With the heart of summer coming as we get ready for July, the heat has been increasing and is going to get even more intense. In conditions like this the heat can become a concern for many, it can make us feel uncomfortable in our skin and even cause serious medical emergencies like heat stroke or heat exhaustion.These are well known physical effects of heat, but there are also mental health effects that many are not aware of that can be just as dangerous.
Some of the possible impacts on mental health caused by high temperatures can include difficulty focusing, loss of bodily awareness and sensation, forgetfulness, and an increase in already present mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, or autism as well. These mental health impacts can then worsen the already present physical health effects in a cycle of deterioration. It can be hard to think of these mental effects and the impact that they can have on us in abstract terms, so I will share an experience from my own life and the life of a family member.
In my case, when I first experienced heat related issues I had difficulty focusing and feeling bodily sensations. The temperature grew too hot for me, but I did not realize this, as I did not feel any heat on my body and thought I was still cool. When I began to feel that something was wrong, I could not find the words to explain it well, like they were disappearing from my mind as I thought of them. Luckily for me, there were family members around me at the outdoor event I went to that recognized the signs of the mental and physical effects from the summer heat. My mother and father were able to explain to me I needed to go to a place away from the sun that had air conditioning, leading me inside for half an hour as I cooled down and came back into myself. This was my first experience with heat, and I have kept an eye out for these signs of mental heat fog ever since that day. I am not the only one in my family who has had such an experience however, my grandfather has as well.
In the case of my grandfather, he is an older adult in his 80s who has had previous memory issues. Recently, when he experienced an increase in temperature around his normally cool mountain home because of the summer heat wave, he suffered mental health complications he did not expect. He found it hard to remember his daily routine, forgot what his plans were for the day, and had a hard time remembering the names of people he knew well beforehand. Once he came inside into air-conditioning from the outside porch he was on, his memory and thinking ability returned to normal levels. When asked about what happened to him later, my grandfather said he could only recall feeling slightly warm in the heat but nothing beyond that.This is one example of another facet of mental challenges brought about by the heat, the possibility of already present mental health conditions being made worse. The negative impacts of heat are not just related to memory, it can also worsen already present anger, depression, or anxiety. Having said this, It is possible to counteract the mental impacts of heat in rather simple ways that can have a big impact.
Firstly, something that can be done to help with the heat is only being out for short intervals of time. If you need to be outside for a large part of the day, try to split it into 10 to 15 minute sections. Short periods of time outdoors will allow you to cool down by going inside when you first begin to notice yourself overheating before going outside for the next period of time. By doing this and keeping yourself well hydrated, you can stay cool despite the heat. As well as recognizing the length of time you have been outdoors, another factor has to do with your body and mind themselves.
The second way in which you can manage your mental health in the summer heat is by being aware of your physical and mental health history. In my case, my physical disability made it easier for me to heat up faster than most leading to the mental fog I experienced. My grandfather had his already present memory issues become worse and then calm down when he became cooler. If you are aware of any such vulnerability in your own history, you can account for this and adjust the time you spend in the heat accordingly. Some mental health conditions impacted by the heat can include anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and autism. These can worsen because the stress placed on your body by the heat lowers your ability to cope with daily stressors you could previously handle, like an overstimulating work or school environment. What should you do then, if simply cooling down does not take away some of these challenges?
If you are able to cool down from the heat and still find yourself stressed and under pressure, you can try to cool down your mind as well.One simple way to do this is by breathing in a slow and even rhythm to calm your heart and nervous system, I recommend taking 4 seconds to breath in and 6 to breath out. While you do this, you should imagine yourself near a body of water such as a calm lake or on the beach with a breeze. By combining this with the previous strategies, you can keep both your body and mind cool this summer.
Chase Taylor – LCMHCA – Supervised by Ilse Sucely de Leon MABC, LCMHC-NC/QS, LPC-TX