10 Ways Your Environment Affects Your Energy
Ever notice that you can walk into a room and immediately feel off? Or that you find yourself tidying up your desk before you can even begin to think about opening your computer?
You’re not being picky or overly sensitive - your nervous system is trying to tell you something. It’s picking up queues from your environment that has it on high alert. Whether we consciously realize it or not, the spaces we spend time in can either support our energy - or quietly sabotage it.
Let’s break down 10 sneaky (and not-so-sneaky) ways your environment might be draining—or boosting—your vibe:
1. Clutter Overloads Your Nervous System
Visual chaos = mental chaos. When your space is cluttered, your brain has to work harder to filter out distractions, and your energy gets scattered. If decluttering or simplifying feels overwhelming to you, start with one surface, one corner, or one drawer. Even small spaces will start to give your mind a break.
2. Lighting Affects Mood + Hormones
Harsh overhead lights can keep your nervous system on high alert. Have you ever had a reaction to those ultra bright white bulbs that shine so bright they’re almost blue. That’s your nervous system telling you that the lighting is too harsh for you. Instead, try soft natural light which can actually help regulate your sleep/wake cycle and elevate your mood. Tip: Add a lamp with a warm bulb or open the blinds during the day. Bonus points for candles or twinkle lights when it gets dark.
3. Noise Creates Subconscious Stress
That background hum, the constant dings of notifications, the neighbor’s lawnmower at 6AM—it all adds up. Noise pollution can raise cortisol levels and make you feel more irritable without realizing why. Try a noise machine, keeping airpods or ear plugs nearby, or even a sound bath playlist if there’s residual noise that might be keeping your nervous system on guard.
4. Scents Trigger Emotions + Memories
Smell is directly connected to your limbic system—the part of your brain that handles emotion and memory. So that synthetic plug-in might be low-key triggering a headache (or your ex). Try essential oils, natural candles, or even just opening a window.
5. Colors Carry Emotional Frequencies
Color isn’t just aesthetic—it’s energetic. Soft blues and greens can be calming. Yellows and oranges can boost creativity. Too many clashing colors? Hello, overwhelm. For those of us who are more sensitive, even clashing paint sheens can trigger the nervous system. Ask yourself: how do the colors in your space feel?
6. Digital Clutter = Mental Clutter
A messy desktop, overloaded inbox, or 37 open browser tabs (guilty) can weigh on your mind and keep your nervous system in fight-or-scroll mode. Pick one place to clean up—your phone screen, your email folders, your downloads folder. Just one. It helps.
7. Objects Hold Energy
That dusty box of stuff from your last relationship? The journal from your burnout season? Even if you’re not consciously thinking about it, your energy might still be interacting with it. If it feels heavy when you look at it, it might be time to release it.
8. Nature (or Lack of It) Shifts Your Vibe
Humans aren’t meant to live in beige boxes. A little sunlight, fresh air, or even a houseplant can totally change how grounded and energized you feel. No windows? Try nature sounds or a few sprigs of eucalyptus in the shower for an instant mood upgrade.
9. Unspoken Tension Lingers
Energy hangs out in spaces. If your office or home feels weird and you can’t put your finger on why, it could be emotional residue—arguments, stress, anxiety. Energy clearing isn’t just woo—Burning sage actually releases negative ions, which can bind to positively charged particles like dust, dander, and pollutants, helping to neutralize and clear the air.
10. Your Space Reflects Your Inner World
Your outer environment often mirrors your internal state. If your surroundings feel chaotic, you probably feel scattered. If your space feels calm and intentional, your nervous system gets the memo. The good news? You can shift either one—and the other will follow.
Start small… just start.
You don’t have to renovate your life to feel better. Start small. Clean one drawer. Light one candle. Add one plant. Open one window. Your space doesn’t have to be perfect to support your energy—it just needs to feel like you.
💫 Want more tools to detox your energy and create a vibe that actually supports your goals and your nervous system?
Join my free 7-Day Energy Detox Challenge here.