OverFlow: I'll Be Here Underneath My Blanket
As someone who grew up in the tropics, I'm not used to cold and dry weather.
OverFlow is what happens when I overthink, overflow, and over-everything. When my feelings have nowhere to go, I write about them.
As someone who grew up in the tropics, I'm not used to cold and dry weather. Moving to the desert seemed like an easy ask—after all, I'm used to the heat! But the dryness was new, and the changing of seasons was harsh.
After years of trying to get used to fall and winter weather, I've decided that being underneath my blanket is the solution—being a hermit during the cold months could be the answer to my holiday season complaints!
Why Wear Layers and Sweat Underneath Them While Still Feeling Cold Outside?
In the Philippines, I dreamed of wearing layers without sweating underneath them. It was never really cold enough in Manila to wear hoodies, jackets, and scarves—unless you were hanging out in a mall with AC blasting throughout the day. Thermals and fleece? I didn't even know what they were back then.
Imagine my surprise when the cold weather arrived in Vegas during our first year here, and I started wearing layers—and sweating right through them. This was a problem for my feet, especially. I don't know what it was about my diet or my body during that time, but my feet sweat a lot during those first fall and winter months, and they were very stinky! TMI, but true, and very embarrassing.
I wore thermals under my pants and hoodies, and the back of my knees and elbows also sweat a lot. But because I was afraid I'd stink, I couldn't take my hoodies off the moment we were inside and enjoying a heater. And hat hair! OMG. I didn't get how dry shampoo worked and what it was for until I experienced cold weather hat hair here. My hair has always been oily, but I don't think I'd ever looked as unhoused as I did during that first winter in Vegas—which was appropriate, as we didn't have a home of our own yet.
Even while wearing cold weather clothes, I still felt the cold because of the wind. This was true in Vegas, but I really felt it when we visited Pennsylvania to attend my sister-in-law's wedding during the -ber months. My cheeks were freezing, and my joints were wet and aching. How do people survive in this weather?
How a Tropical Girl Survives Winter
Honestly, I make soup and stay home underneath my blanket. This year, it's been tough because I'm dealing with hot flashes and night sweats due to perimenopause—sometimes, I need the warmth of my blanket, and sometimes it's too much. My body also does this thing where my legs and feet are freezing cold, but my torso, arms, hands, and head are hot and sweating.
I've also learned that cold weather clothing should make sense for you to use it. I often complain about the cold when I take Loaf out for a walk these days, and I think that's because I don't dress for the weather. His walks are just a part of my regular day, and since I work from home, I wear pajamas all day—and my pajamas are ideal for the spring and summer seasons. I have two pairs of pajama pants that are "sports performance fleece" products, and I feel the difference when I wear them. The lesson here is that even your pambahay needs to change with the seasons, not just your panlabas. Growing up in the Philippines, I was used to just putting a jacket or hoodie on whenever I felt cold... and I never felt cold at home in Manila! So when I started buying cold weather clothes, I just focused on panlabas—I didn't realize that made cold weather clothing less accessible for me. So, the blanket it is until I buy more pambahay for winter.
How Do You Deal with Fall and Winter?
Tell me all about it! I haven't developed any good habits for these seasons and want to learn how to survive without freezing my fingers and toes off.
Photo by Jason Abdilla on Unsplash
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