I’ve moved north, and I am cold. It was 33 degrees today, which is so very much colder than my old home town even in the dead of winter. I see people walking around in light jackets or sweatshirts, so I think we must just get used to it over time yes?
So is there anything I can do to get used to it faster? I held off on wearing my “warm” jacket until it got below 40, but that same jacket is pretty much laughing at me now as I shiver inside of it. Any tips or advice?
A warm hat.
Where’d you move to? I know this sounds like a sarcastic “Oh 33, that’s nothing, we walk around in shorts in 33 degree weather”. But, for example, in Wisconsin in the Winter, if it’s above freezing, it really is sweatshirt and a light jacket weather if you’re just going from your house to the car and not spending any time outside. In fact, a sweatshirt is fine if I’m just going out side for a few minutes to do something that takes less then 5 or 10 minutes.
I heard something about it getting below zero in the next few days. Then in starts getting really cold, especially when the wind kicks up.
I’m not sure if there’s a way to get used to it. I’ve always lived here, it’s really all I know.
But like Gorsnak said, a good hat will help, gloves make a big difference. The best thing I ever used was a ‘turtle fur’ (though a scarf would work just as well. Used it once while I was skiing. When you exhale, you warm it with your breath. Breathing in through warm, moist fabric will keep you much warmer then breathing in the cold dry air. The one time I used it I remember being warm enough to peel off a layer of insulation.
One important thing, does the jacket stop the wind? Something like a fleece that looks warm but lets the wind right though it isn’t going to help. But even some jackets that look light will still keep the wind out and the warm in if they’re made right. They don’t all have to be big bulky ski jackets (though those are warmer) if all you need them for is running from buildings to cars a few times a day and you’re not really outside for more then 5 or 10 minutes at a time.
Northwest, and I aspire to wander outside in just a sweatshirt. I have good hats and gloves and scarves, and the coat is a good L.L. bean winter one that cuts wind and rain and is insulated. I felt fine when it snowed, but it feels colder with no precipitation.
It’s frustrating to be bundled up and miserable when everyone else seems to be grooving down the road enjoying the winter air. I so want to enjoy my new home, but the transition is much more difficult than I thought it would be. I haven’t made friends, my job is weird, and the culture here is unfamiliar. So on top of all that being cold all the time means I’m not enjoying any of the nature I moved here for and that is really rough. I think just solving that last problem would make everything else much easier. I took a great nature walk today thinking movement would warm me up, but I just couldn’t manage it at all.
That part isn’t just you. It’s typically warmer (or at least feels warmer) when it’s snowing.
We’re in the middle of winter, shouldn’t be too much longer and then it’ll be over. Wait until the next phenomenon you have to get used to. Being outside in sub freezing temps for a half hour (like if you’ve been out shoveling) and coming in to warm up. I hate that feeling. The pins and needles in my extremities as the warmth and feeling comes back to them is rather unpleasant. Oh, and then trying to figure out the next day why you’re so sore and then remembering that you were shoveling snow. A couple of inches of wet snow is REALLY heavy. You’ll be amazed the first time you slide a shovel across your driveway and then realize it’s too heavy to lift.
Ok, so cold but not crazy 
I like the snow better.
You’re right. If I was warm right now there’s be something else to figure out. Thanks for reminding me of that. I wanted a life change, and that’s exactly what I got!
I’m not sure why you would aspire to only wear a hoodie when it’s under 40 outside. I think the people who do that are crazypants and I’ve lived in Chicago the majority of my life. Are you sure the people you see so lightly dressed aren’t just dashing from house to warm car to store/destination and back again? Or actually running for exercise? Lots of people also add an underwear layer, so under that hoodie is regular clothes with long johns under those, which you won’t know are there.
When weather is under 40, my “uniform” is always a hooded lined wool coat with scarf and fingerless gloves. Colder, or windy, the hood goes up. Colder (under 30), add a wool sweater layer. Colder still (under 20), and the coat gets swapped for an ankle-length down and ear muffs added. Even colder, single digits or less, and a hoodie layer gets added, with a hat and down ski gloves. Also, if either there’s snow or it’s colder than the teens, always wool socks with waterproof hiking boots or snow boots.
Make sure your feet are warm and your neck/head is warm. I find I can tolerate fewer coverings as long as I have a scarf nice and snug up to my chin and my head is warm. Also, good merino wool socks make a big difference even if you’re wearing your regular shoes.
Also, sounds like it might be a bit damper than you’re used to, and the humidity can really make the heat AND cold a lot worse. Part of what I’ve always loved about Idaho winters is that it’s usually sunny, and usually not damp. So, yeah, cold, but sunny and brisk, rather than gloomy and soaked-through-to-the-bone cold.
Of course the weather’s been crappy there lately, and been more wet and icy and crappy, blech. Not looking forward to getting back to that after enjoying southern California ‘winters’ for the last few years. 
Don’t forget shoes and socks. My Alsatian boots + pantyhose + jeans is a warmer combo than “officewear” shoes, woollen knee-high socks and corduroys.
I don’t know, it could be the dampness. I moved to the Pacific Northwest 2 years ago, from Alaska and about froze to death my first winter, and it was warmer (by the thermometer anyway), than winter in good ole’ AK.
Alaska is relatively dry (yeah, yeah, it’s a dry snow), at least compared to the Seattle area (to me). I am finally mostly acclimated but it took a while. I do know from living a lifetime in a cold climate that keeping your feet and head warm and dry is super important.
Friends of mine who have moved away from California pretty much say the same thing: The first winter will suck, but after that you’ll be fine. You’re just not used to it, and that is pretty much that. But you’re currently in the process of getting used to it, and that’s good.
I am a former Chicagoan who moved to California but who comes back every year for two or three weeks at Christmas and what I do to habituate myself to winter is to go walking around outside. Bundle up as you need to to be warm, but walk around for an hour or so. The first time I do this, it’s simply awful, but by the third time or so, the cold has become more comfortable and bearable.
Finally, I don’t think that those around you are wondering why you’re bundled up in the middle of winter. It would be weird in July, and maybe April, but in January, everyone knows it’s the sensible thing to do.
Are you in the Pacific NW? If so, don’t worry about getting down to a hoodie in 40 degree weather. Most of us don’t. We’re actually kind of proud of how much we freak out when it snows. 
Thank you all so much for the tips. I was feeling like such a loser that I couldn’t manage it, knowing that the first winter is hard for everyone helps. I’ll get some silk long johns, I bet those would help a lot. As for the socks I’ve got some wool ones but they itch, so I wear real thin ones under and then they bunch. Anyone have a favorite extra warm sock brand to recommend?
I did go for a long walk outside today, and although it was really uncomfortable it did make me feel a lot better. I can get to the river for a good half hour walk on my lunch hour so I’ll keep doing that until I start to like it 
I really want to like it here. Once I get the weather worked out I’ll start another thread about the strange Pacific Northwest culture. Fitting in will take a lot longer than getting warm I think.
I moved to Portland eight years ago, after spending most of my life in the Bay Area. I welcomed the colder weather, but it still took some getting used to. Now I laugh at those fools* in California who think they’re gonna freeze to death when the temperature drops below 60°.
Yeah, it’s a lot more humid out here in the NW, and it feels cold. Notice how few static electric shocks you get? As kids in Chicago, we’d see how big a shock we could generate scuffing our slippers along the carpet and then touching something. In the NW, the air just isn’t dry enough to work up any shock on all but the coldest days. Polarfleece is good, and the aforementioned long underwear (silk is great! It feels warm against your skin when it moves across it, but other thicker stuff is fine, too), hats that cover your ears, and lots of hot coffee. After a time, you’ll acclimate better.
LL Bean polar fleece socks. 
They last for years, are soft, not bulky and very warm.
It’s all in how you dress, really, and keeping your extremities warm. As noted, my first winter in a cold climate was miserable, but I acclimated. One thing I’ve noticed is that taking a walk first thing in the morning, even when it’s very cold (I draw the line at single digits, or when it’s cold plus windy) seems to inoculate me for the rest of the day. I make myself take the dogs out for a walk most mornings before work and feel much better about Michigan winter on days I do that. So I think your practice of taking a daily walk is a good one and will help you acclimate quicker.
Keep moving. Not as in “relocating” but as in “active”; Maybe eat a little bit more. Body needs calories to stay warm.
And, on the somewhat ridiculous-but-works-for-me scale. Smile and take a few deep breaths. Make an active effort to enjoy the air. Think of it as “bracing” rather than cold. (Note: All of this is easier when you’re still warm having just gone outside, and rather harder once your body temperature starts to drop after being outside for a while.)
every year is a new transition.
if you overdress early then you body may not be ramped up to produce heat and you will be cold and unhappy all winter.
live with discomfort early and you will be better off. let yourself be chilly in the autumn and early winter.
At least for me, it’s not that I don’t feel cold, it’s that I’m used to being cold, and it doesn’t bother me. I actually have a hard time falling asleep if my feet are warm. (Ask my how my SO feels about that :p) So it’s more of a mindset, not a physical condition.