The season of new hope

Lucy Rawlings talks you through the upcoming spring trends

NATURE is slowly awakening, the evenings are holding onto that extra glow of sunlight, and flowers are beginning to blossom: we have made it to the brighter days of spring. The world is flourishing into a new season which symbolises a fresh start, and it is only right that our trends adapt to match this warmer and rejuvenating time of year.

With plants beginning to recover from the harshness of winter and blooming in their graceful delicacy, it has been tulips and daffodils which capture the ambience of spring. There is nothing more emblematic of spring than the wild treasure of the daffodil: their presence creates the bright yellow of the sun within a flower, and they are a reminder for us to maintain hope that better days are coming. Tulips are also a beautiful option to add freshness to a room, for they come in an array of colours that represent how the world is thriving in a rebirth of nature. Treating yourself to a bouquet of these vibrant flowers will bring a colourful and positive aura within your home. a banana sandwich with honey which has a bounty of benefits for the hungover body.

When thinking about refreshing our homes and wardrobes, earthy tones for our interiors are predicted to be a popular colour palette this spring, with the warmer and natural tones complementing the sunlight which will only grow as the months continue. Whilst winter has had a focus on the neutral tones, it is predicted that magenta and yellow are going to be fashionable colours for our wardrobe this spring. These pops of brightness remind us that warmer days are on the way, which boosts both our serotonin and our style. Whilst colour trends are one thing, we can also be expected to ditch jeans and boots for the comeback of maxi skirts and ballet flats, which are set to hit the shops this season.

Whether it is upgrading the warmth of your room with some earthy-toned paint, or purchasing some daffodils to brighten your day, the arrival of spring is a season we all welcome with open arms.

Attending the gym or an afternoon yoga session to get your blood circulating can be beneficial. Yoga is known to boost energy levels, stretch and relax the body leaving you feeling reinvigorated. Another low-effort solution to a restless hangover is to go for a gentle walk. Exercise is great to boost endorphins and experience better overall wellbeing but only if you feel healthy enough to do so! Over straining a tired and dehydrated body can cause more harm than good.

My favourite step in nursing a hangover is that I get a reason to practice self-care. The five principles of self-care include looking after your social, mental, emotional and spiritual selves.

After a night out, my Dad is always on my speed dial to share stories and offer emotional support if I am experiencing heightened anxiety symptoms. Alternatively, a technology detox can be beneficial to practice mindfulness and recover from a rough night. Remember, putting your phone on to ‘Do Not Disturb’ is a form of self-care! My absolute favourite thing to do is look after my face and body. A night of drinking is the perfect excuse to use a moisturising face mask to rehydrate the skin and ease puffiness. Removing traces of makeup from last night is essential to prevent break outs. Micellar water works excellently to clean makeup and ink from the face and body (a pro-tip for Batty Bingo). Another idea might be to use a facial roller/Gua Sha to drain toxins from the face and neck, maintaining a healthy lymphatic system. These effects can be recreated throughout the whole body, if you have a friend willing to give you a back rub, or simply book an appointment with a professional for a luxurious form of hangover aftercare.

Remember, there are endless forms of self-care so do whatever works best for you! Look after yourself and make sure to be kind to your body as you recover.

The rise of the pollen

Ella Minty, Arts and Lit Editor, offers her advice on beating the sneeze this spring

PICTURE the scene: 16-year-old me is taking one of her GCSE History exams in May 2018. Stressful enough, right? But during a three-hour exam, my eyes started streaming, my nose started running, and I had an obstinate itching everywhere, with the 100 per cent polyester school uniform polo shirt not helping the situation. When I came out of the exam, one of my friends assumed I’d been crying because of how red my eyes were; alas, at the most inconvient time, it was my first experience of hay fever

Since this pivotal moment, five years have passed, and although I have suffered from debilitating hay fever in previous summers, I have also amassed tips and tricks that have made the summertime slightly more bearable. Although it is only February, I have already felt my eyes start to itch and have been sneezing more than usual, but to combat this I have been taking the world’s best hay fever medication, Aldi’s version of Loratadine. Ditching the Piriteze, this is a student friendly version that actually works for me at a fraction of the price. In a similar vein, in addition to medication, hay fever wet wipes work wonders — they wipe away pollen from around the eyes and nose and serve as a gentle way to combat itchiness in particular.

A slightly more expensive route, a preventative measure instead of medication is simply just going away; foreign countries often have lower pollen levels than the UK. I usually escape to Cornwall for a couple of weeks in the summer, the pollen-abundant fields of my Somerset hometown abandoned for the beaches and beautiful grassfree scenes, where I can walk around tear-stream free. In all seriousness, though, the Student Health Centre at the University has been good in the past couple of years, recommending Avamys nose spray (which you can take in addition to over-the-counter medication) which seems to have sorted me out. Stock up on medication early, and you will survive the summer months which are so anxiety inducing for hayfever sufferers — just don’t pay the ridiculous prices for on-brand medication when the off-brand treatments work just as well.