Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 15 i Gathered

Danny Zane, Therapist at North London Therapy (northlondon-therapy.co.uk) suggests the following quick ways to get in the mood: 1. "Wear their favourite perfume" You don’t even need to say anything! Scent is such an overlooked sensory hit. See if they notice and make a move. 2. "Dress up just a bit" Make a little extra effort for each other, evoking the early days in a relationship. 3. "Send flirty texts during the day" Foreplay is a little different amidst family life, so secret suggestive messages can work wonders. 4. "Give playful touches and sneaky kisses" Don’t forget to flirt!…

After a wonderful weekend of food, friends and good times, suddenly it’s Sunday evening, and the feeling of freedom begins to wane. Sunday night anxiety, otherwise known as the ‘Sunday scaries’, is a form of creeping dread nearly all of us have experienced at some point. A study led by the University of Exeter found that most employees experience energy dips on Sunday evenings. Meanwhile, a UK study by Roseland found “work-related worries (including burnout and aspects related to the ‘Sunday scaries’) were among the top ten scenarios keeping us awake at night.” It’s the same for our friends across the pond, too. A survey conducted by LinkedIn found 75% of Americans experience Sunday scaries – and that figure is still rising. Knowing you’re a mere 12 to 24 hours…

Happiness…that hard-to-pin down emotion. You feel it, and before you know it, it can vanish into thin air. You try to keep it but can’t. So how do we train ourselves to stay happy and how do the experts do it? Do they follow their own advice? Here psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists weigh in on how they train themselves to be happy. 'I walk without my phone' Ellie Coverdale is a psychologist at Ukwritings.com. She says: ‘Happiness can feel really hard to hold onto and that’s something I hear from so many people. Part of the struggle is that we often think we’ll be happy ONCE. Once we get the job, lose the weight, find the relationship, fix what’s broken, etc. But happiness isn’t a finish line. It’s more like…

Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art of arranging objects for balance and harmony, has long been used to maximise the feeling of flow and positive energy (or ‘chi’) around a bedroom. Beyond practical considerations of where your furniture fits best, it’s also important to consider temperature – avoiding putting your bed in hot spots or draughts and aiming for a room temperature between 16 and 19°C for optimum sleep conditions. Try not to place a bed against an exterior wall if you can help it (they’re often colder because they’re exposed to the elements) and consider investing in a high-tech duvet, with the option to combine Tog thickness for warmer or cooler nights. Part of good sleep hygiene is, of course, having a clean environment. There are a few easy…

Pro make-up artist Sarah-Jane Froom suggests the following fun pairings and products. • Olive green eyeshadow with a nude lip: understated but modern. • My fave is the Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Green Shadow for a wearable olive tone and paired with a soft nude like Pillow Talk from Charlotte Tilbury. • Pastel purple with a pink or peach lip: A spring/summer favourite. • Pastels from Huda Beauty’s Obsessions palettes are gorgeous, and a soft lip gloss from bareMinerals or By Terry finishes the look beautifully. • Berry-stained lips with rose gold eyes • Rose gold shimmer on the eyes (try NARS or Sweed for great pigments) paired with a sheer berry stain from Glossier on the lips creates the perfect blend of softness and drama. • Electric purple…

Dementia – a broad term for a group of conditions including Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia – is sadly on the rise. This heartbreaking affliction causes decline in memory, thinking, and behavioral abilities, significantly affecting daily life, and many of us will be all too aware of it - perhaps through observing the diminishing health of own grandparents and parents. The NHS estimates that 1 in 11 people over the age of 65 in the UK has dementia – in total just over 944,000 people. Unfortunately, as lifestyles and medical care improves and the population lives longer, we are seeing increasing cases of dementia – it’s estimated that by 2030, the number of people with the condition in the UK will be more than 1 million. Author of new book,…

We’re living in a sleep-deficit epidemic and it’s having a major impact on our health. This lack of sleep isn’t just due to modern life’s need to keep us awake replying to emails, interacting on social media or watching TV. In fact, many of us have trouble falling asleep, or staying asleep once we do. And while there are many things that can cause this, one place we often forget to look for an answer is our hormones. Many of us go about our everyday lives without giving our hormones much thought, unless you’re a woman experiencing hormonal imbalances, or a man speaking to a doctor about why you suddenly have belly fat or a sudden lack of motivation or sex drive, for example. But no matter your age or…

Feeling unmotivated, lacking in energy and just a little bit overwhelmed? It’s never too late to make positive changes, but often putting this into action can feel like a gargantuan task. ‘When we decide we’re going to take control of our mental or physical health, people assume they’ve got to make momentous life changes all at once,’ says Dee Johnson, a senior accredited MBACP psychotherapist. Instead, it’s about making smaller manageable tweaks. ‘Adapting new positive habits is about showing yourself care and respect,’ she continues. ‘The more you build self-respect, the more inclined you are to want to take the next positive step forward.’ Here Dee, and a range of other health and wellness experts, share tips on how – by starting small – you can change your life for…

Having children is life changing in many ways. For all the joy and fulfilment they bring, there is also a distinct lack of the freedoms you once enjoyed. It’s a fair trade, but it can make connection with your partner very different to the heady days of date nights and lazy morning sex. When a dirty weekend is now more likely to describe your third bout of norovirus this term or washing the kids’ bedding for the umpteenth time, even thinking about sex, let alone actually doing it, may seem futile. And of course, there is a time and a place! When your children are very young or need extra care you may not be in the least bit inclined – or able – to enjoy intimacy but when you’re…

Spots and breakouts are often associated with teenage years however, adults suffer with acne too. Tackling skin problems can be physically painful and harmful for your mental health. A recent study in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology revealed that adults with acne have a higher likelihood of having eating disorders. Other research has confirmed it can cause depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. But it’s important to remember, there is help available. Dr Robert White, a Doctify-rated GP specialising in Dermatology and Skin Surgery says, ‘My key takehome message with adult acne is that treatments are available. Acne can have a very significant impact on the mental well-being of patients as well as causing lifelong scarring. Not all treatments work for all patients, but with support…

Red and green should never be seen – or so they say. Whoever came up with that sage (pardon the pun) piece of sartorial advice obviously hadn’t seen mint with burgundy or the palest eau de nil with a bold, true red. One can transform the other, and even make you fall in love with colours you didn’t think were very ‘you’. We’re asked from the earliest age what our favourite colour is, but many of us don’t give much thought to what our favourite colours are and why we love to see certain shades together. Colour expert Momtaz Begum-Hossain (@momtzbh) agrees: “Colours are powerful on their own, but when you place them next to another colour they take on whole new properties. The colour can suddenly appear more vibrant,…