Tips For Staying Cool In Surviving The Hot Summer

I am so freaking HOT & I know I am stating the obvious.

I did not mean that figuratively though, but at times I could be HOT without me knowing it.

I have my moments too.

But  to say that it is so hot is such an understatement, not only during summer but even in those months when we expect the weather to be a bit cold, at least. 

The weather had become so fickle and we have no choice but learn to survive. With that being said, let me share my survival tips in staying cool and survive the summer heat. 


(1) Drink water as often as you can. 
  
Summer is not the time that we should slack on drinking water. And when I say drink as often as you can, that means from the time you wake up to that time you retire for the day. It would also be best to always bring bottled water whenever or wherever you are, whether you are on your way for work, school, the mall or even going to the wet market. Whenever my kids leave for school I always remind them to always have a bottled water in their bag.

At work, whether at home or in the office, make sure to have your mug or bottle container filled with water within your reach. At times we are guilty of not even drinking due to the work load and we have deadlines to beat. We think that drinking often will stop or lessen our productivity especially if that would include short trips to the restroom. But sitting for two to three hours straight is also not healthy that is why it is okay to stand every now and then and stretch your legs by taking a short walk to the restroom to relieve ourselves.

Take note that I did not suggest to drink juice or carbonated soda. I am not sure if you noticed that  when you drink water often, it lessens not just your thirst or your hunger pangs (except if you are diabetic or has signs of prediabetes ) whereas if you prefer carbonated sodas or juices, you feel thirsty still after drinking them. It is because carbonated drinks have loads of sugar which is not good for our bodies. Coco water can be a best substitute for water but if you are saving on money, water therapy is the best. It lessens your risks of urinary tract infection,constipation and save you from being prone to coughs and colds which are very prevalent especially during summer.

(2) Get used to taking showers twice in a day.

Some may not agree to this, especially Moms with young babies but that is okay. When my kids were still babies, an old family doctor told me that we can actually bathe our babies as long as we do it quick (sponge bath). He even cautioned me not to wash the baby's back often because it is unnecessary and that if I followed his advice, I would save a lot of money and will have less frequent trips to the doctor. So as early as 6 months old, as long as I feel that my kids do not have the flu, if I feel that they are hot, sticky & irritable due to the weather, I do not think twice of giving them a a quick shower.

Now what if you have skin allergies that prevent you from taking showers often or your skin is exceptionally dry? 

It is always best to seek the doctor's advice in such cases. But you may want to try applying virgin coconut oil to your skin immediately after showering. Virgin coconut oil (VCO) has multi purpose uses and my Mom & kids had tried and tested it for a long time. 

(3) Eat more veggies & fruits, avoid meals with soup or broth as much as possible.

 I am not sure if you have noticed that some of us still like to eat "sinigang," "nilaga," "tinola"  even on a hot, summer day. Same thing for those folks who love drinking hot coffee even in the middle of the afternoon. ( guilty sometimes?)

Perhaps we all have our quirks and what have you, thing is as long as the hot meal you just had will not aggravate your temper & blood pressure due to the summer heat, then that is just fine. With my kids, I have noticed that if the food is still hot because it was just recently cooked, they do not want to touch it. Sadly, this hot weather also affect some of our appetites. So I started adding more fruits in their meals. I also added easy to make salads if we have fried fish for lunch or dinner. Say sliced ripe Indian mangoes with tomatoes and Camote tops. At times, I try boiled ampalaya, sliced into strips with sliced mangoes or diced pineapple and garnished it with sliced tomatoes.

Now for desserts or merienda you could eat fruits on their raw form or create your own smoothie with it. You could also make your own fruit salad or " halo-halo." My Mom used to make " halo-halo " when my siblings and I were still kids. When our  neighbors learned that we are eating halo halo prepared by my Mom, they encouraged her to try selling it which she did. We helped her prepare for the ingredients, assisted her in serving our customers and earned a small profit in the process.

If you are saving on money, you could buy buko (coconut) in the market, have it cleaned but do not forget that delicious & nutritious "sabaw ng buko," (coconut water) where you could actually drink it on your way home. 

The ever delicious Halo-Halo

Coconuts are always available in any local wet market

Ugh. I should stop this, it is making me hungry.

(4) For clothing, use light and absorbent ones whether at home or  if you are going out. For fashion conscious people, just choose the appropriate ones for the events that you will be attending & places that you will be going. If you really cannot bear the heat, then show some skin by wearing sleeveless blouses, skimpy shorts or dresses that are above the knees.

For fashion statements people, if you prefer wearing a sweater, a sweatshirt or a jacket  under that scorching sun and in this hot weather, please do so at your own risk. Basically, as long you are comfortable with what you wear, then that is just okay.

You can lie stark naked if you want to, as long as you are the only one in an island, you live alone or your room is secured lock from your children or other family members. There is no harm in sleeping in the raw especially if the summer heat added to your sleep deprivation.

To each his own.

(5) Always bring an umbrella, a pair of shades & a fan to keep you cool.  Applying sunblock also does not hurt in protecting you from the rays of the sun.

Nowadays, an umbrella, a small fan and a pair of shades are essentials to survive every  summer. Walking under the scorching sun with an umbrella does wonders as it protects our head from getting headaches or migraines. Wearing a pair of shades help us protect our eyes especially if our work entails us to be in front of the computer for long periods of time. A small fan also lessens the heat especially if you are cramped inside a jeepney or any public transportation. 

Applying sunblock to protect your skin from the sun's harmful UV rays will not hurt as well though some do not believe in such a thing. 

 (6) Accept the fact that your power and water bills will go up. That traffic will be more agonizing due to the summer heat and that your blood pressure will not stabilize if you continue to get affected with all these.

We have often complained about the high rates on our water and electric bills, the summer heat  and the horrible traffic. We have seen and felt them for a long time. If people posting how terrible it is with so much exclamation points in social media think they are doing us a favor or helping us realize it, then they are wrong. 

We all have a choice.

We could leave this place which others consider as a forsaken country, live somewhere colder, with higher cost of living, where everything is taxed, where we could start a new life away from our family, our friends and everything that remind us of where we came from. And never come back.

Or we could learn to suck it all up, accept that what we are experiencing was a product of our unmindful and uncaring ways to protect the environment . That after this heated summer, it will be followed by heavy rains, terrible floods, catastrophes,  lost lives.

Yet most of us are still here. We choose to take life one day at a time and learn to live with the endless cycle of climate change.

If we continue to get affected what had been happening every summer, then my suggestion is better get used to it. If we feel terrible and sick due to the summer heat yet do not like drinking water often, prefer food  and drinks rich in sugar, junk and fatty foods plus refrain from eating vegges and fruits, then expect to have recurring migraines, urinary tract infections, constipation, coughs and colds.

I do hope that the tips I have suggested will help you survive not just this summer heat but the next coming ones as well.

So, what are some of the survival tips you have learned in getting through the hot summer?

I would love to hear your thoughts.