What
a lift to the spirits the sunshine brings!
After a very long season of dark, grey
days most of us are more than ready
to enjoy the lighter, brighter days
of spring. Many people are still getting
over the usual round of winter germs,
coughs, colds and sinus complaints.
There seemed to be a nationwide spread
of bronchial complaints this winter
- the coughs were persistent and accompanied
with sore throats and laryngitis, and
lingered on far longer than anyone would
like. Obviously viruses and bacterial
infections are not limited to the winter
months but recovery can be slow and
prolonged if you have been run down
during the colder weather. And in fact,
recovery from any illness can be much
more difficult if you are feeling low
in spirits. So keeping cheerful can
actually aid the recovery process.
 Although
the sun is making an appearance and
some days have been a little warmer,
there are still some very chilly winds
around and if you have been pulled down
with chest complaints don't be too hasty
to shed layers.
If you want to lift your mood by getting
into more spring like clothing, then
add warmth with a couple of thin layers
underneath, or choose something with
warmth but in lighter colours to give
a spring-like feel. We were all being
urged this winter to pay particular
attention to hygiene - with the dreaded
swine flu that streaked across the country
and novoviruses striking hard, everyone
became more aware of just how important
hand cleaning and proper use of issues
during an infection was.
This of course is always a good maxim,
so it's wise to continue the habit especially
for the vulnerable groups, children,
the elderly and those with long term
complaints such as asthma or sinus problems.
Hopefully the optimism and regeneration
that spring brings with it will help
to lift your mood if you're a bit low
until the warmer weather arrives.
 Did
you know that savings can boost your mood in the same way that shopping
can give you a buzz? In a recent independent
survey it was found that watching your
money grow gives a sense of achievement
and increased determination. And it
doesn't need to be a large amount either.
Apparently, even collecting coins in
a jar can give us a boost. Once the
coins reach a certain level in the jar,
temptation to 'dip in' to it decreases
and the determination to reach the top
grows. Rather like loosing weight, the
first small amounts lost can sometimes
be difficult and it's tempting to cheat,
but as the weight loss starts to increase
so do determination levels to reach
the target weight.
Some found that setting a target figure
to save gave them a goal and encouraged
perseverance, others found that savings
in a jar and not counting it gave them
a sense of anticipation of something
to look forward to. Once again, like
loosing weight, those who set realistic
targets and crept up to it slowly managed
to stick to their goal and achieve the
required amount.
Those who 'dipped in' or gave up had
set unrealistic targets and felt it
was much harder and felt less of a 'buzz'
at the end. So the secret seems to be
the 'from little acorns' principal,
set yourself a reasonable goal in the
amount you want to save, stick to your
guns at the beginning when it doesn't
seem to add up to much, then reap the
rewards as the little pile begins to
grow.
Enjoy the sense of achievement and give
yourself a pat on the back for sticking
with it, and maybe even use your little
stash to start an even bigger stash!
For a lot of us, springtime gives us the incentive
to super-clean our houses, clear out our
rubbish, tidy the garden, redecorate or
even move house.
So now could be a good time to 'spring
clean' our bodies too. Not by detoxing,
but by ticking off the list all those
appointments that we seem to put off
in the winter somehow. Are you due to
have your eyes tested? Is your smear
test up to date? Have you been putting
off that visit to the dentist?
In these busy times it's easy to keep
putting off all those things that we
know we should really do and then months
go by and we still haven't done anything
about it. So take a little time out
of make a list, or even better, make
the appointments and start the spring
seas renewed and reinvigorated, ready
to tackle the summer head-on.
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