I Put A Bookshelf In My Entryway To Block The View Of My Back Door And My Anxiety Got Better In Two Weeks
A Reddit-style account of a renter who placed a bookshelf in the hallway path between the front door and back door, and noticed a surprising drop in daily tension.
Location
Chicago, United States
Property Type
Apartment
Room
Entryway
Direction
West
The Problem
I live in a long railroad-style apartment. Front door opens, and you can see straight through the living room, through the kitchen, all the way to the back door. I never really thought about it. But I started noticing I felt weird when I got home. Like I couldn't settle. I'd walk in and immediately feel like I needed to leave again. My roommate said the same thing. We blamed it on work stress. Then winter hit and it got worse. I'd sit on the couch and just feel exposed. Hard to explain. Tbh I thought I was losing it a little.
What They Tried
I saw a post somewhere about doors lining up in a straight line. Didn't think much of it. But I was at IKEA anyway and bought a cheap 4x4 Kallax. Put it perpendicular to the wall, about six feet in from the front door. Not blocking the path — you can still walk around it. Just enough to break the straight line to the back door. Took me like 20 minutes to build. I put some plants on top and a lamp. That's it. Didn't move anything else.
What Happened
Okay so I'm not gonna say it fixed my life. But within like two weeks I noticed I wasn't dreading walking in the door anymore. The apartment felt less like a hallway and more like a room. My roommate stopped making comments about feeling on edge. I still have anxiety obviously. But that specific feeling of being exposed when I got home — mostly gone. Weird but true.
Spatial Orientation
| Bagua Sector | 兑 ☱ · Dui |
|---|---|
| Direction | West |
| Element | metal |
What works best here
Dui (7) · Metal. West should be lower and more open than East for left-right equilibrium.
Place: low cabinets, metal decor (brass, copper, steel), round shapes, white and grey tones.
Recommended crystal
Clear Quartz or Selenite — placed on a low console or side table in the west
Round shapes and metallic finishes feel especially at home on this side of the room
Source Analysis
1. The Original Principle
Original Text
Siempre que una puerta o una ventana se encuentren enfrentadas a otra puerta o ventana, el chi tenderá a cruzar con excesiva rapidez el espacio que las separa. ... coloque en ese camino algo — un biombo, muebles, plantas u obras de arte — que reduzca la velocidad del chi y lo guíe hacia otras zonas de la casa.
English Translation
When a door or window directly faces another door or window, the vital current moves through the space too quickly to nourish it. The remedy is to place something — a screen, furniture, a plant, a piece of art — along that path to slow the movement and redirect it toward other areas of the home.
2. About the Source
Feng shui para Occidente by Terah Kathryn Collins · United States · 1995
Feng Shui for the West is a practical guide that adapts classical Chinese spatial principles for modern Western homes and lifestyles. Written by one of the first American authors to bring Feng Shui to a mainstream English-speaking audience, the book translates ancient Bagua concepts into actionable room-by-room advice using familiar Western design language and contemporary case examples.
3. How This Principle Applies to This Case
Doors aligned in a straight line create a corridor effect that the classical texts describe as an unnourishing rush of movement. Modern environmental psychology offers a parallel: when a space reads as a passage rather than a destination, the nervous system stays in a low-grade alert state. The occupant never fully relaxes because the room signals transit, not rest. Adding a visual break — furniture, a shelf, a screen — interrupts the sightline and gives the brain a boundary. The apartment stops feeling like a tunnel and starts reading as a series of distinct rooms. The result is not mystical. It is spatial legibility, and it changes how a person inhabits their own home.
Bring the Purest Energy Into Your Home
Sourced from altitudes above 4,000 meters in the Himalayan range — the highest place on Earth and the closest to the sun. These crystals formed over millions of years in some of the planet's most pristine conditions, untouched by industrial pollution. Each piece carries the raw, unfiltered energy of the mountains. Whether placed on a nightstand, a desk, or a meditation corner, they serve as a quiet anchor — a daily reminder to pause, breathe, and reconnect.
Explore the HIMA ALAÏA collection →Case source
Wind & Water School of Feng Shui
Minnesota Feng Shui pioneer. Founded a professional Feng Shui school and has consulted for major hospitals, banks, and corporate headquarters across the US.