Everyone that I have met recently is either exhausted, getting over a sickness or coming down with something. It’s very hard to take an interest in how you look when you feel awful. I could have written about buying this or that item of clothes for the summer but I think that it is more important to feel better first. A great dress can look good on, but a well-cared-for body (and I’m not talking about weight here) will make that dress look incredible!
For the last month I have been out picking nettles, dandelions and ‘sticky willies’ (cleavers) and making tea out of them. A spoonful of local honey is the only add-in. Am I mad? Absolutely, and in lots of ways, but this is what generations gone by used to do regularly. This concoction was known as a ‘spring tonic’ and valued for its deep nutritive and detoxifying properties. Together these three wild herbs (don’t you dare call them weeds) provide a synergistic blend of vitamins, minerals and compounds that support the liver, heart, kidneys and lymphatic system and they are plentiful and free. You will need to give everything a good rinse before you make the tea, of course. You can thank me later because you will notice a difference in your energy levels and sleep after a week. Keep it up for a few weeks and you will wonder how you survived without it. While there is no trace of collagen in any of the above, all three of these plants are highly regarded in herbalism for promoting your body’s own natural collagen production. Nettles are rich in silica and Vitamin C, which are essential building blocks for collagen synthesis and maintaining skin elasticity. Cleavers act as a gentle lymphatic tonic, flushing out toxins, reducing inflammation and leaving you with flawless skin. Dandelions provide the nutritional environment needed for healthy cellular repair, great sleep and ultimately incredible skin health.
Most of us can also relate to the clothing fatigue that comes from staring at a closet full of clothes while feeling exhausted or worn out. You simply cannot figure out what to wear, what looks good or feels right. Most women just go out and buy more clothes and a week later they are back staring into the wardrobe again, struggling to choose and reverting to putting something together that doesn’t feel or look right. Culling is the only answer and I guess that’s where a good stylist comes in. Fresh eyes make such a difference with the end goal being a series of interchangeable pieces that work well together.
Remind yourself that the freedom that comes with an organised wardrobe is so wonderful that you will never once regret letting go of anything. Get rid of the time-wasters first, you know those pieces that you try on and take off again straight away and never wear! Life, experience, babies and sickness changes us, what you wore three years ago might not reflect who you truly are now. Keep only the clothes that reflect who you are and the fatigue will start to lift.
Of course there will always be a gorgeous new summer dress or a pair of shoes or a jacket that you simply must buy. Summer white clothes get tired and need to be replaced regularly. Wear all of your summer dresses – florals are huge again this year. At the end of the summer, if a dress hasn’t been worn on holidays or at home, get rid of it and wish it well on its new journey.
Take care of yourself and give your body what it needs to thrive. For me, laughter is the best medicine. My pygmy goats, Bert and Ernie give me so many laughs. Ernie is obsessed with Rich Tea biscuits and regularly sneaks into the kitchen to steal bananas. He also has a taste for Guinness! Get yourself an Ernie and life will never be dull again!
