Nancilee Wydra - Rx for Living - A Monthly Column on Feng Shui

Your #1 Online Resource for Personal and Spiritual Growth Since 2000.

Welcome!

Our Sponsors:

Inspirational Gifts

Energy Muse Jewelry

Eco-Friendly Gifts

Yoga Download

Give a Gift with Soul

	Rx for Living January 2003	New! "101 Ways Feng Shui Can Change Your Life"
	by Nancilee Wydra

Shotgun Living Causes Depression and Anxiety

Hi Nancilee,

My one-bedroom apartment is VERY narrow and long and feels so closed in, and I can't seem to make it feel right no matter what I do. I enter through the back of the house into a tiny kitchen. Straight ahead is a tiny living room, and beyond that a tiny bedroom. The entire apartment is like one long hallway with a microscopic bath off to one side. All the windows are on the right side, which is north and faces the side of another house. I believe correcting this problem will help me conquer anxiety and depression. Help please!

KW
Rochester, NY

******************************************************

Dear KW

You are right; the layout of your apartment can contribute to feelings of anxiety and depression. Whether we are aware of it or not, our first reaction to a space is, "Is it safe?" and a shotgun layout does nothing to allow us to easily define the space's perimeters and therefore can increase feelings of anxiety. With little or no dappled light penetrating from the north windows your apartment is filled with bland lighting, emotionally not unlike a desert. That coupled with a dimensionless, monotonous view worsens the feelings of disconnectedness. Depression often incorporates a feeling of being cut off or not connected to the things that fill us with contentment.

By altering the above conditions you will feel less anxious and depressed living there.

1. Mount florescent lights or simple wall-mount cans in or above all windows. This will throw cones of light giving your living space the variety it needs.
2. Purchase red or burgundy colored transparent window tints. (You find these in an automotive window tinting shop) and mount between a few mullions in the living room window or if there are no mullions, pattern them in the windows. This adds the fire element color to this central rather enclosed space and the fire element enlivens and energizes.
3. Loop a ribbon with a bell attached to the front door to enliven the space with sound when you enter. It feels less stark to enter a space with sound. You can emphasize this by purchasing a chiming clock for the bedroom's furthest wall.
4. Mount a small fan in the living rooms on top of the entrance from the kitchen. Attach color ribbons to the grill protecting the blades. Have the fan on when you get up in the morning and return from work in the afternoon. Purchase a timer so that this is accomplished daily without your intervention.
5. Increase the wattage in as many light fixtures as possible, especially now since the amount of light decreases in the winter.

These small changes will add an energy and comfort level to this space that it presently lacks. You'll likely feel the anxiety and depression lift as these changes are put in place.

Best future,
Nancilee Wydra

Nancilee Wydra, Feng Shui Master and author of eight books on feng shui, travels the country lecturing and consulting for Fortune 500 companies and individuals. She is the founder of the Feng Shui Institute of America and has developed the first nationally certified professional training program on feng shui in the country.

To secure additional information about her lecturing, consulting and teaching contact her at: NancileeWy@aol.com or visit www.Windwater.com or 888-488-FSIA or --for FREE answers to feng shui questions: www.EfengshuiUSA.com.

Nancilee Wydra’s Books:
1. Feng Shui The Book of Cures
2. Designing Your Happiness
3. Feng Shui in the Garden
4. Feng Shui and How to Look Before You Love
5. Feng Shui Goes to the Office
6. Feng Shui for Children’s Spaces
7. 101 Ways Feng Shui Can Change Your Life
8. Feng Shui Principles for Building and Remodeling

Nancilee's November 2002 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's October 2002 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's September 2002 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's August 2002 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's June 2002 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's May 2002 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's April 2002 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's March 2002 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's February 2002 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's January 2002 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's December 2001 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's October 2001 "RX for Living" Column