"Screwed-up-ness!" That's how my client described what's going on in her pandemic world when she asked for tips to turn her home into a refuge from stress and anxiety. I'm also hearing more traditional words like "serenity," "security," "peace," "harmony," and "balance" from my clients in these troubled times. The colors, furniture, and art you choose affect what you attract into your life, and the right Feng Shui combinations will help reduce stress. All areas are important when it comes to achieving balance, but you'll benefit most from a Feng Shui makeover in these three:

Home Workspace. Whether you're working from your bedroom during the pandemic, running a business from a separate home office, or anything in between, you'll reduce stress by minimizing clutter. That means filing things out of sight rather than piling them on every surface. Place your desk or work table in the Power Position, which is with your back against a solid wall, preferably on an angle to the door. Avoid sitting with your back to the door where you can be "caught off guard" by things that go on behind you. Reduce stress further by balancing yin and yang, the two opposing forces in Feng Shui, and mixing the Five Elements. For example, a home office with too much yang - brightness, angles, electronics - creates a stressful environment. Similarly, too much of the Fire Element - hot red colors and triangular shapes - makes you feel overwhelmed by your work. Place a living plant within 3 feet of your computer to absorb some of the negative electromagnetic energy it generates. [Photo courtesy of the "Grow Your Business with Feng Shui" class at Udemy.com.]

Entrance/Foyer. The front door is called the "Mouth of Chi" where all positive energy enters a home, and the foyer spreads that energy to the other rooms. Clutter in your entrance area makes you feel like you can't settle down. It sends the message that you have so much “home work" to do that you're running behind. Avoid piling shoes in the entrance, because this represent "walking away" from a peaceful life in the home. If you have to keep shoes, backpacks, and totes in the foyer, add storage options to keep them out of sight. Avoid locating a mirror across from the front door, because it reflects the soothing positive chi right back out of your home. Choose artwork that makes you feel grounded and happy to be home.

Master Bedroom. The master bedroom should be reserved for "rest and romance" only. Since it's the room where we transition from public to private life (and hopefully, from hectic to peaceful), it's especially important to remove all work-related items. If you must have a work area here, screen it off at night with a standing screen or tall plants. Keep your bedroom as free from electronics as possible. If you keep your cell in the bedroom as an alarm clock, try not to check your email the last thing at night. The best soothing wall color for a bedroom is a skin tone, ranging from ivory to mahogany. Place your bed against a solid wall for security and grounding, and add a headboard for support. Avoid keeping anything under your bed so the chi can circulate and encourage undisturbed sleep. If your storage is limited and you must store something underneath, choose soft things like out of season clothes or linens. Don't store your exercise equipment under the bed or you'll feel like you are "running away" from peaceful sleep.

Do you really want to pay a mover to take all that stuff with you to your new home? One easy way to cut down on your packing load is to toss or donate things you never use. Is your utensil drawer so full you can barely close it? Are the plastic containers breeding overnight in your kitchen cabinet? Are you ever again going to use that Bundt pan? Here are a dozen questions to ask yourself to help decide what things you can donate, trash, or share with your friends. When you lighten the load of "stuff," your move will be more peaceful, and your new home will start out clutter-free.

Bonus Question: Are you feeling loaded down with clutter,but not planning a move? Don't wait - find things that you don't need, don't like, or don't want and get rid of them right now.

Q: Your webinar was superb. I have one follow-up question that the moderator didn't get to read: You talked about how you turned around your desk, and if I understand correctly, your back should NOT be to the front door?

A: The most auspicious location for a desk is in the “power position,” which is facing the room door on the diagonal. The least auspicious is when you sit with your back to the door of that room. If your desk is in an open area and your back is to the front door that would be inauspicious. But if your desk is in a separate room, it’s the door to that room that is the concern. The front door would not come into play.

Q: I have been working through my third surgery since the end of last year, and I'm finally improving. I know that healing is all about intention so I’ve set my intention to heal. Any Feng Shui fixers you can suggest that will speed the process?

A: Download a bagua from my website, then take a look at what you're keeping in the Health area of your home. Remove clutter, dead or dying plants, and anything from that area that doesn’t look healthy or whole. Display bushy plants with rounded leaves, and other green or wooden objects. You can also add sweet-smelling flowers and avoid sharp plants like cactus or stunted plants like bonsai. Another option is to display images of healthy growing things, like meadows or forests, in this area. Also give some attention to the center of your home, or Grounding area. Add ceramic objects and images of mountains here, with the intention that these give you a solid base. You can also display photos of your family and friends who support your intention to heal. I’m sending positive energy your way for a speedy return to perfect health.

I've been working virtually with clients since the start of the pandemic to help keep us all safe. While I miss the special energy of being in my client's space, the amount I can learn from a Zoom or FaceTime consultation is quite profound. And most important, it allows me to work with clients all over the world. Last month I helped a client who I first worked with when she lived in Washington, DC, and who is now in Europe. She is an author who wanted to focus on her home office. She described the room as having "...too many openings, including a door from the hallway, a huge sliding door from the dining room, a large window, and also double doors opening onto the balcony." She described the energy as feeling too "windy." During the Zoom, I could see how she was losing positive chi through all those doors. Plus, she was sitting with her back to the main entrance, a classic Feng Shui negative, because things were happening "behind her back," actually and symbolically. My primary recommendation was to turn around the desk. I'll let her eloquent words speak for themselves.

Consulting with Carol Olmstead is like getting a brilliant, experienced and respectful editor's feedback on one's draft manuscript; just as we can be blind to problems in our draft manuscripts, so we can fail to see problems in our working and living spaces. Carol showed me where my office furniture, carpets, artwork, lighting, color choices, and more, were not aligning with my intentions for my writing career, and she offered concrete suggestions for improving that alignment. I have more work to do but already, in just following her advice to move the desk, filing cabinets, and carpet, and bring in a strategically placed red scarf - bingo, my office not only looks better, but the energy in the space feels so much more more relaxed, supportive, and coherent. Magic is happening!

My new book is here! Feng Shui to the Rescue includes more than 400 answers to the questions that you - my clients, students, and readers - have been asking for the past 20 years. These are new questions, in addition to those I answered in my first book. I've also included 30 Success Stories (also new!) and 24 sets of topic-specific tips I call Fast 5 to help you avoid problems in the first place. 

* Love (finding it, losing it, finding it again)

* Wealth (making it, keeping it)

* Harmony (maintaining it, especially during the holidays)

* Clutter (tidying up)

* Careers & Business (finding jobs and clients)

* Mirrors (placing or removing them)

* Bedrooms & Beds (encouraging sleep)

* Real Estate (buying or selling a home)

--Jessica Greenbaum, PoemsInCommunity.org

Still going strong after 10-years! This is my award-winning book that includes easy-to-follow basics, plus secrets to make the practical magic of Feng Shui work for you. This practical and easy-to-understand volume includes success stories from real people who followed these tips with big results. I've also included a tip-a-day calendar with 366 tips (there's one for leap year) to help you attract wealth, achieve harmony, improve relationships, advance your career, and clear clutter every day of the year. As a bonus, there's a month-by-month guide to clutter clearing.

The Feng Shui Quick Guide for Home and Office is the perfect gift for everyone on your list: clients, colleagues, family, friends, and you. Plus, it's a great way for real estate agents to say "thank you" to sellers and to welcome buyers into their new home.

I've revised my ebook! Want to earn more money? Yearning to rev-up your love life? Looking to create family harmony? Need to control clutter before it controls you? Or do you just need a good night's sleep? The simple Feng Shui advice in 365 Feng Shui Secrets can bring all this and more. For example, you will learn how to do the “Feng Shui Fling” at the beginning of the year (January 1), discover why you shouldn’t keep shoes near your front door (March 16), find out how to get a good night’s sleep (August 20), and read what gifts to give and avoid giving for the holidays (December 6). The tips cover all the seasons, holidays, and celebrations of your life. The calendar of tips in this e-book cover people and pets; love, marriage, parenting, divorce, remarriage, and blended families; your home, your office, and your car; your bedrooms, bathrooms, and every room in your house; your clothes and your closets. This ebook includes tips to help strengthen your relationships with your spouse and your children, your friends and your family, and even some advice if your loved ones are deployed overseas.

--JT

When you have Feng Shui questions about your home, office, business, or workspace that go beyond the basics and you need to speak to the Feng Shui Expert, this virtual consulting option is for you! I will customize advice for the way you want to live in your home or work in your workspace. This is especially relevant today when we might need to rearrange our space to work at home and/or educate our children.

We'll schedule a 1-hour Zoom, FaceTime, or phone call to answer your questions and help you rearrange your space, shift your energy, and transform your life. It's your choice—ask about any room, any situation, any clutter-clearing problem, or any issue that needs a little Feng Shui TLC.

After you register for the consultation, you'll receive instructions for creating a short video or taking photos, and for scheduling the session. During the consultation, I'll give you practical recommendations to rearrange, reorganize, and reuse what you already have, plus a plan to bring Feng Shui harmony to your space. You can take notes or record the session.

Now, your entire group can learn practical Feng Shui tips from the comfort of their own homes.

I have taught thousands of clients, readers, and students the simple secrets of using Feng Shui to improve their lives, and now I can teach them to you and your group via Zoom. My webinars include customized training that I create to meet the specific needs of your organization, office, or group.

For more than 20 years, I have inspired diverse groups ranging from 5 to 500 with my in-person workshops. Now, I'm offering variations of the same presentations via Zoom so we can all stay home and stay safe.

Click here to see a list of of my webinar and workshop clients.

Email for details of how I can customize a webinar for you!

Carol, you're a rock star! I loved listening to the podcast of your interview with "Law of Attraction Talk Radio with Jewels," so I took your class. You continue to be an inspiration to me and have forever changed the way I arrange each home I've lived in since I first heard you speak in 2012. Keep up the good work! --GO

I took your class and watched several of your videos. Excellent! You have an absolute warm and welcoming approach. No wonder you are so successful. --CW 

This video class is nothing short of a delicious treat for your career. I loved it! Great practical pieces of advice. Well-taught in a fun, inspiring way. --RW