Caught a cold thanks to the winter season? I feel your pain. Oh do I ever. I'm currently trying to fight off my own killer cold. My world is filled with tissues, tea and the sniffles... but I will not let it get the best of me! Here's some of the clever tips I stick to when fighting off a cold:
Sniffles:
These are the worst. Constantly having a runny nose is the most annoying thing, and as if that wasn't enough, now I have to deal with unbearably dry skin on and around my nose thanks to all the tissues! My solution? NASAL IRRIGATION.... or if you're Liz, a Neti Pot! These are those weird things that use a mixture of salt & water to clean your nose. Read up on them here, I have a pre-made one that I bought from the drugstore, but you can also get a Neti pot and make your own! As for the dryness issue, as I mentioned in a previous blog post (here) Vitamin E oil is a lifesaver for dry skin, however, if you have oily skin and break out easily, beware when putting it on your face; it may clog pores and cause a break out. My skin is generally quite dry though so I use it loads when I'm sick.
Stuffy head/Drowsiness:
You know the groggy feeling you get when you're sick? You can't really hear properly and you're literally always tired? Here's the easiest solution:
-Sudafed: it's a medicine that fights off sinus congestion, I'm not big on taking pills to get better but when I know I have something I need to get done that day, I take one of these, they work miracles.
- Peppermint oil: My mom taught me this, you take a tiny bit of peppermint oil on your fingers and rub it over your lymph nodes on your neck (just under/behind your ears), the smell helps wake you up and makes you feel like 1000x better.
- TEA: OBVIOUSLY??? The thing about tea is that you have to pick the right kind of tea. Herbal teas are great for colds but if you're trying to get rid of drowsiness they can drag you down more than wake you up. My favourite tea for when I have a cold is Cold 911 from DavidsTea. It's was hand made for fighting off colds and is filled with all sorts of healing magic. You can check it out here, what I love most about it is that it still has all the cold fighting elements, but still has a bit of a 'zing' in it so that even when I put my honey in it I don't get drowsy.
- Alcohol: Okay, okay, okay, I'm not saying go to the pub and have a couple pint but a little bit of alcohol goes a long way to make me feel better. I always have a glass of wine or a shot of something if I'm feeling particularly awfully sick with a cold, it really makes me feel a lot better.
Sore Throat:
Lucky me! I don't have a sore throat right now :-) But if you do, my go-to solution is a concoction of hot water, lemon juice & honey. Add each to suit your own taste, I'm not sure why but this always works for me. It also helps to have Halls with you wherever you go. I don't recommend taking Halls after Halls after Halls, I think that just makes it worse, but if you're feeling like your throat is particularly sore for some reason it's good to have some, just in case.
An overall solution to these problems? Take it easy and have a nice bath. Add lavender bath salts and light a candle or two. I like to light some lavender essential oil too because I'm convinced essential oils smell 10000000x better than regular candles. But seriously, if you're sick, don't stress yourself out. Stress will just weaken your immune system and make it harder for you to get better, so take it easy and lay low for a couple days with a new book or NetFlix or something. Take'er'easy.
Hope these tips help & you're all feeling better in no time! Let me know if you tried any & how you liked it! xx
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