The heat wave does not only mean physical discomfort. More and more research shows that extreme temperatures also influence the way we think, feel and react. An analysis published in the journal American Psychologist shows that heat exposure is associated with worsening symptoms of anxiety and depression, difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbances and greater emotional vulnerability. Why does it affect some people more than others and what can we do to protect our mental health?
Many people notice that on hot days they become more irritable, lose their temper more quickly or have difficulty concentrating. Most of the time, I attribute these changes to stress or fatigue. Specialists say, however, that the explanation is more complex and depends on the way the body tries to cope with high temperatures.
An extensive analysis published in American Psychologist shows that extreme temperatures are associated with worsening symptoms of anxiety and depression, cognitive impairment, sleep problems and increased emotional vulnerability. The author reviews the evidence on the effects of heat on mental health and explains the biological, social and cognitive mechanisms that underlie it, pointing out that the relationship between heatwaves and mental health is still under-discussed, although it will become increasingly important as global temperatures continue to rise.
“When the temperatures get really high, it’s not just the weather that changes. It also changes the way we function. Many people notice that they become more impatient, get angry more easily, find it harder to concentrate, or have a hard time tolerating noise, crowds, and conflict. Most of the time, they attribute these reactions to impatience, stress, or even their own character, without realizing that their bodies are going through an effort. huge, invisible (…) The mind does not work in an isolated space, it works inside an organism that is constantly trying to maintain its balance“says Gabriela Marc, senior clinical psychologist and associate university lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences for “The Truth”.
Body and mind do not lead two separate lives
The specialist says that for a long time we were taught to believe that emotions are the exclusive product of thoughts and that if we are strong enough, disciplined enough or motivated enough, we can control almost any inner state. But our body tells a different story. “The nervous system doesn’t differentiate between an emotional threat and a physical one. It is constantly answering the same fundamental question: ‘Am I safe?’ she claims.
In these conditions, the psychologist explains, the body redirects a large part of its energy to maintaining biological balance, and emotional regulation has fewer resources at its disposal.
“When the body invests so much energy in maintaining biological balance, the nervous system has fewer resources for emotional regulation. Because of this, the tolerance threshold for frustration decreases, and things that on a normal day would go almost unnoticed can become overwhelming. Not because we have changed our character. Tolerance decreases because the amount of energy the body has left to deal with the world has changed. Not every reaction speaks to who we are. Sometimes talk about how many resources we have left”says Gabriela Marc.
Moreover, the specialist points out that people tend to turn every reaction into a conclusion about our identity. “We say of ourselves that we are too nervous, too sensitive, too impulsive, or impatient, without asking what state our nervous system is in at that moment. In reality, there is an essential difference between what we feel and what we are. A rested nervous system can more easily tolerate uncertainty, noise, anticipation, and conflict. An overworked nervous system reacts differently, just as a tired muscle can no longer lift the same weight, not because it has lost weight force, but because it has exhausted its resources,” explains this.
Why heatwave affects some people more than others
Not all people react in the same way to periods of extreme temperatures. According to Gabriela Marc, the difference lies in the resources that the nervous system already has available before the appearance of an additional stress factor, such as the heat wave.
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“The problem is that we continue to demand the same emotional performance regardless of the context. We expect ourselves to be just as patient after a sleepless night, on a forty-degree day, after months of stress and responsibility, as we are when the body is rested and in balance. But the body doesn’t work by the rules of perfectionism, it works by the rules of survival.”says the psychologist.
This explains that each person starts from a different level of physical and emotional demand.
“We don’t all start from the same starting line, because not all nervous systems carry the same burden. There are people who have been living for months or even years in a state of continuous activation, either caring for a sick parent, raising a child alone, going through financial difficulties, or living in an environment where their body has long since known a genuine sense of safety. Others carry old experiences that seem to be forgotten on a conscious level, but which continue to exist in the way the body responds to stress. For these heat is not just a high temperature. It is one more factor that is added to an already overworked system. That is why sometimes it is not the heat that causes the reaction. The heat is the last drop in a glass that was almost full.” says Gabriela Marc.
What we can do in periods of extreme temperatures
Beyond the recommendations regarding hydration, avoiding exposure to high temperatures and rest, the psychologist believes that it is important to change the way we interpret our own reactions.
“Instead of immediately asking ‘What’s wrong with me?’, it might be more helpful to ask ‘What is my body trying to tell me?’. Sometimes the answer is not more discipline, more willpower or even more effort. Sometimes the answer is slowing down, resting, reducing pressure and accepting that the body cannot function at the same capacity under all conditions. Taking care of mental health often starts with taking care of biological health.”it clarifies.
According to Gabriela Marc, periods of heatwave remind us that the mental and physical state cannot be separated.
“The heat wave forces us to remember a truth that we forget too often: man cannot be divided into body and mind. Everything we experience emotionally passes through the body, and everything the body experiences shapes the way we love, think, choose, and respond to the world around us. In a culture that admires endurance and performance, we have come to view fatigue as a weakness and the need for rest as a luxury. We demand that we perform at the same intensity regardless of the context, and we judge ourselves harshly when we fail. But the body is not a mechanism that we can force endlessly. He speaks before we are willing to listen, and when we do not respect his limits, he begins to turn them into symptoms”explains the psychologist.
She emphasizes that resilience does not mean ignoring the signals our body sends us, but recognizing them in time.
“Before a man raises his voice, bursts into tears, withdraws or becomes irritable, his body has already silently tried to take more than it can handle. That is why true emotional health is not about never faltering, but about having enough wisdom to recognize the moment when our nervous system no longer needs more pressure, but more care.” believe this.
Weather until the beginning of August: Romania enters a warmer and drier period
No one breaks in a single day of heatwave, emphasizes Gabriela Marc. “People break when they ignore their limits for too long, when they mistake endurance for health and performance for self-worth. And perhaps the most important lesson the body can teach us is that true strength does not lie in the ability to endure anything. True strength lies in the maturity to listen to us before the body has to cry out in pain.” she confesses.
Because the way we take care of our body is, in the end, the way we take care of our life, says the specialist. “The body is not only the place in which we exist. It is the place from which we love, feel, create and meet others. And when we learn to respect its limits, we find that gentleness towards our own body becomes, over time, gentleness towards the people around us”concludes Gabriela Marc.
We remind you that the National Meteorological Administration (ANM) estimates that the second part of July will be warmer than usual, especially in the west and southwest of the country. According to the forecast for the period July 6 to August 3, temperatures will gradually exceed the values specific to the period, while precipitation will be deficient in the first three weeks, especially in the western half of the country.
Meteorologists specify that these estimates are indicative and cannot anticipate short-term extreme weather phenomena, such as violent storms or blizzards. However, the trend points to a warmer and drier period than usual towards the end of July.
