What\u2019s making you anxious?<\/p>\n
Thriveworks<\/a>, a mental health company with clinics in Philadelphia and its suburbs, posed this question to 2,000 U.S. adults in a research survey<\/a> earlier this year.<\/p>\n More than 25% of respondents cited extreme weather-related events, including \u201cnatural disasters\u201d and \u201cclimate change,\u201d as a source of anxiety, according to Thriveworks 2025 Pulse on Mental Health Report.<\/p>\n Right now, heat-related anxiety may be soaring along with Philadelphia\u2019s high temperatures as the historic heat wave<\/a> entered its third day Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s an emotional or mood disruption of what heat like this can do, because the anxiety can touch on so many things,\u201d said James Lavino<\/a>, a Center City-based licensed professional counselor at Thriveworks. \u201c`What happens if I lose power? Will my medications stay refrigerated? What about my mother who doesn\u2019t have air-conditioning?\u2019 These are pretty important questions to have occupying their minds.\u201d<\/p>\n Lavino spoke to The Inquirer about how the number of people suffering from \u201cclimate anxiety\u201d seems to be rising as extreme weather becomes more frequent. He also offered coping tips. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n Why is the heat making me feel irritable?<\/p>\n Physiologically, as a stress response, your body is going to be pumping out certain hormones. You\u2019re trying to find relief and you can\u2019t find it, and so there\u2019s a stress on the body\u2019s system. Your brain is going to increase cortisol levels<\/a>, which is a stress hormone, and you\u2019re going to maybe get dehydrated and dehydration can reduce your cognitive sharpness. Being out in the heat is also going to increase your blood pressure. I do think it also will disrupt serotonin<\/a> levels \u2014 dopamine levels<\/a> \u2014 and you\u2019re not going to be moving around as much, either. There will be an impulse of wanting to do as little as possible, which can disrupt your sleep and throw off your mood. You can become sort of reactive and fragile in a way.<\/p>\n What is \u2018climate anxiety\u2019 and what\u2019s driving it?<\/p>\n It means different things to different people. Certainly there are people who are anxious about the state of the globe, the state of the planet, the sense that it\u2019s too late already \u2014 we broke it, and we can\u2019t get back to it. That\u2019s a pretty terrifying and upsetting thought for some people. They may be thinking about how a climate crisis will mean more competition for resources and that could lead to more conflict and war. I think for people who are prone to anxiety those kinds of thoughts can run away from you pretty quickly. I think of anxiety as something about the future \u2014 we want it to be a certain way and we aren\u2019t sure if it\u2019s going to be that way or not. That causes friction in us. I also think the way climate change is unfolding, it\u2019s made things less predictable. <\/p>\n What can we do to calm our nerves during a heat wave?<\/p>\n Staying hydrated, keeping your sleep regular, and trying to keep your routine, and having some kind of checks in with other people. If you are having to stay inside, try not being isolated too much. You want to establish a sense of predictability and safety. We are hardwired for connection, so certainly connecting with people in a air-conditioned coffee shop or calling your mom is a good thing. Relationships are the key to our mental well-being. So if you have to be inside and you\u2019re on your own, do reach out to people. Maybe try to find some solidarity. Attending to the little things helps give us a feeling of control and will help regulate our bodies and our emotions. It\u2019s easy on a day like today to be glued to the Weather Channel or checking the news a lot and letting things overwhelm you. So I do think that trying to stay away from doomscrolling<\/a> could be helpful. <\/p>\n What\u2019s a good way to get out of our own heads? <\/p>\n Cultivate, if you can, a little bit more patience toward other people than you might, because everyone\u2019s having a tough time in this heat. Everyone\u2019s a little cranky. Everyone\u2019s worried about something that normally they don\u2019t have to worry about. A sense of gentleness towards our fellow human beings would also go a long way towards making it better. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What\u2019s making you anxious? 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