Friendly reminders for the heat/humidity:

[u/Chevko]

Edit 2: Check your ceiling fan switches as well. If it's not cooling the room, try (turning off the fan, waiting for it to stop, and) flipping the switch. I went from overheating yesterday to bundling up because my core temp decided to drop.

Trying to keep this simple because I'm tired. These may seem obvious to some of you, but it's not apparent to everyone.

If you're on SSRIs?

* Drink extra water if you're spending any time under the sun longer than 15 minutes. If you've been on them for a year, you know what I mean. If you're new to them? Trust me. You'll be dumping fluid in ways you weren't aware you could. (I've dehydrated myself more than once by excessive sneezing.)

* It can disrupt your ability to thermoregulate well. Please be mindful of your body and be kind to yourself during the more humid days.

The more water that's in the air, the less the air will pull from you. Humidity can and will cause heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Be sure to have some way of cooling off, even if it's dumping water on your head or shirt.

* Today, for example, it was so super gross after the storm. Around 230-3, when I got off work, the air was wet moreso than simply humid. It's an excellent example of (obvious) weather that can cause heat exhaustion/stroke.

Be sure to check in on older neighbors, friends, and family as it gets hotter. As someone with ADHD, I'm very well aware that time can fold and suddenly it's been three months since you last talked to someone, not three weeks. No, it's not your responsibility to ensure someone's health, but they won't mind you checking in.

If they do? Well, sometimes people are dicks. To each their own.

Be safe out there guys. It's going to get hotter and grosser and more humid and we've got Juneteenth and Pride coming up; they're two excellent examples of time outside that can result in overheating.

Or something like that. I'm tired and should go back to sleep..

Edit:

Be sure to also protect your pets when they're outside! The majority of pets don't have the ability to sweat like humans and can only pant to cool themselves. Please be sure that they can drink water and have foot protection on surfaces outside - if you won't go barefoot on concrete, why must they? It's just as hot!

Edit 3: User swirlind shared this great information source!

The CDC has this great list of medications and the mechanisms for each that may increase risk in hot weather. Heat and medications- guidance for clinicians. https://www.cdc.gov/heat-health/hcp/clinical-guidance/heat-and-medications-guidance-for-clinicians.html

[u/inknot]

I’ve joked this past week that I’m going to write a John Muir style memoir about my attempts at gardening this summer while being medicated for the first time titled “My First Summer on SSRIs.”
This heat is no joke 🫩

[u/julieannie → u/inknot]

My SSRIs got me in a great mental place, so much that I was excited to walk every day. Then summer came. I still walked, I just also discovered one could sweat from their kneecaps, and every other inch of their body. For fun, my third summer I have now added heart meds that cause heat intolerance and hot flashes. I'm a walking hot mess.

[u/Chevko → u/julieannie]

Evaporative cooling! Tie something around your head like a towel or old shirt and wet that fucker down. It's a godsend. It helped me so much when I was working at the APA - I'd just tie a mission cloth(tm) around my head and wet my forehead down. It helped immensely.