Some days are just tough. You might have experienced significant stress or are navigating a difficult chapter. And despite all this, when someone asked how you were, you say “Good! Busy!”.

But the truth is, not being okay, is okay. The changing nature of our mood and wellbeing is a valid part of the human experience. Life will throw curveballs and send us on detours.

Sometimes these unexpected changes can leave us feeling unsettled or off balance and that’s okay. In fact, it’s completely normal. Rather than pushing those feelings away, it’s important to face them with kindness and acceptance.

• You’ve been taught to over-function: We live in a world that ties worth to productivity. Rest is seen as lazy, while burnout is celebrated as ambition. No wonder emotional exhaustion feels like failure, when really, it’s just your body asking for rest and care.

• Perfectionism has trained you to resist feeling: If your identity is built on being capable and composed, then breaking down - even a little - can feel like losing control. Instead of “fix” emotions as if they were problems to solve.

• You’ve taken on the role of being the strong one: If you’re the person others lean on, admitting you’re not feeling yourself, can feel uncomfortable. But strength doesn’t mean never struggling, it means being honest with yourself and accepting support and help when you need it.

1. Soften your environment: Small changes can bring immediate comfort. Try lighting a candle, tossing dirty washing into a basket so it’s out of sight, or opening a window.

2. Try sensory grounding: Invest in a weighted blanket and wrap yourself up like a burrito. It can help bring you back into your body and offer deep comfort.

3. Nourish your body: Choose low-effort snacks like berries, protein balls, or veggie sticks with hummus. These help keep blood sugar stable and provide a natural nutrition boost when you’re feeling low.

4. Press pause with a neutral focus: When your thoughts start to spiral, give your mind a gentle reset with something low-stakes. Try a puzzle like Sudoku or a crossword, put on an ambient playlist, pick up a comfort read, or try mindfulness colouring. The goal isn’t to solve or achieve anything — just to redirect your focus and give your brain a calmer track to follow.

While these strategies form the foundation of emotional wellbeing, sometimes we need a little extra support. That’s where Saffron (Crocus sativus) — often called the sunshine spice — offers a gentle approach.

Saffron is a unique and highly prized herb, with its medicinal value and culinary appeal stemming from the delicate red stigmas of the flower. Each bloom produces only three stigmas, all of which must be carefully hand-harvested — around 150,000 flowers are needed to produce just one kilogram of dried saffron. This labour-intensive process makes saffron one of the world’s most expensive spices, celebrated in Asian cuisine (think saffron rice) and revered for centuries in traditional medicine from Persia to China.

Affron®, a clinically trialled extract of saffron, is present in Herbs of Gold – Saffron Mood Balance and helps support emotional balance and mental wellbeing in adults. In a 4-week double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 128 adults, 28mg of Affron® daily supported healthy mood balance and significantly reduced mild anxiety symptoms. Further, in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial, Affron® was found to support healthy mood balance in teenagers aged 12–16 years.

Crocin, crocetin, and safranal are the primary active constituents that contribute to its effects, largely through modulation of neurotransmitter systems. These actives increase the concentration of neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, dopamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and serotonin in the brain — helping to modify the perception of mood and mild anxiety.

Now that modern clinical research is affirming what ancient physicians once observed, it’s no wonder this golden herb has been considered precious for both body and mind for so long. Remember, caring for your emotional wellbeing is a daily practice. Sometimes that care comes from small acts, and sometimes it comes from a little extra support — like the gentle benefits of saffron.