water.
This is why it is quite soothing and can help to calm a busy mind. Deep blue is often used to decorate offices because research has shown that people are more productive in blue rooms.
Mediterranian Blue
Mediterranian blue was inspired by its waterbody namesake. The vastness of the Mediterranean sea and its calm, gentle waves on a sunny day is inspiring. Colouring your room with this would bring the sea’s raw, tranquil energy to you.
You would have a piece of calm to return back to after a tiring day. Even when you cannot leave the anxiety-inducing hustle bustle of life. Paint your safe space using this gorgeous colour and feel fantastic!
Bright Yellow
There is a reason why bright yellow is the favourite colour of SO many children! It is cheery, warm and makes you feel splendid. If you need a happy room in your home, look no further. Paint the walls with sunshine and enjoy its gorgeousness.
Intended to create a sense of excitement or energy, its brightness immediately grabs the eye. The freshness, intensity, and forceful energy can also be a welcome distraction from the drudgery of life.
Pastel Orange
Orange is the colour of bright sunsets and fruits such as oranges and tangerines. So many people associate this colour with the beauty of a setting sun or the refreshing taste of citrus.
Its pastel version reminds you of spring and fallen leaves, while also being muted and calming. Pastel orange belongs to the pale family of colours and is notable for its lightness and perceived softness. Choose this colour for a blend of energy and tranquility.
Neutral Beige
One of the most commonly used paint colors, beige can be a neutral territory throughout your home’s spaces. Beige can be warm or cool depending on the colours used around it. It’s generally conservative and can take on the warmth of brown or the coolness of white.
It takes on the meaning of the colours around it and often fades into the background. This makes it a great colour to use in combination with warmer colours to bring on a sense of calm energy.
Sage Green
According to Paul Brunton, a spiritual writer, green, which is nature’s colour, is restful, soothing, cheerful, and health-giving. Quiet and restful, green is a calming colour that can invite harmony and diffuse anxiety.
Its association with trees and outdoors, makes it refreshing and tranquil. Invite the energy of Mother Earth into your homes, by painting your room with sage green. Its neutrality adds to the pleasantness and gives you a happy disposition.
Since a lot of people turn to spirituality to cope with their struggles, here are the best spiritual books you can try for anxiety.
Magnolia
Magnolia is a warm white, creamy colour, which means it is a yellow-based white. The psychological properties are quite similar to white. The positive attributes of it are clarity, purity, simplicity, sophistication and efficiency.
Its light pink blush gives you a joyful feeling. It may also fuel creativity. Anxiety often curbs your creative flow and artists may suffer from severe blocks. Paint your office with magnolia and experience your complete capability.
Lavender
Lavender has a number of medicinal properties, from aromatherapy to value as an antiseptic. Because of this, along with its religious connotations, the colour is mentally associated with healing, relaxation, cleanliness, and purity.
The lavender colour encourages calmness and tranquility of mind. It is useful for both self-reflection and invoking a relaxed, meditative state. All of these properties will support you in pushing away the negative thoughts, or fight them head on.
Baby Pink & Dusty Pink
While pink’s calming effect has been demonstrated, researchers of colour psychology have found that this effect is more during the initial exposure to the colour. When used in prisons, inmates often become even more agitated once they become accustomed to the colour.
Both of these shades of pink have the property of neutrality. This makes them idyllic and comforting. Forget about your anxious thoughts and dreadful feelings, while chilling in pink rooms.
Red (Lighting Not Walls)
Red light is the least likely hue of light to impact our internal clocks. Red light in the evening can help improve mental health. This is because in the evening, it helps increase the secretion of melatonin which leads to better sleep at night.
Better sleep at night leads to improved cognition and overall mental wellbeing. A healthy sleep is a natural anxiety reliever. Practicing good “sleep hygiene” helps you feel energetic and fresh in the morning, without having worrisome thoughts.
Empress Rose
There’s no better colour than Empress Rose to give your bedroom a romantic glow and dramatic effect. The colour of passion gives a lively feel to this bedroom. If you have been facing anxiety in the department of romance and sex, you may consider this colour.
Anxiety makes us doubt ourselves, without any valid proof for doing so. It is basically your brain lying to you, telling you, you are not enough and making you afraid. Tackle this, with the beautiful, regal colour of the Empress rose.
Coral
Coral is, for most people, perceived as a largely positive color. Warm, dynamic, and invigorating, it blends the femininity of pink with the optimism and energy of orange. Corals with more red tones are particularly strong and vibrant.
They can be used successfully in masculine schemes. It responds to your inner yin-and-yang energy and harmonizes your mood. A balanced temper can reduce physical symptoms of anxiety like jitters, heart palpitations, and chest pain.
Peach
Last, but not the least, the serene peach. The colour peach is excellent for communication, which helps counteract the confusion and the mental muddle that accompanies anxiety. It is a colour that gives you shelter, as it does not let you sink into pain or disappointment.
This brings a high degree of positivism, always rejuvenating us in the most difficult moments. Paint your rooms with peach to invite this positivity into your life.
Side Note: I have tried and tested various products and services to help with my anxiety and depression. See my top recommendations here, as well as a full list of all products and services our team has tested for various mental health conditions and general wellness.
Conclusion
This is an extensive list of the best room colours for anxiety. You can have your room painted in these colours or fill it with items of these colours. Either way, exposure to these particular shades will help ground you and lower your anxiety.
Colours that can calm your anxiety are Alabaster White, Tan, Muted Grey, Deep Blue, Mediterranian Blue, Bright Yellow, Pastel Orange, Neutral Beige, Sage Green, Magnolia, Lavender, Baby Pink & Dusty Pink, Red (Lighting Not Walls), Empress Rose, Coral, and Peach.
FAQs (Best Room Colours for Anxiety)
What is the most calming colour?
According to experts, the most calming colours are pastel blue and lilac. These are soft tints that comprise a primary or secondary colour mixed with white. Their gentle appearance seems to have a calming effect on viewers.
What colours make you feel calm?
Some colours have a calming effect that not all shades possess. In cool colours, blue and green share this feature. Pastel colours too, which are also known as tints, have this effect. Some examples are baby blue, lilac, and mint. Otherwise, neutrals like white, beige and grey can also make you feel more grounded.
What color paint reflects the most light?
To make the most of natural light, it’s best to keep walls painted white. This will help reflect the light more and brighten your space. White walls can make even a smaller rooms look well lit.
What colours brighten up a room?
If you wish to brighten up a room, it’s best to play with primary and secondary colours. You can add white or black or grey to these to make tints, shades, and tones. Top colours for this effect are:
Yellow
Blue
Red
Orange
Green
Pink