Anxiety In Summer: Why Does It Appear And How To Manage It?

Rest, vacations and fun go hand in hand with the arrival of the heat. However, some people suffer from anxiety in the summer, but not in the rest of the year. Why is this happening?

It is clear that the environment influences the mood, especially in those people who do not get along very well with high temperatures. On the other hand, there are some people more sensitive than others to weather changes, commonly known as meteorosensitivity.

If with the arrival of summer you feel that your mood worsens and you recognize signs of anxiety in you, here we are going to explain why and also what to do to manage it. Do not miss it.

Why does anxiety appear in summer?

Extreme heat affects mental health. Especially in disorders such as bipolarity, depression or chronic stress, high temperatures damage the mood. In this sense, people who live in large cities are the great victims of this heat anxiety.

Other factors that increase the chances of suffering from anxiety at this time are the following:

• During heat waves, the body works to maintain body temperature in the range that its systems function best, so that the brain devotes more energy to it than to the processes of emotional regulation and cognitive performance.
• In summer it is more difficult to fall asleep, which makes us feel tired having made less effort.

• Heat accentuates the feeling of being overwhelmed. We can lower the temperature using the air conditioning, but for this we have to stay in a closed space.
• Social pressure. Although we may have vacations, these do not usually cover the entire summer. Therefore, there will be very hot days in which we will also be forced to “be productive”.
• Increasing the time spent on vacation with people with whom there are unresolved conflicts can lead to increased anxiety about the exposure itself.

How to manage anxiety at this time?

If you are suffering from anxiety in summer, you should know that it is possible to manage it in a healthy way. To do this, we bring you a series of tips that will help you achieve it:

• Avoid drinks with caffeine or a lot of sugar, as they increase the feeling of being overwhelmed and accelerated.
• Avoid alcoholic beverages: Ethyl alcohol is a vasodilator and causes body temperature to rise.

• Do not eat meals in large quantities and very fatty.
• Wear clothes that perspire sweat.
• Avoid strenuous physical activity.

These tips will help your body regulate temperature more effectively, without spending more resources than necessary on it – with the psychic consequences that this entails. As for the cognitive and emotional field, here are others to better manage yourself:

• Don’t push yourself too hard when it comes to productivity: if you have no choice but to keep working in the hottest times of the year, don’t force your body to keep up with the same rhythm as in winter.
• Get carried away with the day to day: many times, planning leisure when all you want to do is languish on the couch can become stressful. Check at the moment what the body is asking of you.
• Don’t watch social media too much, especially if you have to work. They often convey pressure when viewing photos and more photos of bars, beaches, or getaways.

• If going out in the heat is stressful for you, leisure at home is also a good option. Watching movies or reading books that transport you to other realities is a good example of this.

Climate change draws a hot future on our horizon. On the other hand, we know that it is inevitably a condition that affects mental health, whether there is a disorder or not. In addition, the pressure of modern society does not respect the natural rhythms of the body, which calls for rest in summer.

The most important advice to manage anxiety in summer is this: if you notice symptoms and it is difficult for you to manage them, go to a trusted psychological clinic. Since in summer you have to continue assuming responsibilities and resolving conflicts, it is better to do it with a professional support base.