Heatwave Anxiety – LCN August 2026

Thanks to Caroline of Crest Counselling for kindly taking these notes at this meeting.

David began by reading the headline: “Heatwave Anxiety can make you feel Incredibly Helpless. Here is how to manage it”

We consider the high levels of anxiety from different points of view.

1. Afraid for the children – its too hot in their bedrooms. “Young people and women are most at risk” says a report. This leads to climate anxiety which gives way to anticipatory anxiety relating to the end of the world.
2. It was pointed out that heat and climate are different. One is about yourself and family coping day to day in present time, the other is about wildlife and the earth generally and focussed on the future. Extremes of both.
3. We looked at how terminology can affect people perception of catastrophe and therefore anxiety. Do some people live with generalised anxiety so the heat simply acts as a trigger to greater anxiety or something else to worry about. The word “concern” is more solution focussed and less provocative. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs homeostasis (including constant body temperature) is an important need for health and wellbeing.
4. Problem-solving can be curtailed due to anxiety-driven avoidance / ‘catastrophising’.
   Managing the anxiety is an important first step. Its ok to feel a degree of caution etc. And this is good as it leads to helpful behaviour: preventative action, precautionary measures.
5. People’s life experience and life circumstances will determine their response to the heatwave. Some people won’t have travelled to ‘hot countries’ and might never have experienced heat like it before. It could therefore be frightening for them. Heat is manageable when there is a cool pool to dip into or a drinks bar, like on holiday, but when you have to work in it and meet deadlines it is a different matter. Heat saps energy especially when you are not used to it. The vulnerable and children. Heat is likely to affect the more vulnerable people in society such as young children, the elderly and those less able to look after themselves for whatever reason. When you live in a high rise flat or sub-standard accommodation it will be a more difficult experience. Maybe these buildings get hotter and there are limited ways to cool them down.
6. Media influence. We considered last night’s eclipse and the reports of sun damage to vision from watching the eclipse. This led to looking at the BBC/media’s role in actually inducing panic such as the orange and red zones put on maps during times of heat and the news of the wildfires breaking out. This information can fuel anxiety. If they said: “tomorrow is going to be another lovely warm sunny day” people would react less catastrophically. Anxiety is transmitted to the public via reporting language and nuances. People are sensitive to what is convey by the mainstream media especially the BBC. Are we being coerced into anxiety? .. Another thing to be anxious about? Who benefits from the public fear? David commented that Asda were out of stock of fans! One influencer had received 18,000 ‘likes’ for a post about the heat. People are doing well from capitalising on public anxiety. Twenty years ago it would have been focussed on ways to cope – ‘tools’ to manage the situation – now the emotional response – Anxiety – is the buzzword and the way to grab public attention.
7. Suggestions:
   Talk to others, many are concerned about climate change and see the heat as a sign of a frightening change, kindness to self; emotions come from a place of care for the world. Find a like-minded community and channel anxiety into something positive.