Lifestyle

16

Lifestyle Girl Power: the women in my life

Imogen Clarke

- Sub-editor of Fashion and Beauty My Grandma passed away in 2020, at the grand old age of ninety. Admittedly, this seems like a depressing way to begin an article. However,

on International Women's Day, I can't think of a single woman close to me that has inspired me more than her. I am very lucky to have been so close to my Grandma; she lived just five minutes from my home and I spent half of my childhood at her house. I loved my Grandma as she taught me to love travelling, cooking and craft. However, her life before I was born is what really inspires me, and is something I have learnt more about after her death.

Born in 1930, she was a child of the war and used to tell me and my sister about it regularly. When we were young, her "during the war" phrase became a bit of a joke. However, as we both grew, and discovered a love of history, the history she was a part of became more and more profound to me. The things she went through as a child and young woman, certainly shaped the strong woman she grew into. Not to mention the way she cared for my Grandad throughout his battle with Alzheimer's. In fact, she was the strongest person I knew, right until the end. I am writing about her because, on International Women's Day, I think it is important to think of all the inspirational women in our lives, even if they are not with us. If I could have my time again with Grandma, there are so many more questions I would have asked about her life and journey through history.

Annabel Hogg

- Sub-editor of Relationships Iwill preface this by saying that if my sister reads this, she’ll feel nothing but repulsion at this affection. However, it seems only right to pay tribute to the powerhouse of a woman who has made

me into the person I am today. My sister has had dreams beyond belief, and she has never failed to make them come true, and I find that truly inspiring.

She worked her way into grammar school, then into her dream university, then into a school where she became everyone’s favourite teacher. She went to medical school, becoming a junior doctor at the worst possible time without a graduation for payment. She held through plastic the hands of patients who couldn’t be with their loved ones, and made sure husbands and wives were reunited once more. Most importantly, she did and continues to do all of this whilst being the best sister, daughter, granddaughter, fiancé and mum to my gorgeous (dog) nephew, Archie.

Despite all of these incredible achievements, Charlotte is still exactly the same to me as she was when I was a baby and she was 8. She’s Dr Hogg, but she’s also just my big sister. We still watch crappy movies together, go on iced coffee runs when I’m home in the summer and curl each other’s hair. She still judges every man I ever mention, we still go for boogies in Flares and most of all, she is still genuinely my best friend.

It's one thing to have done so much and have so many achievements to your name, but to be an incredible human being and sister at the same time? That’s truly inspiring.

Being mindful of mindfulness

Hannah Ross

How to reap the benefits of these underrated practices.

In a world where stress is becoming a bigger issue for people every day, taking time out to calm the mind has never been more important. However, this is easier said than done and many people who try, find it difficult to reap the full benefits of the practice. So, how do you get the most out of mindfulness and meditation?

The first and most important thing is to commit to the practice. Reduce chances of distraction as much as possible by going to a quiet place with few things around. It is especially important to remove your phone from the room. Meditation and mindfulness work by bringing you back to the present by not letting your mind wander to other things. Be aware of the sounds going on around you but don't let them distract you from the exercise. You must accept what is happening in the present but not allow it to have adverse effects on you.

Breathing is an essential component of any practice. Focusing on the breath allows you to stay in the moment. Counting the inhales and exhales is helpful if you know that naturally focusing on it is difficult for you. Make sure to take deep breaths that fill the entire body, not shallow ones. I find beginning with filling up the stomach, then the lungs, and finally the throat, is the best way to ensure this.

Don’t be frustrated if the exercise does not come naturally the first time. It takes time to hone it and get your body used to the sensations of not constantly thinking about other things. Try to practice every day even if it is only for five minutes – everyone can put aside five minutes for themselves, and the benefits are extensive compared to the small amount of time spent on it. If you have been practising for a while but still have the odd day where it is hard to focus, don't criticise yourself for it. Some days are more stressful than others and so it is harder to focus. However, regular practice helps reduce this by making you less stressed in general.

Meditation and mindfulness are great exercises and incredibly rewarding, helping you become less stressed in life and be present in what is happening right now. Make sure to practice regularly and incorporate it into your daily routine to live an improved, happier life!

Ginny Harris

In recent years, global pandemic considering, I have realised what many other girls do in society nowadays; that it is the women around us that make the most impact on our lives. I could mention my mum, my best friend, or a teacher, but I want to shed the light on someone who we don’t always think of first. Our little sister.

Mine not much younger than myself, has taught me more than I will ever know simply by being a little braver and inspiring me to be stronger for her. She has inspired me to be kinder (maybe let her wear that dress when she asks) or even a little more confident in her presence (perhaps ask for that extra ketchup at McDonald’s).

Now being younger, we can’t really look up to little sisters, we do everything in life before they do, so they don’t provide much insight or knowledge. However, she inspires me because the more I want to do for her, the more I want to do for others. She initiates a motivation in me that an older person doesn’t provide, making me want to better the world by fighting the inequalities she may face and standing up for her when she needs it. Having a little sister inspires in me a drive, motivation, and strength to be better and to make the world a better place.

Image: Pixabay @ OpenClipart-Vectors

Get your hands wet with hydroponic houseplants

Elizabeth Meade

- Head of Current Affairs

Could this be the future of houseplants?

Have you ever wanted to have houseplants in your flat, but don’t want to get soil everywhere? Then you may want to look into the world of hydroponic

houseplants.

Hydroponics is a form of growing plants in which nutrient-infused water is used as substrate instead of soil. This method has frequently been used to perform plant experiments, to increase crop yield, and even to grow plants in space.

Setting up a hydroponic garden at home can be very complicated, as you typically need to obtain a lot of unusual equipment and put it together yourself. The start-up costs can also be a barrier, as the construction materials and nutrients can be quite expensive if you are making a huge setup. However, there are smaller kits that you can purchase online that include the necessary materials to grow a small hydroponic garden at home.

If you are not interested in cutting up your own PVC pipes and purchasing supplies more suited to keeping freshwater fish than growing your own basil, ordering a kit is the best option. These kits are often suited to growing herbs and tomatoes. These plants are perfect for when you want to make spaghetti or homemade pizza.

If you want to build your own setup, it is important to research the different methods. Whatever method you are using, you will need to

Monday 14th March 2022

Sub-editors: Molly Taylor & Leanna Thomson Lifestyle 17

Is the news damaging my mental health?

Imogen Smillie

Juggling our responsibility to stay informed about the world's current climate and prioritising our mental wellbeing is no easy task,

In the world that we currently live in, is there a way to stay informed by current events without it damaging our mental wellbeing?

Every now and then, it crosses my mind just how much the world has changed in my 19 years of living. I try not to dwell on it too much, as in the end, it’s not going to be healthy for my mental wellbeing. Unfortunately, I’m an overthinker – and that’s an understatement! I can be easily scared by news stories, even those that don’t directly affect me. But as a now fully fledged adult, it’s my responsibility to be informed about local and global news. For me, it all began back when COVID-19 was first mentioned. It’s March 2020 and Boris Johnson announces a national lockdown - well then. So it’s stuck in the house, clap for carers, lack of toilet roll and the news on… constantly! Hearing about the thousands of deaths occurring every day is bound to have a negative effect on a person. From the COVID-19 pandemic to the awful events currently occurring in Ukraine, the ‘unprecedented times’ (sorry, it was bound to be said) we are all living through need to be accurately reported on, so fearmongering stories don’t overwhelm us. For me, it’s all about balance. I believe it’s important that we are aware of current situations - Ukraine is under attack and the more we know, the more we may be able to help. But with any news coverage on war, or just any disaster happening in the world, there are those reports that will exaggerate, and therefore frighten reader/ watchers/listeners even more than necessary. For instance, if your main source of news is Twitter or TikTok, let’s be honest and say that they are often littered with comments of scare stories and clickbait. This doesn't erase the informative potential of these platforms, you just have to keep a critical eye and select sources you can trust. Additionally, certain online news platforms and independent sources are notorious for gossip columns, so cannot always be trusted to give the basic information needed to objectively understand the world’s current climate. Though, as with any

news platform, others have qualms about their reporting, I have personally found it helpful to stick to the BBC for my main source of news. I have the BBC News and Sport app on my phone and check it once a day as I wake up, to make sure I have all the updates of breaking news stories. Notifications have been turned off, however, as even those were beginning to scare me throughout the pandemic and now with the updates from Ukraine. When checking social media, as hard as it can be, its important to filter out the scare stories if you don't wish to use social media for news and would rather save it for keeping in contact with friends etc (my social media use personally consists of scouting out theories on the latest film or TV series!) Most platforms have a function where you can mute content including certain words from your feed. On the other hand, some people view social media as their most reliable news source, so this might not be for everyone. We all have different preferences, and that's okay! And remember, if you ever question anything you see, talk to people

– we’re all going through the same struggle trying to dig out the ‘fake news’ (sorry again for the cringe jargon!) from the raw details. Everyone is entitled to worry about the world in which we live, so the more we talk, hopefully things can begin to feel a little less scary. through need to be accurately reported on, so fearmongering stories don’t overwhelm us. For me, it’s all about balance. I believe it’s important that we are aware of current situations - Ukraine is under attack and the more we know, the more we may be able to help. But with any news coverage on war, or just any disaster happening in the world, there are those reports that will exaggerate, and therefore frighten reader/watchers/listeners even more than necessary. For instance, if your main source of news is Twitter or TikTok, let’s be honest and say that they are often littered with comments of scare stories and clickbait. This doesn't erase the informative potential of these platforms, you just have to keep a critical eye and select sources you can trust. Additionally, certain online news platforms and independent sources are notorious for gossip columns, so cannot always be trusted to give the basic information needed to objectively understand the world’s current climate. Though, as with any news platform, others have qualms about their reporting, I have personally found it helpful to stick to the BBC for my main source of news. I have the BBC News and Sport app on my phone and check it once a day as I wake up, to make sure I have all the updates of breaking news stories. Notifications have been turned off, however, as even those were beginning to scare me throughout the pandemic and now with the updates from Ukraine. When checking social media, as hard as it can be, its important to filter out the scare stories if you don't wish to use social media for news and would rather save it for keeping in contact with friends etc (my social media use personally consists of scouting out theories on the latest film or TV series!) Most platforms have a function where you can mute content including certain words from your feed. On the other hand, some people view social media as their most reliable news source, so this might not be for everyone. We all have different preferences, and that's okay! And remember, if you ever question anything you see, talk to people – we’re all going through the same struggle trying to dig out the ‘fake news’ (sorry again for the cringe jargon!) from the raw details. Everyone is entitled to worry about the world in which we live, so the more we talk, hopefully things can begin to feel a little less scary.

Get your hands wet with hydroponic houseplants

figure out the best nutrient mix for your plants and the vessel in which you want them to grow. You might also need a rooting medium, which is not used in “pure” hydroponics but can nevertheless be effective. This method requires a drip irrigation system or similar to flood the rooting material with nutrients.

If you are using pure aqueous solution with no rooting medium, you will need an air tube and a pump. An aquarium pump should work well for this. This setup pumps air into the aqueous solution to keep it flowing. The vessel, in this case, can be a large tub. In this setup it is also helpful to have a large sheet with holes in it for the plants to grow through in order to keep them separate and upright.

You can also use a nutrient film technique system, often abbreviated as NFT. In this setup, the plants are situated in a tube or a trough and aqueous solution is flowed through the tube with a pump. You can use PVC pipes for this. This setup is a bit more difficult because you not only need the pipes and the pump, you also need a reservoir for the nutrient solution and a receptacle to capture excess solution that spills over and bring it back into the reservoir. A capillary mat is placed at the bottom of the pipe to retain moisture. Just as with the pure aqueous method, it is important to have something on top of the tube to hold up the plants and prevent them from falling over. The “film” refers to the fact that the trough can be made of polyethylene film.

While hydroponic gardening can be difficult, it is a great way to grow fresh produce at home if you are interested in doing a small-scale engineering project—or just want to add some greenery to the windowsill.

The chemistry of happiness

Alexantra Theodosiou

How can we maximinse the chemical balance ro creates happiness?

As International Happiness Day is approaching on the 20th of March, let’s look a little at the things that make us happy. First, however, we need to clarify what 'happy’ is.

Science would tell you there’s four aspects to it: the ‘happiness chemicals' serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin. These chemicals regulate our emotions though influencing different processes in our body. For instance, serotonin may affect our sleep cycles or immune system efficacy and endorphins can act as a natural pain reliever. Our everyday activities affect the release of these chemicals in our body, which is why it’s important to include ones that make us happy. However, they may not be what you had in mind. Dr Michela Sorensen tells us:

“We often think positive events will make us happy…but the happiness effect doesn’t last. Instead, science shows it’s the little things we do every day that build happiness over time.”

Happiness won’t come from one big occasion once IN a blue moon or deciding to only ‘treat yourself’ after constant, tiring work. To keep both our body and mind healthy, we have to find happiness in the regular, seemingly insignificant activities that we do, the moments we dread, the awkward silence. Understandably, that can be hard for many who have fallen into the pattern of never doing it, though little by little, once you try and your perspective shifts, you can find happiness in the most unexpected places!

Getting to a crossing right when the light turns green, turning towards your friend in a crowded room in a form of silent communication, noticing a little flower growing through the cracks in concrete pavements, holding the hand of the one you love in a dark room, taking a sip of your drink when it’s at just the right temperature, gazing out the window on a sunny day, or catching rain droplets on a gloomy one, the first bite of food when you’re ravenous, playing your favourite song right when you wake up, the last tear rolling down your cheek and knowing you’re done being sad for now. Those are moments in which I can confidently say I may have experienced all the happiness in the world once I finally realised how precious they are to me, though in the past I might have taken them for granted. At the end of the day, every moment is a big moment, you don’t need to exhaust yourself for happiness.