Anthea Turner How I See It...

Hello,

This is the time of year to really check in on your mood. I can’t say this enough – selfcare isn’t selfish! You are not only doing yourself a favour but everyone around you who depends on your strength. So every day make a pledge to yourself that you will do something for you. For example, yesterday I spent a whole one pound on a bunch of daffodils just for me. I put them in a vase, sat them on my desk and overnight in the warmth of the house their perky little heads went whoosh and opened up showing off one of nature’s most beautiful colours, vibrant yellow.

But is it possible for a little bunch of daffodils to change your mood? Yes, it is and to prove it, try this little experiment yourself.

BUNCH OF SUNSHINE

Switch off all the noise in your home – radio, television, phone – and hold your fresh bunch of open daffodils in your hand so you can feel the life in their stems. Don’t think about anything else but their beauty, take in the colour yellow – it’s a powerful, uplifting, happy colour, instantly reminding us of the warming sun. Look at the symmetry of the flower – symmetry is calming, it gives us a sense of balance and order which is why we feel better when the cushions on our sofa or bed are plumped up and arranged in a symmetrical order. Flowers are living, they sense water and light. My daffodils have all turned their heads towards the window because photosynthesis is in their DNA as it is in ours – we love and need light, hydration, a little nourishing food and when the sun comes out to warm us, we visibly change into happier people.

SMILES BETTER!

The gifting of flowers also has a warm effect on the giver and the receiver and, honestly, if you want to put a smile on anyone’s face, the easiest way to spoil them without breaking the bank is with a simple bunch of daffodils or a pot of bulbs. A friend of mine, Dorothy Purdew, who many years ago founded Champneys, the famous health retreat, is about to celebrate her 90th birthday and she’s asked everyone attending her afternoon tea party to just bring themselves and a bunch of daffodils. So with all the problems around us at the moment, most of which we are not in control of, let’s set out this month to spoil ourselves and those around us with daffodils and keep our happy hormones – dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins – happy.

Love, Anthea xx