How to Look After Your Mental Health When Temperatures Soar
Image by Delaney Van/Unsplash
I was struck by recent news stories about the impact of a range of medications on people’s ability to regulate their bodies in the heat. This coincided with a heatwave in the UK and across Europe, with temperatures reaching a record-breaking 35.7C – in cloudy, chilly England! Not at all normal and of course linked to climate change, but that’s a story for another day.
The news stories listed a number of different temperature-regulation-interfering drugs, including three commonly taken by people with mental-health problems: antidepressants, antipsychotics and the stimulants used by many people with ADHD. If this includes you – and you’re struggling even more in this horrible heat – I am truly sorry. I don’t take meds and I am wilting right now, especially at night, when it’s a real struggle to sleep.
Last night I slept with all the windows open, a fan blowing on me all night and no covers at all, and it was still hard to sleep. And it’s common sense that overwhelmingly hot days and nights like this affect our mood. Psychologists have long known that hot weather leads to an increase in violent crime, such as bar fights, road rage, domestic violence and murder. I have often been struck by the way most riots happen in summer, when temperatures soar and our ability to self-regulate plummets.
If you are struggling in the heat, here are a couple of ideas to help you stay self-compassionate and look after yourself through the summer.
Be More Mediterranean
One of my oldest friends lives in Barcelona and I have been many times, to hang out and enjoy this beautiful city. And if you travel to Italy, Greece, Portugal, Croatia or the South of France, you will find people living the same way during the intense heat of June, July and August. People tend to be busy in the morning, before it gets too hot. Then they stop, stay inside their (way cooler) houses, maybe take a siesta, hiding from the scorching sun until the early evening, when it cools down again.
If you go to Barcelona in the summer, you notice that life gets late. People – including kids – eat late, go to parks in the evening, to bars and plazas and generally socialise, making the most of cooler temperatures. Nobody in these countries would go to the beach, at midday, drink way too much beer and lie in the blazing sun. The only – very pink – people engaging in this madness are tourists.
As climate change makes our summers more like Barcelona’s, we need to adjust the way we live. I totally understand that you might not be able to structure your days differently, and be forced to ride the sweaty subway to a 9-5 grind, like every other weekday. But if you can, be more Spanish. They know how to live in hot weather (and how to live generally, if you ask me).
Be More Animal
We humans often forget that we are just animals. We are part of Nature, not above or separate from it. And animals adjust their behaviour depending on the seasons, weather and time of day. Our lovely little cat, Juno, has been asleep all day in our (relatively) cool kitchen. She has thick black fur, bless her, so she does not enjoy the heat and stays well clear of the blazing sun.
Even the insects and birds that populate our garden seem to reduce their activity in the heat of the day. So be more animal. Let yourself respond to the fluctuating seasons, slowing down (if you can, of course) on hot days like this one rather than pushing on through, keeping busy, hitting the gym, going for your usual daily run at a sweltering 1pm.
As the yoga teachers always remind us, listen to your body. Your brain and nervous system and every other part of your flesh-and-blood being know what you need to do when the thermometer rises. And that’s a bit less. Take it easy. Wait for cooler days to get busy again.
Because whether you’re on meds, making the summer even more uncomfortable, or just someone who struggles in the heat, making small adjustments to your routine can really help.
Love,
Dan ❤️
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