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Htheme ello and welcome to issue 191 of Quench! The of this issue is Feeling; a subjective and somewhat intimate theme, one that is particularly fitting as we bring you our first issue of 2023.
Entering a new year seems to evoke different feelings within different people. Some may feel excited for the year ahead, eager to see what is around the corner and ready to embrace it with open arms. Yet some may feel as though they’re drowning in new year nerves, governed by the pressure of resolutions that they promised to keep. On top of starting a new year, this issue also coincides with the start of a new academic term. Complete with starting new modules, meeting new lecturers and navigating a new timetable, it is no wonder that this time of year can feel a bit overwhelming. With all of these changes in mind, it is important to allow yourself to ‘feel your feelings’ and all that comes with them. Some days may be high, some days may be low, but please remember that the way you feel is always valid. Our team always takes a refreshing and creative approach to the themes that we provide, and that is particularly true of this issue. From considering the songs guaranteed to get you in your feels, to the psychology behind dressing for pleasure; from asking the age-old question: ‘what is love?’ to embracing the rollercoaster of emotions that comes with travelling, this issue reflects the complexities of feelings. The beauty of this theme, for me, is its open-nature. Feelings are personal, subjective and self-contained; they differ for everyone, yet they are a universal experience. To be in touch with your feelings is a beautiful thing, and the ability to embrace, validate, and share these feelings is even better. I hope you enjoy this issue of Quench, and that it inspires some feelings of happiness within you as you read!
Maddie
W elcome back, readers. Thank you so much for picking up this edition of Quench. I hope you
had a lovely festive season and are ready for a new year and a new term. As I am writing this, we are approaching the end of exam season, hopefully, everyone is achieving and on their way to some well-earned rest. Deadline season can be extremely stressful, especially over the same period as Christmas, the new year and the icy Cardiff winters. It is no accident that this edition’s theme is ‘feeling’, with everything from romance, as we anticipate Valentine’s Day, to music that ‘gets us in our feels’. This is the perfect edition and time to analyse our thought and feelings and welcome emotion. I, myself, am a lover of Valentine’s Day, and a little bit of a hopeless romantic. I love flowers and chocolates and telling people how much I appreciate them, for me, it is one of the small joys and a way of brightening up the February gloom. However, I know that not everyone feels the same and this can be a time of resentment, loneliness and discontent. Hopefully, this edition can inspire some of you to see ‘feeling’ in a different light, whether you are finding out about some self-help books over in the Literature section or finding out the relationship between diet and mood in the food section. Every single one of our writers, editors and designers have all worked extremely hard to bring this edition to you, including my fabulous co-Deputy Editor, Maddie, and the wonderful Editor-in-Chief, Alexa. I wish you all an incredible start to 2023 and the new academic term, it is going to be a great one! Look after yourselves
Molly Deputy Editor
............................................................. Deputy Editor