Your mood and well-being is affected by your environment, and when you're spending most of the day in your office, the colors you're surrounded by on a daily basis may be affecting how you feel.

If you're working on projects that require intense concentration and focus, you'll need to be surrounded by non-stimulating, relaxing colors. If you need to be upbeat and energetic all day, you will be better off with strong, bold colors that raise your blood pressure and keep you feeling alert.

Here are just eight colors that work well for most office environments; these colors can enhance productivity and help create a semi-relaxing and comfortable ambiance:

1. Moss Green. Light green with a yellow or blue base is a refreshing but restful color that can add some warmth to your office and provide comfort if you're working alone. It's a soothing color that won't make you sleepy; choose a medium green color or sage to stay in productive mode all day long.
2. Light Orange. Orange is an energizing color that evokes excitement, creativity and happiness. You'll need to stick with a light orange palette to achieve the most benefits of this color, and it can be especially valuable for those who need to stay peppy and energetic throughout the day.
3. Beige or Off White. Beige or cream colored walls are a great neutral color for the office, and are easy to complement with furnishings and décor. They're simple and calm, and are great for office spaces of all sizes.
4. Gray. Gray may sound like a boring choice for your office space, but it's a neutral color that can be enhanced with browns, black and white very easily. It's one of the easiest colors to work with if you have a lot of colorful desk accessories, picture frames and other accents. And, it's a soothing and calm color that won't trigger any strong emotions.
5. Pale Blue. Pale blue has a very calming and soothing effect on the senses, and can help you stay focused and productive for long periods of time. Look for light blues such as eggshell or sky blue for your office walls, and accentuate it with navy, cream colored or dark blue décor.
6. Light Brown. A light cocoa or chocolaty brown color can stir your senses and create an earthy, nature-inspired ambiance. This color also creates a feeling of being 'grounded', strong and resilient.
7. Magenta. If you're working in the creative field, magenta can spark your creativity and keep you motivated. Magenta contains shades of purple, red and pink, and is a rich and powerful color that can enhance concentration and help you focus on creative projects for longer periods of time.
8. Olive. If you're the studious type and need to concentrate for hours at a time, olive is a great color to support your energy level. This slightly dark and rich color is also a natural, earthy tone that can be complemented easily with black, brown and cocoa-colored décor.

Colors play a powerful role in how we feel because our senses pick up different levels of energy from different colors. For example, bright orange has been linked to freedom and creativity, while light blue is linked to calm and peacefulness. The color of your office walls can affect your routine.

If you're ready to give your office a makeover, make sure you avoid these energy-zapping colors for walls and decor:

1. Sunshine Yellow. If you're always working on tight deadlines and need to focus, yellow is one of the worst color choices for your office. Yellow increases energy and can enhance creativity, but it can also be very irritating and make it difficult to concentrate. Pale yellows can be uplifting, but are best reserved for hallways and bathrooms.
2. Turquoise. The combination of blue and green can be too intense for your office space, and although it's aesthetically pleasing at first glance, it can make it difficult to concentrate. Avoid turquoise and similar shades in this color family such as aquamarine or sea green.
3. Dark purple. Dark purple, or eggplant, is most suitable for lounges and bedrooms. It is a sophisticated and rich color that creates a romantic feeling, so it's not a great match for your office space.
4. Bright Pink. No matter how much you love this vibrant and bold feminine color, pink can be too stimulating for the office and very distracting. Pink is best reserved for bedrooms and family rooms, so keep this out of your office environment whenever possible.
5. Bold Red. Cherry red and dark red shades are too dramatic for the office and can become irritating after spending just a few hours in the room - especially if it's a small space. Bright reds can also trigger feelings of anxiety and anger, so steer clear of this powerful color if you're looking to create a calm and productive office space.
6. Black. Black is such a powerful, high contrast color that it can turn your office space into a jail cell. Avoid painting the walls in black, or using all-black wall coverings. Black works best as an accent color for white or cream-colored walls.
7. Apple Green or Lime. Bright greens can be very distracting and make it very difficult to concentrate for long periods of time. Although these colors can create an ambiance of energy and spur creativity, the blast doesn't last long; avoid these colors if you want to create an office space that supports your productivity.

Creating the perfect office space can be a trial and error process, but you can get a head start by choosing the right colors for your walls and furnishings. Focus on just one base color that will support your creativity and motivation, and then choose complementary decor to enhance your space.