A GUIDE ON SURVIVING WINTER IN THE UK

Hey sis, if this is your first winter experience, this post is specially for you. Without mincing words i will tell you it doesn’t get better from what you have seen so far . Winter thickens from December through February and sometimes March. Couple of years ago i remember we had a snow storm in April so please brace up for it .
If you are up in the north of England or Scotland area , you guys will have it worse than the rest most likely. But e go touch everyone to a good extent.

The first thing I’ll suggest you do is be MENTALLY PREPARED for winter. As we progress to having longer night time (3:40pm – 8am), most people find it depressing and harder to cope psychologically. Please try not to be alone , if you don’t have family in uk, make friends in your telegram groups and link up with sisters near you. Try not to spend the Christmas holiday alone too if you can avoid it. There’s no shame in asking in your group or church if anyone wants to spend the day together (if you are not working on the day) , you can cook something nice together and play games indoors.

NOTE: There’s no public transportation on Christmas Day . Here people travel to their families and stay indoors as a tradition. So shops are closed and nothing to see outside like back home .

So what do you need for winter?

A GOOD WINTER JACKET. Please get one that is lined with fleece or Borg to ensure you are warm inside.
SCARF, GLOVES AND HEAD WARMERS. Knitted scarves and head warmers are better for your neck and head in winter . Get thick fleece gloves too to keep your fingers warm.
FLUFFY EAR MUFFS. Cold can get in through your ears so please get some muffs to cover them especially if you stand in the cold waiting for buses for a long time.
VERY STURDY WINTER BOOTS. When buying this, pls forget fashion. Look out for boots with good sole grip that help you walk on ice without falling. Falls in winter is very common especially as the ice melts and makes the ground slippery. You fit wear fashion boots and fall yakata on the road with it.
THERMAL UNDERWEAR. These are sold in most high stores (eg primark ) and you need these as your first clothing layer before wearing other items . They keep very warm underneath your clothes. Get both the tops and bottoms.
HOT WATER BOTTLE. These should be your babies when indoors . Fill 3/4 with almost boiling water and Cuddle them They keep warm for long too.
ELECTRIC BLANKETS. You can turn this on 1hr or so before bed to heat it up . Keeps very warm through the night and saves you some energy bill. Please do not sleep with the blanket plugged in.
ELECTRIC UNDER BLANKETS. This is placed on your mattress before your bedsheets and electric blanket. Same rule applies
THICK DUVETS. Can’t afford electric blankets? Please get at least a 15 tog duvet or a fleece duvet to keep warm . I recommend fleece.
WEARABLE BLANKET HOODIES . Cozy up at home in this plus hot water bottle and you are good
MICROWAVEABLE SLIPPERS. These are plush house slippers you can pop in the microwave for about 60-90secs and you wear them afterwards. Keeps your feet warm and cozy.
LAYER UP! If you are going out Pls don’t wear just a T-shirt and your jacket. You should layer your dressing to help keep you warm. Here’s an example: Start with a thermal top and bottom, go over with a turtleneck long sleeve top, wear a cardigan, add a scarf then your fleece lined winter jacket, gloves and socks. Now cold has got nothing on you baby.
ROBB, ABONIKI, VAPOUR RUB. You need this for your chest and rib areas .
NASAL SPRAY, HUMIDIFIERS AND ESSENTIAL OILS . For your stuffy nose . Heaters make the air in your home and skin very dry and what a humidifier does is to put back some moisture into the air. The trick is to add some drops of eucalyptus oil or olbas oil into your humidifier water so that it fills the air and helps with breathing.
SPICY SOUPS . You can stick to the well known Nigerian pepper soup or if you are like me that loves to take my tastebuds on exploration, then try other British winter soups ( minestrone soup, sweet potato soup, leek and onion soup , chicken noodle soup , butter squash soup, Indian winter soup etc). You’ll find loads of recipes on bbc good food website and of course I add pepper to the recipe
HOT DRINKS. Drink as much as possible to stay hydrated. There are loads of fruity herbal teas out there in the shops.
VITAMIN D. There’s almost no sun this period so this is highly recommended for us coloured people. Pls don’t skip it. Add other essential supplements too .
IMMUNITY BOOSTERS. You can make these shots at home, freeze them in ice cube trays and take one or two cubes morning and night. Eg ginger + tumeric + honey / ginger + fresh orange juice + tumeric + black pepper or cayenne pepper etc