My Winter Comfort Essentials
My Winter Comfort Essentials
There is plenty I love about winter. Thick cardigans, blankets on the sofa, woolly hats and a mug of hot chocolate are all things I look forward to when the weather turns colder.
The coughs, colds and sniffles are rather less welcome.
Over the years, I have written about the things I like to keep at home during winter. Some are simply seasonal favourites, while others feel particularly comforting when I am under the weather.
This is an updated version of that original post, focused on comfort rather than promises to prevent illness or make it disappear.
Warm drinks with honey and lemon
Honey, lemon and herbal teas are things I like having in the cupboard. When I feel under the weather, a warm drink can be comforting, especially when my throat feels sore.
Sometimes I prefer herbal tea. Other times, warm water with honey and lemon is what I fancy.
The NHS guidance on colds includes a warm honey and lemon drink as an option for soothing a sore throat. Honey must not be given to babies under one year old, and hot drinks should not be given to small children.
For me, there is also something comforting about sitting down with a warm mug and taking a moment to rest.
A bowl of soup
I do not eat soup very often during the warmer months, but winter is another matter.
A bowl of chicken soup is one of my favourites, especially homemade with vegetables. It is the sort of food I associate with being warm and looked after when I am feeling miserable.
In my original post, I described broth as something to help get you back on your feet. I would put that differently now. Soup is a meal I enjoy and find comforting, rather than something I can promise will speed up recovery.
It does not need to be an elaborate recipe to be welcome on a cold day.
Orange juice because we enjoy it
Orange juice has always been a favourite in our household, so it appeared in my original list of winter essentials.
I still want to distinguish enjoying a drink from suggesting it will prevent a cold. Having orange juice in the fridge is a food preference, not a guarantee that the winter sniffles will pass us by.
There is enough pressure to find the perfect remedy when you feel unwell. Sometimes a favourite drink can simply be something you enjoy.
Familiar cold products
Olbas oil and vapour rub also featured in my original post. Vapour rub brings back memories of my dad looking after us when we were children.
Those familiar associations can be comforting, but products need to be used according to their own instructions. Different formulations have different age limits and directions, so something suitable for an adult should not automatically be used for a child.
For advice about choosing a cold product, a pharmacist is a useful person to ask. The NHS cold guidance explains that some cough and cold medicines are unsuitable for babies, children or pregnant women.
I have removed my old application tips from this post. The leaflet for the specific product should be the guide.
Cosy layers and somewhere comfortable to rest
My favourite part of winter is probably the simplest: wrapping myself in a thick cardigan or settling under a blanket on the sofa.
I love the woolly hats, gloves and heavy jumpers too. There is something lovely about getting comfortable indoors when it is cold outside.
When I feel unwell, that comfort matters even more. A favourite blanket and somewhere to rest are enough without turning the day into a list of things I ought to be doing.
I have also shared my experience of making my bedroom more comfortable with chronic pain, including the bedding and temperature changes that helped me settle.
Keeping winter comfort simple
My winter favourites are mostly ordinary things: a warm drink, a bowl of soup, comfortable clothes and a cosy blanket.
They do not replace medical advice. If symptoms are worrying, getting worse or lasting longer than expected, seek advice rather than relying on home comforts alone. The NHS pages on colds and coughs explain when to get help.
What are the little things you find comforting during winter?
If you are hoping for a healthier life in 2023, it might be simpler to achieve than you think. Generally it is a case of just making some very easy changes, and these are the kinds of things that you are always able to do in some way or another. In this post, we are going to try and make this as straightforward and simple as possible. Specifically, we’ll take you through ten of the simplest ways in which you can hope to have a healthier 2023.