Ely therapist on why anxiety feels worse during hot weather

As I write this month's column, we're experiencing another spell of very hot weather.

For most people it's simply uncomfortable, but for people who struggle with anxiety, heat can sometimes make things feel a whole lot worse.

One question I've been asked several times recently is: "Can hot weather make anxiety worse?" And the short answer is yes.

The heat doesn't create anxiety, but it can make many of the physical sensations of anxiety feel stronger and more noticeable.

When it's hot, your heart naturally beats faster to help cool your body. You may breathe a little more quickly, sweat more, feel a bit light-headed or become dehydrated. These are all perfectly normal responses to the temperature.

The difficulty is that these physical sensations are very similar to the symptoms many people experience during anxiety and panic attacks.

• A racing heart.
• Feeling flushed.
• Shortness of breath.
• Dizziness.
• Feeling shaky or unsettled.

If you've previously experienced anxiety, it's easy to notice these sensations and immediately start asking:

• "What if my anxiety is starting again?"
• "What if I'm about to have a panic attack?"
• "What if something is wrong with me?"

The heat itself isn't really the problem (even if it has been a bit much). The problem is that your anxious mind notices those perfectly normal physical sensations, links them to previous experiences of anxiety and starts imagining the worst.

You start worrying that something is wrong. That worry creates more anxiety, which makes the physical sensations stronger. You begin focusing even more on what's happening in your body and your mind races to work out why you feel anxious.

Before long, you've become caught in exactly the same cycle that keeps anxiety going the rest of the time.

One thing I've learnt, both from my own experience with anxiety and from helping people in Ely over the past fifteen years, is that anxiety is all about patterns.

You have anxious thoughts. Those thoughts create anxious feelings. Those feelings then make your mind imagine even more worst-case scenarios. You become trapped in a cycle of thoughts, feelings and behaviours that feeds itself.

I remember this happening to me years ago when I struggled with anxiety. A hot day, a racing heart or feeling a little light-headed would immediately make me think something was wrong and I would find myself trying to work out why I was anxious. Looking back now, I can see it wasn't the physical sensations causing the biggest problem. It was my mind mistaking normal heat sensations for anxiety and putting me on alert.

Once I understood what anxiety was actually doing, everything gradually became much easier. I realised that my body wasn't malfunctioning. It was simply trying a little too hard to protect me.

Understanding that can be incredibly reassuring. It allows you to respond differently when those feelings appear instead of immediately assuming the worst.

There are also some simple practical things that can help during hot weather so you don't become overheated or dehydrated. With anxiety, it's about remembering that a faster heartbeat, feeling warmer than usual or becoming a little breathless may simply be your body's normal response to the weather.

Sometimes something as simple as moving into the shade, drinking some cold water, slowing your breathing and reminding yourself "this could simply be the heat" is enough to stop the spiral before it gathers momentum.

If you do notice anxiety beginning to build, try to calm your body first rather than arguing with your thoughts. As your nervous system settles, your thinking usually becomes much calmer too.

One of the most encouraging things I see every week is that people really can learn to understand these physical sensations differently. Once they stop fearing every feeling in their body, the anxiety often begins losing its power. The sensations themselves often become less frequent because the nervous system is no longer being fuelled by fear.

The encouraging thing is that anxiety isn't something you simply have to put up with. Once you understand the pattern, you can learn how to interrupt it.

Instead of being thrown from one anxious thought and feeling to the next, you can learn how to take back control over your own thoughts, feelings and emotions.

That's exactly what I help people do every week with anxiety, panic attacks and overthinking here in Ely.

If anxiety has been affecting your life, remember that help is available. Sometimes simply understanding what's happening is the first step towards feeling calmer, more confident and back in control.

Dan Regan

Anxiety hypnotherapist in Ely and Newmarket

www.danreganhypnotherapy.co.uk / 01353 886158