The Blues

Blue Balls The Northern Hemisphere is now moving rapidly away from the shortest day of this year - the 21^st December - but Northern Hemisphere nights are still longer than the daylight. Even during the daytime, winter days can be gloomy and grey and summer sunshine seems a distant memory.

The darker 'winter' season is a very good time to reflect the importance of natural light in your life, whether you are living in the Northern or the Southern Hemisphere.

Sun Good quality light and personally targeted colour have been considered an important medicine for thousands of years.

Natural colour and light medicine has faded from our consciousness in our recent history.

Whether we live north or south of the Equator, in winter months we feel sleepier and more tired generally. Many of us also live in towns and cities, and spend most of our time inside, under Yellow based artificial lighting.

Scarlet Pixel has advocated 'daylight' lighting since its start in 1999.

The good news is that scientists are also currently investigating just how important daylight and lighting is to office workers. Check out our February news item, 'The Blues', to learn more details of this latest research from the University of Surrey, England. Read more in The Independent:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/why-artificial- daylight-could-brighten-up-your-day-417614.html

Here's a thought... Did man evolve for so long, conquer so much, to end up sitting down all day under artificial light in an office staring at screen?

In these times of economic gloom, life may be feeling grey... Money is in short supply, jobs are disappearing, economies are weaker than last year.

This all seems to point to a grim and colourless 2009 for so many of us.

How are you feeling about the coming months?

Are you feeling gloomy about the New Year ahead?

Can anything be done to raise your spirits?

There is one very powerful way to change a grey and despondent mood... by adding more light and colour to your life.

This can cost you nothing but have amazing results on your optimism and your energy levels.

Get out more!

Sun In winter months in the Northern hemisphere, days are short and natural light levels down... so get yourself more natural light.

Wherever you are living in the world, northern or southern hemisphere, build time outside into your day - like lunch in the park or a walk in the daylight. The exercise may do you good, and daylight strongly influences daily biorhythms - full spectrum daylight, even in the winter, works on the serotonin levels produced in your brain.

Serotonin, the 'happiness' hormone, plays a vital part in lifting your mood, aiding your sleep and controlling your appetite. Say a willing goodbye to all that excess 'comforting', and waist expanding, carbohydrate!

Coloured Balls Do some personal colouring!

Add revitalizing colour energy to your day... energizing reds and yellows, and stimulating, lush oranges and pinks.

How?

By eating your colours... get colourful boosts from the food that you eat. Try squashes and oranges, coriander seeds and red cabbage, beetroots and bananas, pineapples and lentils.
By gazingat your colours... take pleasure in a picture or painting that you enjoy. If it is in your personal colour palette, feel the added colour benefits. Paint your walls, give yourself surround colour energy in your home.
For more details listen to the BBC Radio colour broadcasts made by Scarlet Pixel.
Hey, Good-looking, by wearing your colours - make an effort to dress in your personal colour palette, and add splashes of yellow and red, orange and rust. (If you do not know your personal colour palette, learn them by getting a Scarlet Pixel Colour analysis. It could be the best investment you make in 2009).
By sharing your colours, A bright brooch or bangle, necklace, necklace scarf or tie (you guys in dark suits need colour in your lives as well) sends out a positive message to you and to others around you.

And finally...

President Obama The White House in the USA has a new President in this New Year, Barack Obama, who seems to be having an effect on the style and clothes of a generation of young men. Pants 'worn under butts', oversized T-shirts and other lifestyle fashion are giving way to suits and a clean cut look in fashionable and more sober colours. The 'taper' haircut of the President is being copied. White House correspondent, Lisa, says (as reported by the BBC) the mood is more positive and the trickle down effect on regular folks is that anything is possible. What brilliant sentiments for 2009!!

Join us this year for our exciting new ventures into the World of Colour and see what is possible for you in your own colourful world.