Do visit Dr. Feelgood

HI AND WELCOME TO THE MOODLAB!

Let me ask you a question:
When was the last time you visited a hospital?
I heard the song "dr Feelgood" the other day which made me wonder...

Can an environment like a hospital make you feel good?

The answer: yes it can!
Actually, that's what it was supposed to do in the first place, right?
Be a place of comfort, healing, making you feel good again.

When I received an email about a dear friend who is very ill indeed it made me sad.
Having a serious disease like hers is bad enough as it is, but this also means she has to visit hospitals regularly. Experiencing not too pleasant treatments.
Her association of the hospital will most likely be effected by those not so feel good experiences.

In fact: there are many people like her who have a bad association with hospitals.
They have to go there often to undergo not so pleasant things.
Hospitals don't make them feel so good.

To them hospitals mean pain, fear, stress, insecurity etc.
All stress inducing feelings.
But like I just mentioned: stress does not improve healing.
So a building can actually make you feel more sick.
Quite the opposite of what a hospital was designed to do.

How you feel can make you heal. 
Since there is such a vast demand for healthcare, we have a problem with our current systems.
They are not sustainable. Too costly and too many people need them.
We simply cannot afford to continue providing healthcare the way we've grown accustomed to.
Changes have to be made.

Luckily many doctors choose their health trade because they seriously want to make you feel good. 
They have invested a lot in research, trying to find out what they can do to help you release stress.
One very important thing they have found is this:

   comfort + beauty + luxury = well-being 

a.k.a. less stress
a.k.a. faster healing
a.k.a. less medication
a.k.a. easier to treat patients
a.k.a. staff with less sick leave.

Imagine the cost that could safe longterm in our society!
Imagine what it would mean to you as a patient if you'd feel better faster!

Isn't it a shame how things like beauty, comfort and luxury, the things that have proven to make us feel good, are often exactly the things we use to cut costs?

Isn't that a missed opportunity?
Can you see how budgeting on beauty, luxury & comfort is actually costing us more in the long haul?
How it should our 'business' to add more of those three,
to create an environment that promotes health and feeling good?

Adding beauty -art- can reduce stress.
Art can make you heal faster.
Art can have healing properties. 
Research has shown us that it doesn't matter whether you see a real plant or a representation of a plant, like a plant on a photo: they both calm us, reduce stress and improve your well-being. 

Why not use that given?

More and more hospitals and other healthcare institutions are waking up to this option,  improving their spaces, adding in more beauty comfort and luxury so their environment really supports healing.
These environments are called 'Healing environments'
Often they have art that is made based on evidence found in research. 
Proven to support healing; evidence based art.

There are also the option of art projects that help patients change their perception of a hospital environment, 'cause what you CHOOSE to SEE, determines HOW you FEEL.
The Moodlab has gotten excellent results with patients by organising Moodwalks in healthcare environments.

Of course the primary idea is to make sure you don't get sick in the first place.. 
But if you do need care: we all want you to feel good as soon as possible.
And if that means adding more beauty, comfort & luxury to your environment, I'd say: 'Go for it!'
So make sure you get your visit of dr. Feelgood to visit you,  ;)  ,add in beauty and 
create the space to be, heal & feel good.


Next time : let's go home!


See you then!
Niene.nu

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The Appetite for light article is written by Niene.nu andwww.nienesmoodlab.nu
 If you have any questions or comments, please send them to:mail[@]niene.nu

If you'd like to see more moods: feel free to take a look around in the MoodLab while you're here and see if Niene.nu can help you raise your 'Appetite for life"!

Buy the song in the iTunes store 
And yes, you can get the photo at the top as a print here or as a gift card here.

Note: if you work in a hospital and you'd like to alter the perception of your hospital by your patient:
Niene.nu has gotten some fantastic results with patients, bringing her inspiring Moodwalks to hospitals.
Please check this page to learn more or send an email

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