SWEDA Somerset & Wessex Eating Disorders Association 18-25 Student Support
"serving those affected by eating disorders"

	Please bear in mind that SWEDA's 18-25 Project has now ended. Much of the work of the project has been taken on by SWEDA and its Schools Project and student support work. These leaflets are not current or made available for download and are provided for reference only.

How to Help Yourself

Feet
Feet can get very cold and dry in winter. You could wear thick bed socks to keep your toes as warm as possible. To soften rough feet, file lightly with a foot file and cover in Vaseline. Really works but you can’t do much while you’re waiting for it to dry! When you’re rubbing the cream in how about giving your feet a mini massage? It’s not very hard, just gently rub any achy areas of your feet and you should feet more relaxed and the cream will be better absorbed. Things like massage and body brushing are also really good for helping circulation. Then stick a bit of nail polish on for fabulous feet!!! For a treat you could soak your feet in a water basin with warm water, if you add some oils, such as lavender your feet will feel softer, smell better (!) and the sent around the room will be relaxing.

Hands
Hands can also suffer too, so wear thermal gloves to reduce frostbite. E45 and non scented creams, such as Vaseline Intensive Care are really good and also strengthen your nails. Again, you can give your hands a little message when you’re applying the cream, just be careful of any cuts or cracks.

Hair
If you get dry hair it is very important to use a good conditioner, as that puts some of the moisture back in. since winter, with all the wind and rain, is coming, it might be a good idea to treat yourself to a leave in conditioner treatment to use one a week. Now, with produces like these the price makes a difference in the quality, so le this be a treat. All hair is different, so shop around to find the right hair treatment for you. I personally find Herbal Essences and Trassemey especially good for putting back moisture into my hair, and are both reasonably priced. Hair serum is something I've just discovered and think is amazing, its either in a spray or gel and you just put a little on your hair when dry and it smoothes it all out, genius!!! You probably know this but you loose most of your body heat through your head, so hats are a great idea in winter. And the great news is they’re in fashion this year!

Face
Cleaners and toners are great if you get spots or have greasy skin, but be careful if you also have dry patches or have sensitive skin, as some of these products can be drying and can sting. To get rid of old, dry skin you could use a face scrub/ mask once a week, but again, be careful, these can sometimes be a little harsh. When choosing a moisturiser (very important) go for an alcohol free one, Oil of Olly is very good and isn’t just used by old people!

Lips
The main thing you can do to look after your lips is not to lick them if they’re dry (it actually dries them out more) and use a lip balm or Vaseline regularly. You can get flavoured lip balms that taste yummy!! Also, if you do get dry skin on you lips, use a toothbrush to lightly brush away dead skin. If you get cold sores (I’m cursed with them!) I find not picking them (I know it’s hard!), using Vaseline and occasionally putting on string things like perfume helpful in getting rid of them. As silly as it sounds but try to stress about them, as stress makes the virus worse and could be the reason for it coming up in the first place.

Mouth/Teeth
In addition to brushing twice a day, it’s a good idea to also floss, as that gets rid of plague between teeth. If you have weak teeth be careful with this one, and always by waxed based floss. If you have vomited it is important to use a non acidic mouthwash (tcp based is the best) and not brush your teeth. That may not sound too great, but if you brush your teeth you’re just rubbing the acid from the vomit into your teeth which will rot them- lovely eh!!!

Body
With the rest of your body you could moisturise and message as I’ve said with the other areas, it’s really relaxing and makes you feel pampered when your skin in well looked after.

Surroundings
When trying to de-clutter your head it’s sometimes useful to de clutter room as well. Room at uni (either halls or houses) or often small and claustrophobic so you should try to make it as clear and comfortable as possible, after all, you are going to be living there! Little things can make such a big difference in making your room a nice place to be, like hanging some nice pictures/ paintings on the wall that make you happy, like your favourite place or animal. Burning oils and incense is also a great but subtle way of making a room a nice place to be, just check out the rules for candles with whoever you’re renting from and never leave the room/ go to sleep with them on.

For more information about oils and aromatherapy go to: http://www.aromaweb.com/

For more information about self message go to: http://users.rcn.com/lanat/selfmassage.htm