Anxious about going to work in Friday's heat

[Infinity07]

I work in a public sector job, it's very demanding, fairly physical and carries the responsibility of others.
I have a long term anxiety and a panic disorder (under treatment) which work are aware of but it's not really an issue there. However, I do have certain triggers and one thing is when the weather is extra hot like it's predicted to be on Friday (33°c here in the SE). The heat really makes me panic as I get anxious about how it physically makes me feel. I have health anxiety. The older I've got, the worse I seem to experience this.

So I'm debating with my conscience whether to take Friday off work or maybe part of the day off. Work will not accept my anxiety reason regarding the weather, I just know what they're like. So I'd have to say something else.

It's only Tuesday and I'm already getting so stressed about this. Don't know what to do.

No sending home, @KevinTheKoala .
Lucky you to have a walk in freezer! (Although it sounds like you've had a rough time)

Fellow anxiety sufferer here! If you take a day off, you are giving into your condition. Have you had CBT to give you any tools to tackle high triggers?

Just what I was wondering. Op, if you have worked through any exercises to bring your anxiety down previously, I’d spend a few hours before Friday applying those to the current situation. One thing I personally like is thought diaries (write a trigger down, how it’s making you feel, rate your anxiety and then examine the evidence for and against the dreaded outcome happening and re-rate). In this particular case, I think you’ll find that you have no evidence at all that the hot weather will make you ill (as opposed to uncomfortable) and bags of evidence that actually you’ll be fine.

You can combine that with making a list of all the useful tips for keeping cool that people have added here and get anything you need, such as a fan, ready in advance.

Also agree with a suggestion upthread to contact your therapist if you can.

The posts about sucking it up are simply callous. It never fails to amaze me how much information there is about mental health matters now and how ignorant many people are about it.

@Maireas honestly I know! It is the only thing I miss about my old job. I think the only reason they sent me home was because they couldn't have a sick member of staff around food (even though we all knew what caused it)

‘Hysteria’ and ‘nerves’ are two good old-fashioned concepts. Anxiety isn’t new, but thankfully better understood now.

Don’t be ridiculous my niece is a teacher in Australia , often 40 degrees no air con in state schools.

Bring a good electric fan with you and stand in front of it all day. It will definitely keep you cool.

@worraliberty. I can agree. Brilliant and thank-you!

Some countries with higher temps do make adjustments. Cf. the German concept of 'hitzefrei' - our heatwaves do tend to be a few degrees higher on average than the UK's (35ish is not particularly unusual any more in a hot summer) and schools either close (handing over to after-school club at primary level) or shorten the day if the temp reaches a certain level (between 25 and 28 usually) by 10 or 11am.

That said, I do think your reaction sounds rather extreme, OP - adults are generally expected to work through conditions like these (the German rules are for the benefit of the children, not the teachers). Coping strategies + working out what's going on here are the way to go, I think.

Fan, cold drinks in flask, loose clothes and you’ll be fine. I hate the hot weather and feeling hot and sweaty, but a lot of people are similar. It’s six hours for school isn’t it? Together with breaks etc, it’s not going to be long. Just plan for activities for the children that are more relaxed - hot weather can be energy sapping.

Buy a box of ice-pops and reward good pupil behaviour with a cool treat. Everyone wins!

I’d wait until Thursday and look at the weather forecast.
If it’s going to still be very hot then just phone in sick as you’re going to end up making yourself ill by going in anyway.

However you really need to work on your coping skills. Sometimes we have weeks of heat waves and you’re not going to be able to take them off every time.

Have you tried getting a fan for your classroom or cooling spray?

Im a teacher too and I can’t stand when it’s hot because not only am I hot and bothered but so are the kids and they’re irritable and annoying.
If it’s oddly hot then I’d scrap the lesson plan and take them to sit outside or put all of the blinds down and put a movie on.

There’s no need for that now is there? It was a perfectly reasonable response to the first post.

If you’d followed your own advice you’d see that I’d admitted my mistake a few posts later.

Now get back in the bin.

What is your point? I grew up in Australia. In the hottest state. We had no air conditioning at school. It doesn’t mean I can’t sympathise with the op. Different people handle heat differently and anxiety is a horrible thing. There’s no need to diminish her feelings.

Just want to wish you luck! I am a TA and not looking forward to having to be chirpy with 5 year olds in Friday's heat - hopefully you manage to get through the day. Perhaps a classroom fan? If you're with the older kids, they won't have as many outdoor breaktimes so not much time for you standing directly in the sun. I am sure your pupils will love you for it too!

I think the heat may be a bit of a red herring OP - it sounds like you're quite unhappy and really unsupported in your current position. I'd be thinking of finding a new job either in a different school or even a completely different role.

I find this utterly bizarre TBH…

… because the forecast for Friday isn’t “hot” weather….it’s just typical British summer time weather! The temperatures/weather we have been having up to now has been well below average for this time of year.

By all means take a day off as annual leave but as other people have said, we could similar temperatures all the way through July and August (which I hope we do because we’ve had winter, now it’s time for some sun!! ☀️🍹 😃 yay!!)

Sorry you have to go through this OP. Panic disorder is not just a twinge of anxiety that you have to just “suck up”. Shocked at the lack of compassion from some PP’s about this tbh. It’s distressing, debilitating & not something you necessarily throw coping strategies at & they’re foolproof. Commend you for getting help & trying to manage it best you can & feel for you. I would say take the day off. Yes of course avoidance maintains the anxiety etc etc but I think you know yourself best & when to pick your battles with it & when not to. Some days it will win & some/most days you will. But it’s hard. As to moving forward - maybe the additional stress from your current role is as you say making it harder & maybe needs reconsidering? I don’t know if this is something you want to do but may be a way forward longer term.

I totally understand OP.

Teaching in a stuffy, hot, cramped classroom is awful in the heat.

You need a plan as another poster suggests:

Wear loose fitting, cotton clothing.
Wear sandals.
If your hair is long, tie it back.
Buy a cooling mist spray.
DRINK LOTS OF WATER.
Plan classroom activities that don’t require a ton of equipment, moving around or mess.
Build in quiet time : Reading, watching an educational film.
Have an outside Art afternoon - sit in the shade and draw.

The children need calm in high heat.
Make sure they also drink enough water.

Most people really don’t understand anxiety/health anxiety unfortunately. In some situations, including health care sadly, it’s not even worth letting people know you suffer with it because from that point on all reasonable concerns are dismissed.

Of course op isn’t ‘cured’ if she is still in the middle of her treatment. 🙄

I once had a haematoma and was practically delirious after surgery but was told I was anxious. Luckily, when the consultant arrived on their round, I was rushed of for transfusion etc

A person who copes with the conditions is more deserving of your applause than the people who are constantly looking for some excuse not to do the job thei're paid to do.

Some of you sound so miserable!!

It’s not even gonna be that hot on Friday! We’ve had such a shit summer this year why are you complaining now we are finally getting some very ordinary run of the mill british summer time weather!?

How do you think people in the Mediterranean who have it waaaaay hotter than us cope?! Oh yeah, they just get on with it!

It's certainly trotted out more.

OP you can take the day off for whatever reason, you don't need to justify yourself to a bunch of judgey strangers on an anonymous forum. If this is making you unwell mentally it's valid that you do something about it. It's one day, and it's a Friday nearing the end of term. No one will die and the school foundations won't crumble if you aren't in.

I suspect though that this is a symptom of a wider issue. Anxiety doesn't tend to get better without professional help and I would suggest a long hard look at whether this is the profession for you and whether you want to continue in September.

BTW, you sound like you are suffering from anxiety. Your feelings might sound strange or bizarre to some but feelings associated with anxiety disorders are never rational.

I used to dread the heat when I was a home carer. Thick tunic that we couldn't take off, plastic aprons and gloves, and people with heating blasting out and all windows shut
I did laugh in desperation when I found someone with their under floor heating on and even the cat had gone outside to cool down!