I’ve come down with a horrible cold this week – you know one of those nasty ones where your throat feels like glass, then your nose is streaming, your head feels like a pressure cooker and before you know it your coughing like the cookie monster! But I really think I am managing to get through it a lot better than usual by doing a few simple things. So here are my tricks for beating the common cold…

1. EXERCISE

Moving your body further than your bed or the sofa is probably the last thing you want to do when your nose is dripping but trust me it really helps. I’ve been to a fitness class and I went for a run this morning and when I first got outside I though what on earth are you doing? But after I got moving – I realised I could breathe properly again and I felt so much more clear headed. Definitely exercise! I don’t know how but it also cuts the length of my cold in half, so I’m never feeling coldy for as long.

2. DRINK

No not alcohol ha. Drink water, drink tea, drink juice – getting properly hydrated helps. Water is essential, tea is soothing on the throat and the heat and steam also really clears up all your airways. Freshly squeezed oranges give you a vitamin punch to blast that cold!

3. BUY SWEETS

Don’t have too many, but in the first couple of days when your throat is just awful buy yourself some colourful sweets or special throat soothers and they will help to ease the pain.

4. PLANT TISSUES EVERYWHERE

This is a time when you do not want to be caught out without your trusty tissue. Divide your supplies in all potential places – all your bags, all your coat pockets, on your beside table. Constant vigilance (As Mad-Eye Moody rightly says)!

5. DON’T LIE IN BED

Go and chill with friends, go shopping, play games – get out of your bedroom and get socialising and interacting with people. My cold is always worse when I’m wallowing in it and just lying in bed surrounded by tissues. When I preoccupy my mind with others things, whilst of course my cold doesn’t disappear, it suddenly becomes less of a bother when I’m immersed in other things and having fun.

So there you have it – I hope these tips help you to stay on top when you’ve got a cold.

Lots of love,

Sunny Kitty