Table of contents for Issue 3 in Gathered

TRENDS Most of us will be familiar with the German word 'schadenfreude', meaning to take delight in another's misfortune. With no direct translation, it's been adopted by other languages such as our own English as speakers are demonstrably familiar with the emotion with no easy way to express it. But what if we turn it on its head for a more positive reaction: taking joy in another's success? Yes, there's a handy term for that too and it's 'freudenfreude', inspired by the German word for joy, 'freude'. Look for the good There are many reasons why cultivating freudenfreude is beneficial for your health and wellbeing. Continually looking for the good in every situation is a proven way to stay buoyant and chipper. It also improves your resilience. Failed an exam…

MINDFULNESS “Dreams are toys,” declared Antigonus in The Winter's Tale, and anyone who's experienced the surreal, fantastic or downright bonkers places our dreams can take us would agree with this. There is a playful nature to our dreams, sure, but what actually happens behind closed lids? Why do we dream in the first place? Nobody knows for sure. We do know what happens in our brains when we sleep, though. Four stages of sleep produce four different levels of electrical activity in the brain, predominantly in the right half. Falling asleep takes us rapidly through from level 1 to 4 and we surface and descend through these stages throughout the night. Paradoxical sleep Another stage of sleep exists in which our eyes move rapidly back and forth, giving this cycle…

CREATIVITY Remember those days when buying fresh new stationery used to be a thrilling experience? Feeling the crisp, new sheet and putting pen to paper to let the ink flow was oh so satisfying. The curve of letters connecting in a sublime stream felt like you were creating a work of art. Now postcards in shops are gathering dust, postbags are carrying a lighter load, and somehow we've replaced this precious process with the ease of clicks and hits. The leisurely art of letter writing has been crushed by computer-generated captions and colours, with virtual postcard apps which will do it all for you in seconds. A tactile treat Unlike messages received on a screen, handwritten letters are visual and tactile, which makes both writing and receiving one more pleasurable.…

TRENDS Fridgescaping With over 112million posts on TikTok right now, it's fair to say that fridgescaping is having a big moment right now. The social media trend for having a beautifully organised fridge, could be dismissed as frivolous but it could actually save you money and help the planet. How often have you opened to the fridge door and got a whiff that there's something past its best lurking in the back? Households in the UK throw away over 6.6million tonnes of food waste a year and if we stored it better, we could massively reduce that. A few clever storage boxes, placing things in date order, and using your shelves correctly will help you use your shop better. And the fact it looks like a visual delight, is just…

TRENDS 1. Try clever lighting Let's start with the basics: Colour is a visible form of energy created by light of different wavelengths and frequencies. There are seven shades on the visible colour spectrum – the familiar tones we see in a rainbow, while white contains the wavelengths of all visible colours. “When light strikes our retina, it converts into electrical impulses that pass onto the hypothalamus, which in turn affects our hormones,” says author Dr Pragya Agarwal. “Different colours have different wavelengths and therefore they affect the endocrine system and, consequently our mood and stress levels in different ways.” Pick up some colour-changing light strips and experiment with the effect different colours have on you in different rooms of your home. Alternatively, create your own by adding different shades…

MINDFULNESS By opening your palms to someone you are asking to be seen; vulnerable, hopeful and eager to link worlds and ideas. Our palms are an intoxicating concoction of real-life bubbling with the need for affirmation – a peaceful guide with the ability to pinpoint you in the middle of a universe of bouncing minuscule dots. “I see you,” the palm reader says and, for those minutes as you sit there, you stop. You have been found and your past, present and future beam out in great shards of light. As you sit in the warmth of the spotlight, your hands over the small cloth-covered table with coloured tassels to the floor, you feel acknowledged, special. Whatever happens, you'll remember this. A handy guide Palmistry, also known as chiromancy, involves…

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TRENDS Maybe you have a busy work life, maybe you work solo from home, maybe you have a few friends you see often, or rarely, or lots of friends you wish you had time to see more of. Whether you are a shy person, an extrovert, single, or in a relationship, loneliness can affect us all. It's a subjective feeling, which means we can be surrounded by other people – close family, good friends, pleasant colleagues – but still feel disconnected. It's no surprise that loneliness isn't good for our health, in fact a 2010 study declared that it can be as damaging to our bodies as smoking cigarettes. Long-term loneliness can put us at risk of conditions such as heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure and it's not…

CREATIVITY Shipwrecks and knitting have an intertwined history. The origin of Fair Isle's complex, beautiful two-colour knitting was attributed to a shipwreck. In late September, 1588, the flagship of the Spanish Armada, El Gran Grifón, was wrecked on Fair Isle. Legend has it that the ship's 300 sailors survived by climbing the mast, and so reaching the island's cliff-tops. Over a period of about six weeks, the fifty islanders shared the little they had with the Spanish sailors who were wearing intricate and beautifully knitted hats and gloves. The sailors swapped food for knitting tips, and the sailors taught the islanders how to dye with lichens to get their vivid colours. During the harsh winter that followed, few of the Spanish survived, as their welcome wore thin and finally the…