18/09/2026
SURVIVING A BRITISH WINTER
When I first moved from Thailand to Blackpool, I thought winter would be simple.
Put on a jacket.
Wear a jumper.
Maybe buy a scarf.
In Thailand, when the weather gets cold, you say:
āWow, today is a bit cool.ā
Then you wear long trousers.
In Britain, winter is different.
Here, the weather doesnāt just make you cold.
It makes you question your entire life.
By December, I had stopped asking:
āWhat time is it?ā
I was asking:
āIs it still today?ā
Because at eight oāclock in the morningā¦
it looked like midnight.
At four oāclock in the afternoonā¦
it looked like midnight.
At six oāclock in the eveningā¦
it looked like midnight.
I thought the sun had been cancelled.
āø»
THE SUN HAS LEFT THE CHAT
The first British winter morning, I woke up at 7:30.
I opened the curtains.
Darkness.
I checked my phone.
7:30 AM.
I opened the curtains again.
Still darkness.
I thought:
āMaybe my phone is wrong.ā
I checked the news.
I checked the weather.
I checked Google.
Then I looked outside.
A man was walking his dog.
The dog looked disappointed.
I said:
āGood morning!ā
The man said:
āMorning.ā
But his face said:
āIs it?ā
I went to work.
At lunchtime, I asked a British colleague:
āWhen does the sun come out?ā
He said:
āOh, it might brighten up later.ā
I said:
āWhat time?ā
He said:
āOh, you knowā¦ later.ā
I thought:
āExcellent.
A country where even the sun has no confirmed appointment.ā
āø»
THE SCIENCE OF BEING TIRED FOR NO REASON
After a few weeks, I started feeling strange.
I was tired.
But I hadnāt done anything.
I woke up tired.
I went to work tired.
I came home tired.
I sat on the sofaā¦
and became more tired.
I asked my British friend:
āWhy am I so sleepy?ā
He said:
āItās the winter.ā
I said:
āBut I slept eight hours.ā
He said:
āYes, but itās winter.ā
I said:
āWhat does that mean?ā
He said:
āIt meansā¦ winter.ā
I thought:
āThis is not an explanation.
This is a national diagnosis.ā
āø»
THE SCIENTIFIC BIT
Now, there is real science behind the winter struggle.
Our bodies use light to help regulate the circadian rhythm, the internal clock that influences sleep and wakefulness.
Shorter days and less bright outdoor light can make that rhythm harder to keep in sync.
Some people also experience seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, a form of depression linked to seasonal changes.
And vitamin D is important for health, although sunlight exposure, diet and supplements all play different roles.
But in Blackpool, the problem is not just the lack of sunlight.
It is the psychological experience of looking outside and seeingā¦
the same colour as a wet pavement.
āø»
THE BRITISH THERMAL BATTERY
One evening, I went to my friendās house.
I said:
āWhy is your house so cold?ā
He said:
āItās an old house.ā
I said:
āBut you have heating.ā
He said:
āYes.ā
I said:
āThen why am I still cold?ā
He said:
āBecause itās an old house.ā
I touched the wall.
It was freezing.
I touched the radiator.
It was warm.
I touched the wall again.
Still freezing.
I thought:
āThis house is not a home.
It is a refrigerator with a mortgage.ā
British houses are often built with thick brick walls and designed to retain heat.
That can be useful in winter.
But during prolonged hot weather, thermal mass can also store heat and release it slowly.
So the same house can be:
A freezer in January.
An oven in August.
And somehowā¦
the council tax remains the same.
āø»
THE GREAT BRITISH DAMP
Then I discovered something worse than cold.
Damp cold.
In Thailand, when itās cold, you know what cold is.
Itās cold.
In Britain, the cold has texture.
It enters your sleeves.
It travels up your trousers.
It sits inside your socks.
You can feel it in your bones.
I said to my friend:
āWhy is British cold so wet?ā
He said:
āBecause itās damp.ā
I said:
āBut rain is outside.ā
He said:
āYes.ā
I said:
āThen why is it inside my body?ā
He said:
āWelcome to Britain.ā
I bought a thicker coat.
Then a waterproof coat.
Then waterproof shoes.
Then thermal socks.
At this point, I was dressed like a man preparing to cross the Arcticā¦
to go to Tesco.
āø»
THE ANCIENT SOLUTION FIRE
One day, I read about ancient winter traditions.
Samhain.
Bonfire celebrations.
Fire festivals.
People gathering together in the dark.
And I thought:
āFinally. A culture that understands the problem.ā
Ancient people looked at winter and said:
āWe need fire.ā
Modern British people looked at winter and said:
āWe need a pub.ā
Same principle.
Different heating system.
The ancient solution:
Gather around a fire.
The modern British solution:
Gather around a radiatorā¦
and complain about the price of electricity.
āø»
THE PUB AS A WINTER SURVIVAL CENTRE
By January, I understood why British people love pubs.
Itās not just about drinking.
Itās about survival.
You walk in from the cold.
You see warm lights.
You smell food.
You hear people talking.
Someone says:
āCold one tonight, isnāt it?ā
You say:
āYes.ā
And suddenlyā¦
you are part of the community.
The pub is basically a social greenhouse.
It keeps people alive through the winter.
I asked my friend:
āDo British people come here every night?ā
He said:
āNot every night.ā
Then he looked around.
Everyone at the bar was a regular.
I said:
āHow do you know everyone?ā
He said:
āYou just do.ā
I thought:
āIn Thailand, we gather because the weather is nice.
In Britain, you gather because the weather is trying to kill your mood.ā
āø»
THE NATIONAL SPORT OF COMPLAINING ABOUT WINTER
British people have a special winter language.
They donāt say:
āI am suffering from seasonal emotional exhaustion.ā
They say:
āBit grim, innit?ā
They donāt say:
āThe temperature has fallen below comfortable human functioning.ā
They say:
āProper nippy.ā
They donāt say:
āThe persistent darkness is affecting my circadian rhythm.ā
They say:
āGets dark early, doesnāt it?ā
And everybody agrees.
This is important.
Because British people may not always discuss their feelings directlyā¦
but they will discuss the weather for forty-five minutes.
And somehowā¦
that helps.
āø»
THE LIGHT BOX
One day, my friend showed me a strange machine.
A bright white light.
Sitting on his desk.
I asked:
āWhat is that?ā
He said:
āLight therapy lamp.ā
I said:
āWhy?ā
He said:
āFor the winter.ā
I said:
āYou bought a sun?ā
He said:
āSort of.ā
I looked at the lamp.
It was shining directly into his face.
He looked like he was being interrogated by heaven.
I said:
āDoes it work?ā
He said:
āI think so.ā
I said:
āHow much did it cost?ā
He said:
āĀ£80.ā
I said:
āFor a lamp?ā
He said:
āItās a SAD lamp.ā
I said:
āMy friend, I am also sad.
But I am not paying Ā£80 to be interrogated by a desk light.ā
Of course, light therapy can be useful for some people with seasonal depression, but it should be used appropriately, and anyone with significant symptoms should seek medical advice.
Stillā¦
I couldnāt stop thinking:
āThe British have invented a portable sun because the real one refuses to cooperate.ā
āø»
THE WINTER PROTOCOL
By February, I had developed my own survival system.
Step one:
Wake up.
Step two:
Check if it is still dark.
Step three:
Make tea.
Step four:
Check again.
Step five:
Put on coat.
Step six:
Make another tea.
Step seven:
Go outside, even if it is grey.
Step eight:
Return home.
Step nine:
Turn on every light in the house.
Step ten:
Say:
āNot long now.ā
āNot long nowā is a very important British phrase.
It means:
Spring is coming.
The sun will return.
The darkness will end.
Possibly.
Eventually.
Hopefully.
āø»
THE FIRST SPRING SUN
Then one dayā¦
in Marchā¦
I woke up.
Opened the curtains.
And sawā¦
SUNLIGHT.
Actual sunlight.
Not a bright patch of cloud.
Not a suspicious yellow reflection.
Sunlight.
I ran outside.
I stood in the garden.
I looked up.
I felt warmth on my face.
A British neighbour walked past.
He said:
āLovely day.ā
I said:
āYES!ā
He looked shocked.
I said:
āTHE SUN IS BACK!ā
He said:
āDonāt get carried away. Itāll rain later.ā
I thought:
āOf course.
Even happiness in Britain comes with a weather warning.ā
āø»
WINTER IS NOT JUST WEATHER
So what have I learned from surviving a British winter?
Iāve learned that the lack of sunlight affects more than your skin.
It affects your sleep.
Your energy.
Your mood.
Your motivation.
And your ability to remember what colour the sky is supposed to be.
Iāve learned that British resilience is not about pretending winter is easy.
Itās about building rituals around it.
Tea.
Pubs.
Warm food.
Friends.
Light.
Fire.
And complaining together.
Because sometimesā¦
the best way to survive a difficult seasonā¦
is not to pretend youāre enjoying it.
Itās to sit with other people and say:
āThis is absolutely miserable, isnāt it?ā
And have someone reply:
āYeah But at least itās not raining.ā
Then it starts raining.
Until next timeā¦
Stay warm.
Keep your socks dry.
And remember:
The sun always comes back.
Eventually.
Probably.
