Extreme Heat Is Making Us Sadder (And Sicker)

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LISTENING: to my tummy growl
FEELING: unmotivated and uninspired
SEEING: the clock tick away

Content warning: This newsletter will discuss extreme mental health issues, including suicide.

We live in a society that prefers to ignore the silent suffering around us. We ask each other how we're doing — and most of the time, people lie. They say they're fine. They say they're good. In reality, they're neither. Many are struggling and sad. Lots are depressed. And some even fantasize about harming themselves.

Every year, we lose over 48,000 people in the U.S. to suicide. Over 14 million seriously consider it. About 2 million attempt it. These are the facts.

I hate talking about this issue because I've almost lost some of my closest people to suicide. I'm sensitive about it. The topic scares the shit out of me. That's probably because I don't really understand it. I've never experienced clinical depression or suicidal ideation. I've just witnessed the people I love struggle. I feel lucky every day those loved ones wake up and face the world despite the heaviness in their hearts. Many others can't say the same.

Unfortunately, a new paper from Nature Mental Health suggests that rising temperatures are only going to worsen this crisis. Published June 30, the study analyzed data from 26 countries, finding that warmer parts of the globe may see higher rates of suicide as temperatures increase.

And that's a climate justice issue. Most of the people living in countries in South America, Asia, and Africa have contributed very little to the climate crisis. They're not the ones living in lit-up houses blasting air conditioning. Yet they're the ones set to suffer the most. Their mental health is on the line, too.

Scientists have found that extreme heat can disrupt the body's serotonin, aka the happy hormone. They've also found a connection between extreme heat and increased levels of cortisol, our stress hormone.

None of these physiological explanations even touch on the ugly realities that living in a world on fire is simply, well, hard. Every day, we watch corrupt people in power make decisions that harm the majority. We see corporate polluters put their profits over the lives of living beings. It's an isolating experience to pay attention, to care, to lose, and to grieve.

Every day, cultures and communities lose something: a home, a village, a forest, a river, a more-than-human kinship. Farmers lose their livelihoods — and their minds.

It's not surprising that another study out this week found an increase in opioid deaths after extreme flooding in Appalachia. Sometimes, self-medication feels like the only way to survive this hellscape. But I know that's not true. Drugs are a temporary escape. We survive long-term by leaning on each other.

We need each other more than ever, but how do we connect? How do we protect the ones prone to despair? We can't stop the disaster that's unfolding before us. Monster wildfires, droughts, and storms are here. How do we stay sane in the face of all this?

Well, I turn to my friends and my family. I hold on tight to the love in my life. I sing karaoke with my niece and make my baby nephew giggle. I take my teenage nephew out on drives. I stuff myself with my mother's cooking and tell her I love her every chance I get. I talk to them about what to do when there's a tornado warning. I confront the ugly so that we can all be prepared, together.

Not everyone has friends or family to turn to. I know that. But we are the creators of our own happiness. It's cliché, but it's true. We must find joy however we can — at our jobs, at our local park, at our kid's swimming class, at our kitchen table. Community is the only way to survive this cruel yet generous world. It's how humans have survived much, much worse.

So please log off, touch grass, and go hold someone's hand. Your soul commands it. 🌀

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