Weather Anxiety

Weather and anxiety

Weather can have an impact on neurodivergent people’s behaviour and mood even if it is sunny/ cloudy or raining. Weather can also have an impact on depression and anxiety which is known as SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). 

 

Want to read more about SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)? Read my blog about it here https://www.jaimegraceuksworld.co.uk/2022/11/what-is-sad/

 

Weather and neurodivergence

Neurodivergent people may have anxiety about weather. Here are some of the reasons why:

• Needing to change plans due to weather
• Sensory issues (Lighting, sunny, light to dark) 
• Sudden noise (banging, thunder)
• Change in routine (such as changing shopping day, missing support groups)
• Increase in medication (this can be due to allergies, asthma, etc)
• Sudden changes in weather
• Not knowing what’s happening and/or what’s going on
• Not able to sleep at night (due to noises/wind)
• Becoming unwell 

 

Phobias

There are many phobias to do with weather such as

• Astraphobia
  • Extreme fear of thunder and lighting. It can affect everyone and anyone. It is more common with children than adults. This is also known with animals. 
• Ancraophobia (Anemophobia)
  • Fear of wind and/or drafts
• Chionophobia (greek word ‘chion’ refers to snow)
  • Fear of snow
• Lilapsophobia
  • Fear of severe weather (tornadoes or hurricanes)
• Nephophobia (greek word ‘nepho’ means cloud)
  • Fear of clouds or cloudy weather. It is more common amongst children and teenagers.
• Ombrophobia (greek word ‘ombros’ means storm of rain)
  • Fear of rain, from intense weather to a drizzle. 
• Thermophobia
  • Fear of heat, hot weather and hot objects. 
• Heliophobia (common with photophobia- fear of bright sunlight, incandescent light, fluorescent light)
  • Fear of sunlight or the sun.

 

Signs of anxiety

• Over all body shaking
• Chest pain
• Numbness
• Heart problems
• Trouble breathing
• Sweating palms
• Racing pulse
• Obsessive desire to monitor the storm
• Trying to hide
• Flight/ fight/ freeze
• Headache
• Loss of appetite
• Not being able to sleep
• Fear of the worst happening
• Difficulty concentrating
• Obsessive thoughts

 

Tips on how to cope with anxiety during a storm

• Put lights on if it is dark
• Play music
• Watch movies/tv shows
• Close curtains 
• Use brown/ white noise
• Advance preparation
• Try to keep routine as normal as possible 
• Use ear plugs

 

Want to know more about neurodivergence and heat https://www.jaimegraceuksworld.co.uk/2022/07/neurodivergence-and-heat/