I don't have to look through my archive of blogs to know that I will have written about how much I hate hot weather on probably many occasions in the past. The UK has been experiencing a heatwave lately which has turned me into a grouchy annoying sweaty mess. Normally I'm just a grouchy annoying mess.
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| I've tried this and it doesn't work (C) Getty |
What's my problem with it? Why can't I be like those of you who actually enjoy this weather? I should state from the outset that I don't hate rain, snow, cold, wind or any other weather. I'd rather have 30 days of constant rain than one day of heat. "No you wouldn't." Yes I would. Granted, I have never experienced the hell of flooding of my home which can be devastating for an individual's mental health understandably, and this is worse than any heat. But as far as general weather conditions are concerned, give me rain any day. Or cold. But no heat.
What's my problem? Well here is a rundown of the main five things, along with an indicator at what temperature I start to have the particular problem listed.
1) Physical impact. I mean this twofold, which if you're good at interpreting lists is hopefully obvious if you've read ahead. One - the more obvious sweating and the simple discomfort that you feel. I find it very unpleasant and claustrophobic - the air almost feels like it's closing in on you. Unlike cold weather, where you can add layers, you sadly can't de-layer more than skin, meaning to a point you're stuck with how much you can cool down in the absence of air conditioning. All fans do in my experience is move the hot air around which isn't overly helpful. Opening windows seem to suck any remaining cool air out, somehow. From a mental health perspective, which of course is what we're focusing on here (focus, Al, focus), there is a self-conscious and potential embarrassment issue. For example, I run plenty of workshops for my job; what if I have sweaty armpit syndrome whilst presenting? To combat this, I wear a cotton t-shirt underneath any shirt I wear, but this of course makes me even hotter. How anyone can find all this enjoyable, I don't know.
Temp limit: about 21 degrees, up to 23-24 if humidity is lower...
2) Physical impact. This particular aspect of physical impact is around body image, something I have always had a problem with but something I've rarely touched on in these blogs. I am tall and skinny and have a body of an elasticated 16 year old, at the age of 31. I'm not the sort of person who takes their top off anyway (well, maybe I would be if I had the body for it), but many other people are. All this does is re-emphasise how unattractive I feel physically. I mean that if I see a muscly guy (I'd rather my body be like that) or an attractive lady (someone as attractive as her wouldn't be remotely interested in elastico over here - sadly I have evidence to prove this is not an exaggerated thought). You don't get this (normally) in cold weather of course and it is all very much out of site, out of mind. These days, it also brings up the 'I'm never going to be a relationship and will therefore end up lonely' thing which I am fearing - to link this purely with physical appearance is absurd, but then so is anxiety so justification is not required. Overall, I feel less self-conscious and low about all this in winter when people are covered up.
Temp limit: In my experience men start taking their tops of at about 23 degrees, so let's go with that.
3) Lack of sleep. Unlike body image, sleep is something I have blogged about before, to the point of sending you to sleep, but, alas not me. I have a love/hate relationship with sleep. Actually hang on *checks notes* - no, it's just a hate relationship. Basically I don't sleep enough, which makes my mental health worse, and the heat keeps me awake even more. I also struggle without a duvet over me, which is obviously a problem when it's hot as I end up wrapping myself up and experiencing what the middle bit of a spring roll must feel like. Given point 2, me writhing as good as naked in a bed in summer must be like watching a horror film in an oven.
Temp limit: Seriously, if my room goes above 19 degrees I get too warm. It's been 24-25 lately which is just unbearable for me. I remember the room at my parents' house got to 31 degrees once. I brought up a ladle for basting.
4) It brings them all out. My dear mum pre-dementia came out with some good sayings, and this was a rather moderately-worded one compared to most. "The bloody hot weather brings them all out." This is similar to point two in the sense that by 'all' I mean (and I think my mum meant) over-confident people that people with social anxiety issues feel very uncomfortable round. They are like this all the time, but in a heatwave they take it outside and flaunt it in front of a wider population. It just makes me want to stay indoors more.
Temp limit: Even the first spring sunshine can bring them all out, but basically anything vaguely warm and sunny. So a prolonged heatwave like the one we have they are permanently out.
5) It brings them all in. In this case, I'm referring to insects and arachnids. I'm not scared of them, with the exception of large spiders, but I find them unsettling if they are in my house, especially my room, at night in particular. Perish the thought you open a window. Insects are waiting outside and either make a beeline for me or my bananas (not a euphemism), as my bananas are the only food in the kitchen not away in a cupboard, but out in a fruit bowl. It's just another thing that fuels irrational anxiety, the 'what if' thinking cycle - 'what if a bluebottle lays its eggs in my kitchen? On my bananas and I don't notice?! IN MY BRAIN WHEN I'M SLEEPING?!"
Temp limit: Probably high teens - and high humidity is even worse.
This list is by no means exhaustive - other things include a heightened number of smells (like bins, for example), trying to work and concentrate adequately, air pollution and associated breathing problems...
There is a serious message here. There is an increasing number, but still a lack of studies that show how significant a heatwave can have on mental health problems, in particular for those people in the depths of utter despair, who have the most serious of conditions. They may be unable to adapt or respond to the heat and yet become more agitated as a consequence.
You then have individuals who truly experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). This tends to be associated with being depressed during the winter months, but there must must MUST be an equivalent for hot weather. I always feel worse during the summer months mainly for the reasons outlined above, although not to a point where I'd 'label' it as SAD - it's more just an anxiety booster and mood reducer. But SAD is a serious condition given how long it can last, and the UK's heatwave, which has been persisting for getting on for two months, must have had a similarly SAD-like affect on some people to the point of serious depression. I'm waiting for more studies on this issue.
So the next time you hear someone complain about people complaining about the heat, just internally laugh at their ignorance. If you're affected, it can be serious.
In the meantime, as I type the conclusion of this blog, it has started to rain, and I'm NOT joking.
Best wishes,
Al
PS - Read Claire Eastham's recent blog on a similar topic, but articulated infinitely better than mine with actual advice rather than just rambling.
