A simple hack for when you feel blue

I want to share a simple hack with you that can help with some of those times when you feel blue.

Have you ever noticed that when you’re feel down, colours appear less vibrant? They seem more washed out, more grey. It’s a real thing! And it’s caused by the impact of mood on colour processing in the brain.

Low mood literally washes some of the colour out of life.

On the flip side, when you feel cheery, colours seem brighter, more full, more vibrant.

So here’s the simple hack to help raise your mood when you’re feeling ‘blue’. 

Make an effort to focus on colour. The brighter the better. If you’re outside, pick out the different shades of greens in grass and on trees. Try to focus on the brightest bits. It might be difficult at first, but keep at it.

Let your gaze fall on reds and oranges, colours in flowers. If you’re walking along the street, focus on the red taillights of cars, the bright colours in any signs you see. Just search for and focus on any colour you can.

At first, you might struggle to find bright, full, or strong colours, but that’s partly because of how you feel. Just keep at it. You’ll notice them brighter and lighter before long.

And as you do, hopefully your mood will feel a bit brighter too.

Now, there’s no science I’m aware of where this hack has been tested. My sample size here is 1. It’s just something I came up with myself, but it’s based on the fact there is actual science that shows how our perception of colour can be impacted by mood. Low mood makes colours appear more dull, whereas a brighter mood makes them seem brighter and more vibrant. I’m suggesting that actually focusing on brighter colours when our mood is low might help us feel brighter.

Many systems in the body are ‘bi-directional’. That is, they go both ways. Like they’re in synch. One seems to cause the other, but the same is true in reverse.

Like if you feel happy you tend to smile. But it also works the other way around. If you smile a lot, it can make you feel happier. 

Similarly, when you feel stressed you tend to tense. But tensing on purpose repeatedly can also make you feel stressed.

Similarly, when some people feel anxious they bite their nails, but this is bi-directional too – biting your nails can make you feel anxious.

Many things are bi-directional: two-way streets.

So perhaps mood and perception of colour is too.

In other words, when you feel happy, bright, positive, you tend to see colours more brightly, but it’s also true that when you focus on seeing bright colours, you tend to feel more happy, bright, and positive as a consequence.

Next time you’re feeling blue, give it a go and see how you get on. My hunch is that focusing on colours, will start to make them seem a little brighter. And you’ll also then start to notice colours that you might have missed before.

It might have an effect quite quickly or you might have to keep at it for a bit. Last time I tried it, it took about 10 minutes before I was definitely aware of feeling a little brighter. If you keep at it even longer, who knows!

Worth a try, perhaps.

Now go focus on some bright colours. 🙂