Anxiety Spikes in the Summer? 6 Tips to Calm Down Quick in Hot Weather
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While hot weather doesn’t cause mental health conditions like anxiety, it can make existing ones worse. Staying hydrated and cooling off can help you keep your symptoms under control. Try to avoid going outside during the hottest part of the day, in the late morning and afternoon. If you don’t have air conditioning at home, you can go to a public library or search for cooling centers in your area. At night, a window air conditioning unit or a fan may help keep you cool so you can get restful sleep.

When we’re exposed to heat for long periods, we experience heat stress. This is a physical response that happens when the body can’t cool itself off fast enough. Heat stress triggers other physiological stress responses, which can make you feel agitated, restless or anxious. 

If you already have an anxiety condition, the physical stress can quickly turn into an anxious mood episode or panic attack. Knowing your personal signs and symptoms and what coping skills work for you can help you manage your anxiety proactively.

In this article, we’ll share six tips you can use to calm your anxiety quickly when the weather is hot.

6 tips to calm down anxiety quickly in the summer

The first line of defense against heat stress and summertime anxiety is to stay hydrated. This is important even if you can spend most of the day in an air-conditioned environment. 

The second-best approach is to minimize your exposure to heat and find ways to stay cool. Your ability to do so may depend on your living situation and your job. 

Finally, you can use breathing exercises, mindfulness techniques and other coping skills to manage anxiety symptoms as they come up.

Staying cool and calm in the summertime will take a bit of proactive planning. Your personalized plan should account for your schedule, your environment and your anxiety triggers.

Try using the following strategies to calm down anxiety quickly in hot weather:

  • Hydration strategies for anxiety management 

Your stress response will kick in faster, and symptoms may be more intense when you’re not properly hydrated. Consider adding electrolytes to your water. You can also find large water bottles with measurement markings on the side or download a hydration tracking app to help you stick to your hydration goals.  

  • Schedule adjustments to reduce heat exposure 

If you can plan your schedule around the hottest time of day, try to avoid being outside and doing physical activity during the hottest time of day. Another strategy is to plan cooling breaks to go inside or visit a cooling center when possible.

  • Temperature regulation techniques 

If you have to be outside or do physical activity when it’s hot, try out different cooling techniques to see what helps. Wear lightweight clothing and stay in the shade if you can. 

You can make or buy a reusable cooling neck wrap that you can freeze or soak in cold water. Or consider investing in a portable fan. If you have to be out in the sun, make sure you wear a broad-spectrum sunblock with at least SPF 30. Reapply every two hours or after sweating.

  • Breathing exercises for hot weather 

Overheating can result in shortness of breath and shallow breathing, which may make you feel anxious. Practice deep belly breathing and use pursed lip breathing to elongate your exhale. Place your hand above your belly button and feel your diaphragm moving up and down, if that helps. 

  • Grounding techniques 

Most activities that get you to tap into at least one of your five senses and keep your focus on one thing can serve as grounding exercises. Traditional meditations focus on your breath. If that makes your anxiety worse, you might try focusing on something external, like the ground beneath you, or pairing breath with movement. Try using one finger to trace the outside of your other hand, breathing in as you travel up one side of each finger and breathing out as you go down the other side.

  • Summer-friendly physical activity 

It’s still important to move every day for your mental and physical health, even when it’s hot out. Going for a walk first thing in the morning or just before dark may be a good option. If you need to stay inside, try finding a yoga workout video to follow along with.

Get help managing summertime anxiety at Lightfully

Staying cool and calm in the summertime will take a bit of proactive planning. Your personalized plan should account for your schedule, your environment and your anxiety triggers. 

Think about the situations and times in your weekly or daily routine when you may be most prone to heat-related anxiety. Then work backward to make sure your needs are taken care of. You may need to try a few things to see what works best.

If you’re having trouble managing your symptoms on your own, it may be time to consider seeking treatment. An outpatient therapist can help you manage minor anxiety symptoms. If your anxiety is affecting your ability to function, you may need a higher level of treatment

At Lightfully, we take a whole-person-focused and holistic approach to primary mental health care. Our licensed clinicians use our Precision Care Model (PCM) to create personalized treatment experiences for each client. 

Your treatment plan will focus on four core processes to help you maintain long-term mental wellness: your thoughts, feelings, behaviors and relationships. Your clinicians can work with you to make seasonal adjustments as needed. 

Are you looking for help keeping your cool and managing summertime anxiety? Let’s talk about it. Reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team today.

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