How does one deal with extreme weather?

You bitch and moan and days go by and rush inside a lot to cozy up to a heater. Stay active and days go by and hopefully you adjust slowly.

No but layers are helpful. Thermal, silk, and fleece. Tights, leggings and leg warmers, and such.

Layers! Long Johns are a huge help if it is very cold. Or, even if not actual long johns, the layer closet to your skin should be close to the skin. If your clothes are loose fitting it won’t feel as warm.

I absolutely love The Gap basic long sleeve T. I wear it to sleep, under sweatshirts, as loungewear around the house.

Scarves, gloves, and covered ears outside.

Blanket of some sort to put over you when relaxing at home. My husband hated this at first. He was from a warm climate and could not understand having a blanket in the family room. He adjusted. Just a thin blanket that folds up nice and neat, we don’t turn the family room into a bedroom.

Oh, and the biggest tip, it is easier to stay warm then to get warm.

You do acclimatise to the cold just as you do to the heat. If you love the heat you probably won’t ever ‘love’ the cold (or vice versa) but you will get used to it.

I would suggest layering your clothing. A tee shirt or sleeveless top under your shirt, a cardigan over that or a jumper. Socks under boots, thicker tights when it’s really cold. I quite like thicker stockings under longer dresses and boots can look really stylish under a structured skirt. Topped with a nice shirt and a cardigan. Belts can add a bit of style too. Get a lovely coat that you feel good in and that fits over the layers.

Hot water bottles, blankets on your sofa.

You’ll get used to it I’m sure.

Long answer:
Wool is the best for cold weather. It keeps you warm even if it’s wet. You can wear wool a lot without it getting stinky.

Cotton is the worst for cold weather. It’s thin, it does not have the air cushion (AKA loft) that keeps you warm. If you sweat it gets soggy and cold.

Synthetics are good for base layers. They do not retain water like cotton.

I bicycle commute 12 miles to work and 12 miles home. When it’s 30 degrees F I am very comfortable with a wool t-shirt under a wool sweater.

Short answer:
Look at people around you and copy the stylish ones.

Along with all else, thermally insulated boots and really thick insulated gloves go a long way to establish comfort. We once moved from Santa Barbara, CA to Saint Paul, MN in September. We knew we’d adapted when, after a bone-chilling spell in December, one morning the sun was out and the winds had died down. It was a weekend, so we went for a drive just to enjoy the pretty weather. We actually rolled the windows down to enjoy the fresh air, and just then the weatherman on the radio said, “It’s a beautiful, sunny day in the Twin cities and 10 above zero (Fahrenheit, which would be -12 °C. for those that use a sensible temperature scale.). You adapt.

Extreme? Please define; if you never spent an hour digging your car out enough to just open the door, your definition differs from mine. Some consider any place that ever dips below 65F to be “extreme”.

I grew up in New England and I have to say that it’s a little easier if you spend the first few decades of your life in it. If nothing else, it teaches you how to dress.

Personally, I’ve always been into the layering, partly because it works well, and partly because there are some days where the temperature swings wildly. You would usually see me running around in jeans and a hoodie year-round; what was between that and my skin varied seasonally.

Make sure at least one of those layers (preferably the outer) is wind- and water-proof.

@jerv Yup, digging out a car for hours can be quite a pain.. a couple of years ago, where I live people actually were told to wait for the snow to melt before they should get their car. There had been massive snowfalls, with first warm, then insanely cold weather (-30 Celcius/ -22 Farenheit), so that a lot of cars were more or less enclosed in solid iceblocks..

What’s wrong with the snow bear look ? :-)

My situation was similar, although I wouldn’t call it extreme, when I moved from California to NYC. I had to master the art of layering, and I found doing something active outside helps a lot when the time of year is changing to cold season. Somehow a run or walk or… seemed to make me comfortable with a range I did not like before.

I’ll take the snow bear look anyday over the shivering look.