Full Coverage Friday #13: The "Too Hot To Cope" Toolkit
The heat wave may be over, but summer is just getting started.
Heatwave brain is real, and I’ve got the rage-sweats to prove it.
If I hadn’t spent all day Monday researching why hot weather makes you so cranky, I would have thought I was losing my mind.
All week long, I’ve been confronted with minor inconveniences—a broken shower, a delayed Subway that left me sweating on the platform for the better part of 20 minutes, a $14 smoothie that was only partially blended, and so much traffic. Things that would usually annoy me (and that I’d chalk up to the sacrifices of living in “the greatest city in the world”) have been making me want to scream. I feel like the anxious, tired, pissed off person I typically am for three days before my period comes, but I won’t be riding the crimson tide for at least another week, when I’m running around Greece in tiny white outfits. (Talk about an inconvenience).
Plus, I’m just uncomfortable. I’m sweating like a pig, I’m bloated as hell, and it’s way too hot to sleep.
And it’s not just my personal hell: Everyone I’ve talked to is dealing with the same tension headaches, exhaustion, and dehydration-related-discomfort that I am. This sucks, you guys!
The “Too Hot To Cope” Toolkit 🔥
Unsurprisingly, then, this was a hot topic in my multiple therapy sessions this week. One of the most helpful things I learned? When you’re spiraling—physically and emotionally—cooling your body temperature can reset your nervous system. It’s part of the "TIP" skill (Temperature, Intense exercise, Paced breathing), and it works by flipping your body out of fight-or-flight mode.
Basically: If you’re feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or like the heat is turning you into your worst self, you can calm your brain down by cooling your body down. Not metaphorically—literally. Try:
A cold shower
An Ice pack on the back of your neck
Dunking your face into a bowl of ice water
Or, if you’re like me and prefer your mental health tools to come in aesthetic packaging, these help too:
Ice Globes (refrigerated = mini reset button)
Stripes Cooling Mist (comes in clutch on the subway platform)
A Stanley Cup filled with ice cold water and a NUUN tablet (bonus electrolytes!)
Fridge-stored sheet masks (you will become a new person—especially if it’s a gel mask)
It sounds simple, but it actually works. And in the middle of a heatwave, I’ll take any excuse to press something frozen to my face in the name of self-care.
3 good things
I’ve… started actually trying on social media, which feels cringey to admit and probably isn’t something I should say out loud. But if you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably noticed my feed has started to look a lot more like what you see here—more me, more beauty, more feelings, more chaos.
I’ve always been way too afraid of what people might think of me to really put myself out there. And for a long time, the fear of doing it imperfectly kept me from even getting started. But I want to grow this community into the safe, feel-good beauty space I know it can be—and that means this girl is now learning to make TikToks.
I’m a few weeks in, and while I am bleeding followers (I like to think it’s the guys from college), I’m proud of myself for showing up. For creating the kind of content I wished existed on the Internet. For finally doing the thing—even if I’m doing it scared.
This set I bought on the TikTok shop, which will be heavily featured in the upcoming Greece content (… I’m prepared for my follower count to drop even further). It was literally $25, and I’ve officially decided that the TikTok shop is my new Forever21.
Speaking of the TikTok shop, it’s not always a hit. I bought this dress, and the biggest size was so small it didn’t even fit over my ass. But instead of letting it spiral me, I snapped a photo for my friends and we died laughing. Given my deep body issues, this was a big deal for me—a year ago, it would have triggered weeks’ worth of disordered eating. If anyone is on the hunt for an intuitive dietitian, I am obsessed with mine. Just shoot me a message.
Beauty obsession of the week
L’Oréal Panorama mascara, which held up to hardcore sweat and tears without ever smudging (a miracle for me, who usually looks like a chaotic raccoon regardless of the weather). If I’m being honest, I’ve never met a L’Oréal mascara I haven’t loved, but this one’s become a fast favorite.
Mental health note to self
You’re not falling apart. You’re just overheated.
Hot weather must-haves
The heatwave may be over, but we’ve still got a lot of scorching summer days ahead. If you, like me, are a big-time sweater, this list has everything you’ll need to survive.
Impulse buy of the week
My type-A best friend is one of those naturally cool girls who’s always prepared, so it made sense that she had this chic mini fan in her bag when we went to our niece-by-friendship’s preschool graduation in the suburbs the day it hit 100 degrees. It kept us cool on the train, while we were waiting 25 minutes for an uber (the suburbs were wild!), and in the un-air conditioned gym where the world’s cutest performance of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” took place. It’s so cute and so small—just like the graduates!
Current craving
Iced coffee is not for me in this heat, but due to my heat-induced lack of sleep, skipping caffeine is not an option. So I’ve leaned into my basic-ness and have become newly obsessed with those rainbow colored refresher drinks that are definitely not healthy (sue me), but are absolutely freaking delicious.
Blue Steel Ener-G from Gregory’s Coffee
Blackberry Sage Refresher from Starbucks
Strawberry Dragonfruit Refresher from Dunkin Donuts
A new love language I unlocked
“I refilled your water bottle for you.” (Especially when it’s cold. Especially when I didn’t ask.)
The truth is, heat doesn’t just mess with your skin and sleep—it messes with your sense of self. But it’s not a meltdown, it’s a temperature spike. And you’re allowed to meet it with kindness, SPF, and a mini fan.
Now that I’ve survived the heat wave, I’m off to Europe—first for a wedding in London then to galavant around Mykonos with my husband and nine of our friends. Which means that next week will be all about feel-good beauty for travel.
Here’s hoping I’m a slightly cooler, slightly less unhinged version of myself—ideally in a Grecian sundress instead of a puddle of my own sweat.