Living in the South, I don't deal with cold very much at all. We get the season of winter for all of about 5-10 days sporadically through the normal winter months. It will suddenly dip into the 20's for a day or two then it's right back into the 60's.
We were warned for days this week of snow coming. Of course, mass hysteria ensued and my area saw no snow, no ice- just a ton of cold rain followed by two very cold and windy days.
It's been a painful weekend. I've never researched to see why things hurts more when it's cold or rainy but I have my own personal suspicions as to why it effects me more. Tensing up or shivering when I'm cold tenses my muscles and causes over stimulation. Add the stress of the media blowing it out of proportion and making sure every precaution is taken... yep, it's flare time baby!
I made it through the weekend alright with just the expected aches and pains and a little extra fatigue so I thought I'd share some of the things that helped me cope.
Showers don't usually hurt me besides being exhausting at times but they did this weekend. I decided to take a bath instead. Eucalyptus Epsom salts added were both comforting and seemed to do the usual Epsom effect of relief from the ache. I played a calming Norah Jones mix playlist while I soaked and it relaxed and warmed me both physically and emotionally.
When I was little, my mom would take one of my blankets and throw it in the dryer for a few minutes before bedtime then rush it in to me, tucking me in. That's stuck with me so I kept one of my throws in the dryer to warm my cold sheets on my bed with before crawling in.
Artificial heat dries me out. My nose, my throat, my skin... sometimes makes me feel like I'm suffocating. I had to use it this weekend but kept it at a minimum and ran a cool mist humidifier in my room.
Rom-com. Oh yes. Lots of Netflix and Amazon Prime watching. Runaway Bride, Legally Blond, Scents and Sensibility (find it, it's great!), and other cheesy but heartwarming movies like that kept me distracted and calm.
I didn't get out in the weather at all. I'm fortunate to have a good support team behind me that make sure I'm taken care of during flares and have what I need, so after going out right before it hit to get a few things, I stayed in jammies for the duration. I'm blessed.
So, that's how I get through a blast of "winter" in the south. I'd love to hear how you do in the comments! Stay warm, stay blessed.
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