Have you ever noticed how much your moods change with the seasons? It’s not just because you need to layer up in the fall, or because the sun wakes you up early in the summer. With each change of season comes a change in colors. The colors change on trees, the sky, and even the colors people wear. This can have a significant impact on your moods.

You can’t control what hue the oak tree turns or the reds in the sunset, but you can control the color scheme in your home and make use of color therapy. Here is a look at how color affects your moods, and how seniors can use color therapy to boost the energy in any space.

Red for Energy

There’s plenty of red in restaurants, from diner booths to the logos of virtually every fast-food restaurant. That’s because it pumps up your heart rate, making you feel excited—and ready to eat! Red is a great color for a breakfast nook in the winter, which will keep you from feeling sluggish as you start your day. Try a bright red tablecloth, red accents on your windowsills, or full red walls if they fit your design scheme.

Soft Blue for Calm

You see a lot of soft blue in spas and bathrooms because it relaxes, well, everything. Soft blues are provide calming color therapy, evoking images of the ocean. Avoid using them in the winter as they can make a room feel cold. Consider soft blue throw blankets for your couch in the summer and spring. Soft blue cushions on kitchen chairs are great in the summer, enhancing a leisurely lunch.

Green for Comfort

Watch any film adaptation of a Jane Austen novel and you’ll see reading rooms smothered in green—mostly deep or emerald tones. For color therapy, green is great for a room that needs to convey comfort and relaxation. It makes a connection to nature—an added benefit for seniors enjoying an urban lifestyle—and works during any season. Paint the walls of your entertainment room green, or consider green velvet day beds.

Brown for Safety

Brown instantly makes a room feel like a cocoon, cozy and tucked away. It’s a wonderful bit of color therapy seniors can use in the fall. Cocoa is a nice choice because it feels indulgent, like chocolate. Consider brown accent pillows and shag rugs in a room where friends and family gather, like the living room.

Purple for Creativity

Purple has been used in royal homes for ages. It stimulates the creative part of the brain, helping you create poems, paint, write, or do whatever your creative mind dictates. Use it in an office or crafts room. Don’t use it in your bedroom, as it will make you feel alert when you seek calm. Stick to lavenders in the summer, but deeper hues in the fall and winter. Light purples in the cold months can make a room feel chilly and lifeless.

Orange for Appetite

If your favorite way to pass the cold winter months is by cooking up pot roasts and pies, paint your kitchen orange! It makes you hungry. For that same reason, avoid orange in any areas where you get dressed for workouts. You can use it during any season, but stick to burnt or deep oranges. Color therapy research suggest that mild orange can make a room feel sleepy.

White for Space

White gives a room an airy feeling, making it appear larger than it is. It’s ideal for compact spaces all year round, but it’s especially nice in rooms with large windows during the summer. The natural light combined with the white walls make the room feel very open.

Black for Relaxation

Black makes you want to stay indoors. It makes everything feel secretive and hidden. There’s often plenty of black in upscale hotels—perhaps the kind where they hope you stay in and spend money on room service rather than go out. Use it in your reading room in fall and winter. If you don’t want black walls, try black couches or chairs.

Soft Yellows for Happiness

Soft yellow does just what you’d think: It makes a room feel sunny. Splash some of this color on your kitchen walls, or anywhere you spend your mornings during the fall and winter. You’ll need an extra boost when the sun takes longer to rise.

The change in seasons, with temperature dips and rises, and alternating foliage, can be beautiful. But it can also be unwelcome or overwhelming. Color therapy for seniors can help you regain control of the environment inside your home, and make it feel like your favorite season all year long.