Can Flowers Help Improve Your Emotional Health?
They say that you should always take time to “stop and smell the roses”. Though it sounds cliche, could this old saying be better advice that we realise? As technology and society advances, we are all becoming more and more caught up in business, constantly working, striving, giving and draining our mental, physical and emotional supplies. Constantly being on the go can create a lifestyle of stress and anxiety, so perhaps taking moments to slow down and enjoy the beauty of nature really can make a difference to our emotional wellbeing.
We’ve all had the experience of a peaceful walk through nature that leaves us feeling invigorated and rested. Now there is behavioural research to substantiate the idea that nature, and flowers in particular, are beneficial to people’s emotional health. Psychology research at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey has found that flowers trigger positive and happy emotions and positively affect social behaviour.
The Enigma of the Impossible Blue Rose
As far a flowers go, the rose is the most symbolic of them all. Red roses symbolise love and passion. These are reserved for gifts to lovers and make excellent Valentine Day flowers. Pink roses symbolise romance and femininity. Yellow roses have come to symbolise friendship and playfulness and white roses have a special place as bereavement or condolence flowers.
The blue rose, however, is an enigma and in popular imagination symbolises a multitude of ideas and ideals. The blue rose also has a special place in culture and literature. This mystical flower means so much more than any other flower.
Art and literature
How to Keep Your Cut Flowers Healthy
A bunch of flowers are the perfect gift for every occasion. A well-selected bouquet of beautiful blooms can say “I love you”, “I’m sorry”, “Thank you”, “Congratulations!” — and they also make a pretty fabulous Valentine’s Day gift. Now you can help to preserve the pleasure of your flowers with some tips and tricks to keep cut Valentine Day flowers looking fresh and healthy.
Re-cut the stems
Before you do anything with your flowers, get a pair of sharp scissors and re-cut the stems. Cut the stems on an angle to create a larger surface area to absorb more water. Also, remove all the leaves on the stems that sit below the water line in the vase. Put your flowers into fresh water straight away. Your fresh cutting will ensure that the flowers are well hydrated, keeping them fresh for longer.
4 Valentines Ideas to Rock Your Sweetheart’s World
When you’re in a relationship for a long time it’s too easy to let opportunities to be romantic slip by. Don’t let another Valentines Day get past you without making the most of it! You can create sparks in your relationship by making an effort to surprise and delight your partner.
Whatever your time or budget constraints you can knock your partner out with your thoughtfulness. Try one of these romantic ideas this Valentines Day:
1. Relationship album.
You don’t have to be incredibly creative to pull this one off. Collect a bunch of your favourite pictures of the two of you. Purchase an attractive hard cover book, preferably with coloured or black pages, and begin to stick your photos inside, leaving plenty of room on the page. Aim for one to two photos per page.
Now add special keepsakes around the images, such as concert tickets, descriptions of milestone moments in the relationship, magazine clippings of your favourite places or memories. You can choose a colour palette for the embellishments, or you can make it eclectic and fun. You can also add poems, love songs, quotes and more.
So, You Forgot Valentines Day?
Okay, okay, you have a lot on your mind and work is crazy busy – but there are no excuses for forgetting Valentines Day! How did you miss the shops covered with pink and red loves hearts?! Deep breathe. This will not be the end of you – but you will to do some quick thinking to make it up to your lover.
If it’s 5.30pm on Valentine’s day you may be able to act quick – pick up Valentines Day Flowers, chocolates or a gift hamper and drop them off at your loved one’s place in the evening. If you’re lucky (and you haven’t spoken to her all day) she may think that’s the way you planned it this way all along.
If you forgot the whole day you will really need to play your cards well to get safely back into the good books. There are a few routes you can take, so consider the type of person your woman is, and what will work best for her.
5 Steps To Change Her Mind About You
It’s happened! The girl that’s been your good friend for a long time has become the love of your life. Somewhere between the laughs and deep chats about the how to make the perfect toasted cheese sandwich you fell for her. Only problem is she says she just wants to be friends.
Deep down you know that you two would be great together, and all your other friends have been saying it too. You can change her mind about you!
1. Break the familiarity
If you two see each other almost every day, it’s time to put some distance between you. She’s probably become so used to being around you that she’s become as familiar with you as she is with her furniture. Don’t give her the cold shoulder, but start filling your days and nights with other interesting things so that you’re not together all the time.
What The Modern Women Do And Don’t Want In Men
If you’ve recently come back onto the dating scene you will have noticed that things have (once again) changed! Women have always been complex creatures, and just when you think you “get” them, they change altogether. Well don’t stress, we’re here to let you know how to get a handle on the modern woman wants and does not want in a man.
She wants
The modern woman is confident and ambitious. She has goals and dreams and she’s looking for some to share these with. She wants a man who has big ideas for his future and a plan to get there. She wants someone she can encourage and support and who in return spurs her forward in her own pursuits.
She doesn’t want
How To Keep Love Alive In Your Marriage
You know that you’ve married the love of your life, your soul mate, but the hum-drum of life can slowly rub the sheen off your love for each other. Life becomes predictable and it’s difficult to keep full of excitement when everyday is the same. If you want to keep (or get back) the warm glow of newly wed love, you will need to keep your partner on their toes and stay full of surprises.
Communicate right
It sounds obvious, but many couple expect each other to know exactly what’s wrong and how to fix it. You need to communicate honestly and openly if you want to get all you need from your relationship. Tell your spouse what you’d like them to do more of or less of. Invite them to share their needs and wants with you and then… do something about it!
7 Ideas To Spoil Your Mum On Her Birthday
Let’s be honest, we’ve all given our mum a hard time over the years. As kids we stressed her out with our dangerous games. As teenagers we gave anger management issues by never cleaning our rooms. At university we kept her up late at night waiting for us to come home from the nightclub. And we’ve all brought home unsuitable or scary dates.
We’ve hosted wild house parties while she was away, we never bought her flowers, we broke her favourite vase and let’s face it we never really appreciate half of what she does for us. And yet, she is still fiercely loyal and thinks we are perfect. We may not be able to make it all up to her, but why not start by spoiling her rotten on her birthday.
Here are 7 ideas to spoil her and show her your appreciation on her birthday:
1. Organise a surprise birthday dinner with her friends and family:
Valentines Day Romance On a Budget
When you’re on a budget it can seem almost impossible to be romantic and thoughtful. Especially with celebrations like Valentines Day, which seems to raise people’s expectations to a fever pitch. You don’t have to splurge financially to make this Valentines Day special.
All you need is some creative thinking and planning to make it a memorable and wildly romantic day. Here are some of our best suggestions for a day or night that will knock your lover’s socks off.
1. Words of love
Write a poem or song dedicated to your lover. Your aim could be to bring tears to their eyes or a beaming smile to their lips. Whether you choose to be witty or serious and romantic, go with what suits your personality.