5 Ways to Keep Calm in the Heat

With summer comes the heat waves, and I’m sure you’re thinking of ways to beat the heat. But there are plenty of posts about that: sit in a pool, use fans, drink cold beverages. What I want to talk about is how to maintain your relationships in the heat.

If you’re anything like my family, we don’t do heat well. We become miserable and angry and sometimes just mean. I completely fall apart in the heat. This means I have very little patience, and Yev and I are usually on the brink of a fight. Tempers rise with the heat. How do we not only keep our bodies cool but our heads as well?

1. Run your AC: Just pay for it. Give up something else, and make it a priority. And if you simply can’t, go somewhere air conditioned like the mall, the library, or a book store. Whatever you do, don’t suffer in the heat.
2. Breathe: I tend to panic when I get too hot, and then I start escalating. So when I start freaking out, I just focus on my breathing, and give my body time to calm down.
3. Save the difficult discussion: Try not to have any really important, life-changing, triggering conversations when it’s hot. You’ll both already be irritable, and that does not bode well for the conversation. Wait until later in the day or early in the morning, when the heat is bearable and the kids are asleep. Or better yet, wait until the heat wave is over!
4.  Leave the chores: My kids act up a lot more when I’m trying to clean than when I’m spending time with them. So if they’re antsy from being cooped up inside, instead of hollering at them to be quiet cause you’re doing the dishes, just sit with them. I did this all wrong today. I wish I had just sat down with them instead of continually getting frustrated that I couldn’t get anything done between breaking up fights and potty breaks. The outcome will be the same: your chores will still be there. But how you get there can be different. You can either be in a good mood or a bad one. I’ll take happiness please 🙋.
5. Be patient with your family: Remember that everyone is suffering. Everyone is hot and sticky and tired of being inside. So when your kid has that temper tantrum, just laugh. When your children stampede through food dropped on the floor, just laugh. When your husband also steps on said food on the floor, don’t laugh. Empathize. Offer to get him a baby wipe and then you can laugh about it together, later.

Here are just a few tips I’ve found helpful. Please comment and tell me yours ❤.