After the excitement of Christmas, when the January blues set many of us look forward to Spring, desperate to break out our sandals and spring outfits despite the freezing temperatures. A sure route to let the already rampant sniffles take their hold!

However make-up and hair styles can be updated in anticipation of the changing seasons without the risk of doctors waiting rooms, and the predicted trends for Spring 2011 are enough to sate the appetite for change.

First of beautiful bright lips were seen all over the catwalks in a variety of shades, oranges and watermelon was especially popular and the Lavera Sunset Orange and Dr. Hauschka Soft Coral especially fit the bill.

If you prefer to make your eyes the main feature of you face then bold popping colours were everywhere, for the fashionista the Nvey 160 Turquoise Shimmer makes an impact, but for the more conservative try Green People’s Eco Eye Trio in Aqua to create as much or as little impact as you like. When making the eyes the focus it’s best to keep lips nude but soft looking, try the Barefoot Botanical Smooch Penetrating Lip Salve for kissable lips!

In terms of hair, the most prominent trends were side partings held in place with pins or a clip, ‘messy’ up dos for a casual chic or high buns for high glamour. Using a paddle brush will help you achieve all this looks and the Hair Spray by Lavera or John Masters Hair Texturiser will keep styles in place all day.

As a long time sufferer I know that often pills are not the answer to Migraine pain nor do I want to be regularly taking pain killers for something that though horrible painful and inconvenient is not life threatening. The causes of migraines vary from person to person and suffers can learn their triggers and avoid them up to a point. However there are those caused by hormonal changes, stress and tiredness which are much more difficult to avoid in everyday life. Working at So Organic means that I have been able to talk to a lot of our holistic therapists who practice in our Therapy Rooms to get their advice.

Matthew Reay our Nutritionist advised me to cut down on carbohydrates and to eat lots of magnesium rich foods such a spinach and nuts, I now try to eat a portion of unsalted nuts per day and eat spinach as much as possible while avoiding eating carbs with my evening meal, instead having lots of vegetable alternatives such as mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes. I’ve really noticed a difference in the regularity of my migraines after making these dietary changes.

Our old Massage therapist Kristy taught me some gentle moves to also help such as using both hands and very gently kneading the top of the head, working down the neck and across the shoulders and back up again, this is very soothing and helps distract from the pain. We have a new Massage Therapist now since Kristy emigrated so I will be asking Mike what his tips are.

Lyndsay Brown our Body Talk therapists helped me understand that my body was trying to tell me something when a Migraine occurred and that often it was because I wasn’t drinking enough water throughout the day, therefore I’ve increased my water intake as well. As all Migraine suffers know there isn’t a magically solution to stop Migraines but using the both I have at least managed to decrease the amount I suffer from without increasing my amount of medicine!

The phrase, “A voice crying in the wilderness” made us think of a message that needs to be heard. One of the most remote wildernesses on earth is the Arctic Circle home to the polar bear.

Man’s consumption of ever increasing amounts of fossil fuels mean that we are now making the polar bear share his home with us as we move in to mine oil and coal.

Polar bears now have a smaller area in which to hunt which means food is harder to find and oil spills and manmade pollution cause danger to polar bears by poisoning their food source and coating their fur so that they can’t keep warm.

We think that if polar bears could talk to us they would ask us to stop spoiling their home and hurting them with our selfish ways.

We believe that we listen to the voice of nature, minimise our impact on the earth and conserve its precious resources and habitats by being green wherever we can. To help convey that message we have made our polar bear from entirely recycled materials that would otherwise have been thrown away.

As much as Christmas time may be joyful and a time of celebration it is also a stressful time for many. The pressure we put on ourselves to find the right gift, to say nothing of the shopping experience itself, is bad enough. This is also the time of year when we gather, or are expected to gather, with our families and friends; this can highlight the difficulty we have in our relationships and make loneliness more keenly felt. With these challenges in mind I would like to offer some advice on relaxation for the challenges of the season.

The stress response, or fight or flight response, causes many physiological changes and over time immune function is impaired as well as the bodies ability to heal. The relaxation response is the opposite. This first exercise may be done anywhere where you can stop and close your eyes for a moment: Take time to breathe…

• Rest one, or both, hands upon your belly and try feel yourself breathing into it. Inhaling, the belly expands and exhaling the belly pulls in.
• When that becomes comfortable, begin to count during the breath. On the inhale count up to a number which feels comfortable, and then exhale whilst counting down from the same number.
• Continue this for as long as you like, slowing the breath down as you become more comfortable with it. Try to work up to an inhale and exhale of six to eight seconds each.
• When you have begun to relax, and are ready to carry on, open your eyes and go about your day.

Want, of all kinds, is often more keenly felt at this time of year. It may be a material desire or the want of companionship and love. Sometimes, the antidote for want is to reflect on gratitude. Something to be thankful for…

• Begin with the breathing exercise mentioned above, visualizations and meditations always work better after a period of relaxation.
• When you are ready, allow yourself to reflect on something, or someone, for which you feel grateful. For example: if you are sad because you feel a lack of love or friendship, picture a friend or loved one who is in your life.
• Allow the feeling of gratitude that comes from focusing on that person, or thing, to grow and fill you. Stay with it for as long as you like, or as long as you can.

At first glance, this exercise may seem facile; but the emotions that we focus on define our mental state. Naturally, for some people finding anything to feel grateful for may be impossible.

Finally, in caring for ourselves we must not forget the impact of stress on our bodies. Long hours walking or standing causes blood to pool in the legs and lower back tension. Everyone likes to put their feet up when they get home; the problem is they do not put them up high enough. Put your feet up…

• Find a place against the wall where you can lie down on the floor with your legs extended up the wall.
• Lay on your side with your bottom about a foot from the wall, further back if your legs are tighter.
• As you roll on to your back extend your legs up the wall, your lower back should be flat against the ground.
• Rest here for 5-10 minutes whilst you do the belly breathing mentioned in the first exercise. These practices are intended as simple ways of reducing stress, however; stress is often anything but simple.

If you have need of further support or have any questions about counselling at So Organic please call me for a free consultation.
David Lefebvre Sell - Counsellor Saturdays 2pm-6pm 07840 529829