Yes Philadelphia, heat-related anxiety is real. Here are some ways to cope.

What’s making you anxious?

Thriveworks, a mental health company with clinics in Philadelphia and its suburbs, posed this question to 2,000 U.S. adults in a research survey earlier this year.

More than 25% of respondents cited extreme weather-related events, including “natural disasters” and “climate change,” as a source of anxiety, according to Thriveworks 2025 Pulse on Mental Health Report.

Right now, heat-related anxiety may be soaring along with Philadelphia’s high temperatures as the historic heat wave entered its third day Wednesday.

“There’s an emotional or mood disruption of what heat like this can do, because the anxiety can touch on so many things,” said James Lavino, a Center City-based licensed professional counselor at Thriveworks. “`What happens if I lose power? Will my medications stay refrigerated? What about my mother who doesn’t have air-conditioning?’ These are pretty important questions to have occupying their minds.”

Lavino spoke to The Inquirer about how the number of people suffering from “climate anxiety” seems to be rising as extreme weather becomes more frequent. He also offered coping tips. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Physiologically, as a stress response, your body is going to be pumping out certain hormones. You’re trying to find relief and you can’t find it, and so there’s a stress on the body’s system. Your brain is going to increase cortisol levels, which is a stress hormone, and you’re 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 levels — dopamine levels — and you’re 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.

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’s too late already — we broke it, and we can’t get back to it. That’s 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 — we want it to be a certain way and we aren’t sure if it’s going to be that way or not. That causes friction in us. I also think the way climate change is unfolding, it’s made things less predictable.

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’re 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’s 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 could be helpful.

Cultivate, if you can, a little bit more patience toward other people than you might, because everyone’s having a tough time in this heat. Everyone’s a little cranky. Everyone’s worried about something that normally they don’t have to worry about. A sense of gentleness towards our fellow human beings would also go a long way towards making it better.