Staying Cool in Body and Mind.-

If you're in the Northern Hemisphere right now, IT IS HOT!

The heat wave is off the charts, front and center in our lives. It's been a real struggle, and also an opportunity to be resourceful. But for some, the intensity in our outer environment is taking a huge toll in their inner environment.

While the physical effects are easy to spot, the mental and emotional impacts can sneak up on us. If you're already stressed, sleep-deprived and your basic needs are only half met—honestly, pretty much everyone these days!—this extreme heat can turn everything into an unsettling cycle of discomfort and distress that’s difficult to step out of.  

-The Physical Toll of Heat Waves-

We know how tough this extreme heat can be on our bodies. If we don't stop and take care of ourselves, prolonged exposure can lead to dehydration, heat exhaustion, and even heat stroke. Symptoms like dizziness, headaches, muscle cramps, and fatigue are common, making daily tasks a challenge, adding to feelings of anxiety and irritability.

-Mental and Emotional Strain-

When it's this hot, our bodies use extra energy to cool down, that's why we feel so drained. Ongoing exposure to air conditioning can be irritating for the body as well, especially for our airways, eyes and skin. This physical depletion can affect our mental state, increasing discomfort and agitation. For those already stressed, the added pressure of extreme heat can push emotional boundaries, leading to short tempers and emotional outbursts. 

Then, there's sleep deprivation. High temperatures make it hard to sleep, and we know very well how lack of sleep affects our mood, our ability to handle stress and think clearly, creating a perfect storm for emotional debacles.  In some cases, leading to aggressive behavior and violence.

In all of this, understanding, awareness and prevention is key.

-Smart Prevention Tips to Stay Cool and Balanced-

1. Hydrate Wisely: It's not enough to just drink water, we must be smart about it. Your body wakes up with a hydration deficit. So, start your day with a glass or two of water with lemon or a splash of apple cider vinegar, before you eat or drink anything. Sip water throughout the day, especially outside of meals to not interfere with digestion. Hydrate before meals by sipping a cup of water while preparing your food, this will help minimize the need to drink water with your meals.

To make water more fun, appealing and hydrating, add slices of cucumber, watermelon, citrus fruit and peppermint leaves.

2. Spray and Cool: Carry a small spray bottle with water to mist your neck and chest, then fan with your hand or a piece of paper. This simulates sweating and cools you down instantly. You could add a couple of drops of peppermint essential oil, and shake well before each use, however use a glass bottle for this combination. Peppermint is an excellent body temperature regulator, however, be aware of retail menthol-based cooling sprays, as they have been found to only provide a cooling sensation to the skin, without actually cooling the body. This can pose a health risk especially if you continue to be exposed to heat.

3. Wet Extremities: Run your hands and feet under cool water to lower your body temperature.

4. Cool Down Techniques: apart from the obvious use of fans and taking cool showers, applying damp cloths to your skin, especially your chest and neck, front and back, can be very helpful.

5. Light Diet: Eat smaller, lighter meals. Choose fruits and veggies with high water content like watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumbers, and lettuces.

6. Limit Dehydrating Drinks: Reduce caffeine and alcohol intake. If you indulge - no shame there! - just drink an extra cup of water to balance it out.

7. Dress Smart: Planning is key! Wear loose, light-colored clothing made of breathable fabrics like cotton.

8. Seek Support: If you feel ill, ask for help. Recognize early signs of discomfort to take care of yourself promptly.

Now let’s take it a step further. Because extreme heat affects everyone differently, and we are all in this TOGETHER.  For this, I’m going to invite you to remember that we don’t always know what others may be going through. And there's a lot at stake these days.

-Embrace Kindness and Empathy-

People may be more irritable or emotional due to the heat, stress, and lack of sleep. This is a pivotal time to practice extra kindness and patience with those around us, understanding that they might be struggling in ways we can’t see.

How you show up, offer support, or gently remove yourself from a situation with compassion, can be life-changing for someone who is off balance without even knowing it.

If you see signs of heat stroke, offer to help. The best way to cool someone down is to submerge their body in cool water up to the armpits for 10 minutes - this is the gold standard, but even simple cooling techniques, like applying damp cloths to someone's chest and extremities, can make a difference.

-The Power of the Mind and Self-Regulation-

Learning to self-regulate is a powerful tool for managing stress, especially during a heat wave of any kind: in the weather, and in our life.

Our minds are innately wired to keep us safe, protected and away from suffering, and we can harness this power by actively removing the perceived triggers of danger, of needing to keep going, putting others first and exhausting our precious energy. These get magnified when we're overheated, dehydrated, hungry and sleep deprived, often times limiting our ability to remember that,

it's not only ok, it is our birthright to stop and take care of ourselves, solutions are always available, and we deserve to be supported.

Hypnotherapy offers a unique approach to help you connect to this innate knowing, and to make it available to you to support you at any moment. Through guided hypnotic relaxation and focused attention, you can easily tap into your subconscious mind - the deep seated vault that holds your script for living - to shift the perception of a situation, memory or belief that causes stress, overwhelm and inability to think clearly.  Which either gets triggered in intense situations, or it becomes the trigger itself, making a situation more intense than it needs to be.

It is all within yourself, dear friend.

The heat, the cooling mechanism, and the ability to self- regulate and come back to balance.

If you're struggling with the current weather, with stress, and the detrimental consequences in your capacity to cope and thrive, Rapid Transformational Therapy®, hypnosis meditation, and mindset strategies can be life-changing, invaluable tools. Together, we can help you stay calm, cool, self-directed and collected, no matter how high the temperature rises—in the weather or in your life.

Remember, taking care of your physical, mental, and emotional health is essential. You matter. Your needs matter. You deserve to be well, and it is up to you to make yourself a priority, especially during extreme situations, so you can be the absolute best you can ever be, for yourself and all.

Stay hydrated, stay cool, and stay kind—to yourself and others.

With love and grace, always,

Claudia