FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

Anxiety and the weather

Mel...
Blue Voices Member
Blue Voices Member

Hi everyone, 

 

I am wondering if anyone else anxiety worsens in the hot weather? I have recently moved to a more humid place and have found my anxiety to be unbearable on the hot, humid days. It also seems to worsen my IBS symptoms which in turn makes my anxiety worse. I had a gastroscopy and colonoscopy 2 days ago and today I feel hot, anxious, irritated and upset in the stomach. I want to sleep but it's too hot. 

 

Thank you. 

3 Replies 3

stell_a178
Community Member

Hey Mel,

I experience this too. The summer heat also makes me exhausted. So although I want to eat foods that will help with my own IBS, I get impatient and eat foods that enrage my symptoms. On top of this, the heat gives me rashes and night sweats, so sleep is immediately reduced which doesn’t help at all. 
Sometimes I just have to just drink some ice cold water in front of a fan or air conditioner because my anxiety takes over. 
So no, you are not alone in this feeling. It is a huge struggle in Australia because our summers are unbearable and last forever. It is just a matter of finding ways to cool down. Like putting dampened cloth into the freezer and taking it out when needed to put on your forehead. Or drinking lots of water with ice. Or stocking Icey poles in the freezer for when the heat becomes unbearable. 
Although these aren’t the best solutions, they seem to help me out when the heat is irritating me. I hope you start feeling better soon!

 

stella 

therising
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor

Hi Mel...

 

When you're sensitive to heat, it's a shocker, hey. It can change so much. Can change your inner dialogue, shift your focus away from what you want to be focusing on, disrupt your sense of peace and breathing patterns, upset certain natural much needed processes like those that come with restorative sleep and the list goes on. I joke how it's like I become possessed when the days reach a certain temperature and especially level of humidity. I become quite angry if I can't regulate my body temperature.

 

Being one of those mind/body/spirit kind of gals, one area of research I've come to love is quantum physics which is largely about the behaviour of energy. Given that we're energetic creatures in a number of ways, we partly work in relation to external energy input. Drinking plenty of hydro power (water), eating foods that rely on nuclear energy (from the earth) to grow, getting enough of the right amount of solar power (sun) for vitamin D and stuff and generating kinetic energy from exercise are just some of the many ways in which we gain and maintain energy. I'd never considered thermal energy until you raised this issue. I greatly appreciate you leading me to become more conscious. I suppose it's fair to wonder 'How do we manage too much thermal energy within the body, to the point where it's uncomfortable and disruptive?'. With the body having to work hard in managing too much heat for its own good, it becomes a matter of reducing the amount of work it has to do, therefor reducing the amount of activity or hyperactivity it experiences (that can be felt as anxiety). stell_a178 mentions a number of really good ways I can personally relate well to. Ice cold water and air condidtioners are my best friends on some days.

 

Might sound a bit strange but something that I've found which works well at times involves me asking my body 'What do you want me to do?'. I hope I lead you to smile when I tell you one of the responses that came to mind one day was 'Pant like a dog' 😅. If you've got a good imagination, you'll be able to picture some crazy woman with her tongue hanging out (not something I do in public). Technically, this is one of the key ways in which animals release heat. So, it's not just about cooling things down, it's also about releasing some of the thermal energy. Another way in which I manage involves researching what the temperatures are going to be for the week. When I see days that I know are going to test me, I plan ahead for those days. Btw, one of the things I get sick of people saying is 'You're having hot flushes'. As a 53yo gal who has a slightly higher natural core body temperature than what's average, on seriously hot days it doesn't take much to increase it to the point where I struggle to tolerate an extra degree or 2 (regarding my core temperature).

2024-01-11
Community Member

Hello Mel

 

I find the hot weather really hard to handle myself and I try my utmost not to use the aircon, unless we have people over for dinner or drinks - don't like the electricity bill climbing too high. 

 

One very helpful method I have of reducing my body heat, is to dampen my top with water from a spray bottle and have the fan turned in my direction. It helps me a lot. Don't spray your clothing to the point of getting soaking wet though. At night, I have a small desk fan on my bedside table. Being small it makes very little noise, and because it is aimed at my head/face I feel the direct benefit of the air movement. If you feel exhausted during the day and are able to lay down for a little nap, put a wet flannel over your forehead and eyes and point that little desk fan at your head/face again. 

 

I hope that my suggestions as well as other good ones from TheRising and stell_a178 help you. 

 

Wishing you good sleep going forward.

2024-01-11