(Gross out alert!!)

I’m sitting here with a bin full of snotty tissues and a body smeared with Vicks. But with allergies that prevent the use of any flu fighting medications, what do I normally do to knock a cold on the head?

Love the liquids!

Thyme tea; I grow lemon thyme in my garden. (Actually I just planted it and it just didn’t die… what, that’s growing it isn’t it?) I grab a small sprig of the thyme and pour boiling water over it, leave it steep for a minute and let it cool a little then drink it. Not too much of this though. Try a whole bunch of teas, chamomile sounds good too.

A steam facial with a sprig of lavender. To do this, pour boiled water over the lavender in a largish bowl and carefully cover your head with a towel over the bowel. Remember you are working with steam and boiling water. Be careful not to burn yourself.  I usually do this on my lounge room floor so I can hang my head a little to drain the sinuses.  You can use lavender oil in lieu of the actual plant.

Chicken for dinner. If anyone in my family is feeling under the weather, I pull out the chicken for dinner. Whether it be tinned chicken soup, homemade chicken soup, a chicken curry or sweet and sour, it seems to  work… that or people stop acting sick just so they can have something else for dinner.

Hot showers. Lather up the areas just under your collar bones, and add a little pressure. Also massage along the cheeks (on your face). Don’t forget to get rid of as much nose muck as you can.

Use Vicks on your feet. After your hot shower put Vicks on your feet and put socks on (rumoured to help with coughs!).

Pressure points. There are a couple of pressure points I push on to help ease sinus pressure. One is on the webby bit between your thumb and first finger and the other is on the top of the foot between the big toe and the second toe.

One thing I haven’t tried that I think would help, but looks weird, is a Neti Pot. Basically you’re washing your nasal cavity.

REST! Get as much sleep as you can.

Stock up on tissues and movies that bore you to tears.

Feel better soon!

Friday Ketchup compares book covers and tell you about her favourites. See if you have the same taste!

Belinda Hamilton talks acne and skin care

I have spent the last 20 years trying to get rid of the stupid acne on my stupid face. Though I am limited in what I can use to treat and maintain the issue due to allergies, I’ve been having marginal success lately.

Here are the only things I am conscious of actually changing.

~Note this is what has worked for me, it may not work for everyone.~

#1 I threw away all the cleansers and toners I had.

This was due to my allergy to salicylic acid. Since this acid is pretty much in every single product used to treat acne and it gives me a migraine every time without fail… Out it all went.

#2 I stopped drinking carbonated drinks.

Seriously, the moment I have a can or glass of soft drink, I can expect a break out within days. I switched it with water. (especially when having take away meals)

#3 I eat more fruit and veg.

I’ve been adding peas and corn to dishes I don’t normally have any veg in and have been adding more variety to the dishes that usually have standard veggies.

#4 I wash/ replace my make up applicators more regularly.

You would think this one is a no brainer, but seriously when was the last time you did this?  ~ Here’s a clip from Michelle Phan on brush cleaning (give away isn’t current)

#5 I TRY to stress less.

I know when I haven’t been managing my time properly… I stress.

#6 I switch out my pillowcase more often.

You spend at least 8 hours a night connected to the thing with your face. You do the maths.

#7 I look in the mirror less.

You tend to scrutinise your blemishes if you spend too much time glancing in the mirror, which makes number 8 harder to succeed at.

8 I try not to pop the zits, or touch my face in general.

Easier said than done on both counts. Be mindful and have some self control.

#9 I keep my hair out of my face.

I generally like to do this for work anyway, however it reduces the oils and products touching my face.

#10 I wash off my make up EVERY day.

For this I just use a clean wash cloth and warm water.  

If you’ve got some non medical tips on how to treat acne, feel free to let me know.

Belinda talks watches.

Watch It!

I have this awful tan line happening on my left arm right now thanks to my watch. This wouldn’t be happening if I changed up the type of watches I used during the week (or used more sunscreen). I figured I’d take a look at a few different styles of watch to see what you all thought would be kinda cool to use.

When I was in high school, the must-have watch was a Baby G by Casio.  They never really did anything for me back then, nor do they now because my arms are so thin. What can I say? It’s a curse.

The other most famous type of watch going around when I was a kid was a Swatch watch  and believe me they’ve come a LOOONG way from slapping a branded piece of plastic to your arm. There are actually some on there I would love to wear. However the online store isn’t available to Australia. Booo!

For the classical look you can go with a fob watch, or a pocket watch. These would make a nice day to day look. For a dramatic addition to a steam punk outfit you can try and find one that has all the moving parts visible. Check them out on E Bay. *sigh* So pretty.

To get really picky you can always just do away with the watch all together and rely on the clock on your mobile phone. But since my battery is always flat, I’d do better with a sun dial on a cloudy day.

Anyway, I hope I’ve triggered a fashion trend change. If none of these worked for you I’d love to hear which watches are making you tick.

Belinda Hamilton interviews teen expert and author Michelle Mitchell.

We’re heading into the lead up to mid-year exams for Aussie high school students. What are your top 3 tips to surviving exams?

 
Try these tips to help keep things calm….

1. Put as much value on relaxation and exercise as you do on exams. Value and time are two different things. You may have to cut down on the time you spent watching television or sports, however don’t eliminate them altogether.

2. Eat a decent breakfast before going to school. When you are hungry if affects your concentration, mental speed and clarity.  Eating a good breakfast, which includes protein, helps brain function stay stable.

3. Start assignments and study as early as possible. Stress builds when you have too much to do in too little time. Start each assignment the day you are given it and don’t leave things to the last minute.

We’ve been running a series on www.burnbright.com.au called Mirror Mirror to counteract the YouTube trend of teens asking the masses, ‘Am I beautiful?’ Our focus in this series is to highlight teen girls and women who have done incredible things with their lives. Who would you suggest we should profile for role models for young women?
 
I am privileged to come in contact with many young ladies who are turning their lives around and achieving great things.  Chantelliene is one of those ladies.  She is now a 24 years old, successful business owner.  She got heavily involved in drugs and alcohol when she was a teenager but has managed to get herself back on the straight and narrow.  She grew up with quite a number of challenges to overcome, including an alcoholic father. I’m so proud to see she is now kicking great goals for her own life and learning from her families mistakes.
 
Why do you think society places so much focus on young women to aim for beauty rather than striving to achieve amazing things?
 
There is so much focus on beauty and body image in society and the media.  It puts a lot of pressure on our girls.  I see girls wanting a ‘box’ so badly their life is melting down over it.  Girls don’t put all your eggs in the one beauty basket. There is more to you than how you look. I’m blogging more about this more at michellemitchell.org this week.
 
There’s a saying, ‘You can’t troll a troll,’ (eye for an eye) when referring to Internet bullying, however this is inaction is perpetuating the issue. How can teens take charge of the issue, without trolling the trolls?
 
I agree. You can’t beat a bully  by being a bully. The person who started the fight is usually meaner and stronger than you.  You can however, beat a bully by outsmarting a bully. One way of outsmarting a bullying is not giving them any attention AT ALL.  Bullies thrives on attention. The more dramatically we react, the more we fuel it.  The other way of outsmarting bullies is by taking yourself off social media sites that are known for bullying, like Ask.fm. If you have a profile on a site like that you are a sitting duck, waiting to be bullied.  That’s no way to live! Lastly, be careful who you friend and follow in the first place and keep in contact with supportive adults if you feel uncomfortable about anything online.
 
So much attention is given to how parents can start a non-threatening dialogue with their teenage children, but very little is taught to teens as to how to do the same with their parents, who may be just as disconnected in the relationship as they believe their teens to be. Can you suggest so me conversation starters that shouldn’t send parents into defence mode?
 
If you are asking your parents to allow you to do something ‘safe’ but you are still worried about your response, I’d suggest a few things.  Try not to over react and scream the house down. This will get their back up more.  Try to communicate your feelings calmly, slowly and with respect. Make your parents feel appreciated.  Give it a few days. You don’t have to get your point across in 30 minutes. Sometimes parents need time to think about things. 

Michelle’s Bio:

An advocate, author and active youth worker, Michelle’s honest and hope-filled approach has seen her help countless teenagers transition successfully into adulthood.

Working in schools, homes and community groups, Michelle is the founder of charity Youth Excel which started in 2000. Youth Excel delivers life skills education and support to hundreds of teenagers and their families though presentations, small groups and individual mentoring.

Michelle passionately advocates for equal opportunities for all young people, regardless of cultural background, socio-economic status or family dysfunction.

As a speaker, Michelle is entertaining, energetic and passionate about helping teenagers and their families navigate through challenging crossroads.

As an author, Michelle has incorporated years of grassroots experience into her book, “What Teenage Girls Don’t Tell their Parents”.  Michelle has also authored a series of five life skills programs being utilised by schools nationwide covering topics including self esteem, relationship strategies, problem solving, goal setting and self leadership.

Michelle is a registered teacher.

Along with her husband Doc and two teenagers, she lives in Brisbane, Australia

– See more at: http://michellemitchell.org/