Looking after your health and wellbeing over winter

As we move into winter, it is important to look after our physical and mental health. Here are some of the ways you can look after yourself and loved ones this winter.

Vaccinate

If you can, you should get vaccinated. It is also important to have your yearly flu vaccine. This can help to protect you and those around you from the flu. Not everyone is able to get vaccinated due to their age or other conditions. If all of us who can, have our vaccines then we can help protect those who cannot. You can learn more about vaccinations in our vaccination infographic.

Take The Active Option

With the changing weather and darker evenings, it can feel harder than usual to stay active. There are a lot of exercise videos and classes online and are freely available on sites such as YouTube.

We have worked closely with Dr Georgia Hardavella and physiotherapist Niktas Kampanis to produce an easy and enjoyable at-home workout for people with lung conditions, you can access the videos here.

We know it can be hard to find the motivation to move during a winter, but the benefits for both your physical and mental health make staying active an important way to look after yourself. Learn more in our factsheet about your lungs and exercise.

Breathe Clean Air

As we spend more time indoors over winter, it is important to be aware of indoor air pollution. This can be caused by indoor fires or heaters, household cleaning products, damp or mould along with others.

Be aware of pollution outside too, this may be from car fumes on the roads or chemicals used in farming. Unless you need to, try to avoid driving, walking or cycling at busy times. You can learn more about air quality here.

Be Smoke Free

It is never too late to quit smoking. There is clear evidence that smoking increases your risk of severe symptoms with lung conditions such as COPD and lung cancer. As often we will be spending more time indoors this time of year, by quitting smoking you will also be protecting those close to you from second-hand smoke.

You can learn more about smoking and the benefits of quitting in the following factsheets:

• E-cigarettes, heat-not-burn and smokeless tobacco products
• Quitting smoking the benefits
• Smoking and the lungs
• Smoking when you have a lung condition

Look after your mental wellbeing

Looking after your mental health is as important as looking after your physical health. You may find that you are struggling to feel well mentally during the winter months. Many of the things listed in this article will help to improve your mental wellbeing, especially if you can stay active, even if only around your home.

Practicing mindfulness and talking about how you feel with family or friends can be very helpful. We have a page all about looking after you mental wellbeing with a lung condition or as someone caring for someone with a lung condition.

If you feel that you are really struggling and need support, it is important to speak to your doctor and they will be able to refer you to someone to speak to about your mental health.