By Thomas Swarbrick, Content Team Contributor
What causes summer anxiety?
Summer is a bittersweet time for students and adolescents. Obviously there are the compliments: writing off those last exams, returning home to family, the sun glowing warmly. But this period brings about less familiar strains of anxiety in more subtle ways, such as: awaiting exams. These in-between months can be daunting, waiting unknowingly as to whether you’ve lived up to expectation. And the stress that arises alongside the wait may even outweigh anxiety felt during the actual exams.
It’s not just awaiting results that may cause anxiety over summer. Despite most of us complaining about the winter chills, the sheer heat of summer may be problematic. “Summer Anxiety” encompasses heat tolerance anxiety – this is where excessive heat can cause or worsen feelings of anxiety. This may occur simultaneously with hyperthermia (when the body’s core temperature rises above 37.5). This ‘overheated’ state can cause panic attack symptoms as stress hormones increase and palpitations may also occur (according to the Poznan University of Medical Sciences). Higher stress hormones cause an increase in anxious thinking as they affect the fear centres of the brain, such as the amygdala, which can have indirect negative effects on the nervous system. The heat can also lead to dehydration which will reduce bodily fluids and the delivery of nutrients around the body, which can in turn cause blood pressure levels to drop. These physiological deficits from heat may cause feelings of nausea, fatigue and sleep deprivation – all of which can exacerbate experiences of anxiety.
Social elements also play a huge role when considering anxiety returning home. This is especially relevant to students at university. The shift from living independently and alongside other young people to being back home with your parents can be a little difficult to digest. Such feelings can be known as “hometown anxiety”, referring to the unease, stress or comfortability returning to one’s hometown. It is like tiptoeing through a ‘minefield of memories’, but things may not be the exact same as they were before your time away, and this change can lead to feeling a lack of control and disconcert. The change of lifestyle can also be unnerving, despite being surrounded by family members, returning home may spark a particular feeling of loneliness due to the switch to a less socially engaging lifestyle. It is common for university students to be members of societies and have a tightly-packed social schedule, hence the sudden absence of such events may lead to experiences of loneliness. The returning to one’s home-lifestyle may also prompt “holiday regression”, the falling back into habits of your younger self, which isn’t too concerning but may cause slight feelings of conflict.
The fear of missing out (FOMO) should also be mentioned as a causal factor for summer anxiety. Social events happen incessantly over the summertime, and unfortunately we can’t all be two places at once. It is inevitable that you won’t be able to visit every friend from university whilst catching up with those at home, whilst simultaneously working part-time – it is painfully unrealistic. Unfortunately, there is no single-dose cure for a fear of missing out, sometimes friends will end up having fun without you, but that is okay. Just because you were unable to attend something or an invite wasn’t sent your way, it does not mean there is a flaw in yourself which caused you not to go. This concept is a cognitive bias known as ‘internalisation’, for a more in depth definition these biases see the cited article (cognitive-bias-is-the-loose-screw-in-critical-thinking).
How can we prevent summer anxiety?
With respect to exams, it is mostly a matter of acceptance. The results can’t be changed now, hence there is no need to ruminate. No matter the hours spent in deciphering whether you reached the pass or distinction thresholds, ultimately the result will be the same. It is not worth the stress that comes with overthinking. Even in the worst-case scenario, you fail, then what? There are other routes there to explore: most exams can be re-sat, different schools/universities will be amenable to your results, a year of schooling can be redone etc. We are often told that ‘exams do not define you’ but after relentless study this can be rather difficult to internalise, yet it is direly true. Post-exam season is a time of rest, the past few months have been spent longing for exams to be over. It’s crucial you leave the stress in the exam halls and come to terms with it – it’s a period of relaxation most definitely deserved.
But it seems all too neat to just ‘come to terms’ and ‘accept’ one’s performance as it is. The sheer nature of anxiety itself works tirelessly to prevent this reprieve. So how can we become a little more accepting of our exam performance and learn to let go? Well, there is no ‘quick fix’, but if done correctly, with time, the nerves can be settled. It is important to now engage in those activities you have been looking forward to once free from study, go for that picnic, watch those movies, play those video-games. Treat yourself to the small luxuries you craved in those hours staring at a textbook beside a couple empty coffee mugs. Positive self-reinforcement can be a powerful tool if wielded effectively. Perhaps talk to your peers from home about their similar experiences and how they’ve learned to dissolve their stress.
It’s also important, after learning how anxiety is linked to a rise in body temperature, to ensure you do not overheat. This can be regulated simply by remaining hydrated, avoiding physical activity during the hottest hours of the day, perhaps staying indoors on significantly warmer days and maintaining healthy stress levels.
Overall, summer is the perfect time to finally relax from education. The change in lifestyle is inevitable but it is nothing to live in fear nor stress about. Finding ways to spend these months in the company of older friends and family members, and embracing hobbies from earlier years will make it that much easier to avoid episodes of anxiety.
References
health assured. (2025). How to cope with summer anxiety. Healthassured.org. https://www.healthassured.org/blog/how-to-cope with-summer-anxiety-sad/
anna.docking. (2022, July 20). Summer and anxiety. Mental Health UK. https://mentalhealth-uk.org/blog/summer-and-anxiety/
Why Your Anxiety Can Feel Worse In The Summer. (n.d.). AnxietyCentre.com. https://www.anxietycentre.com/faq/more-anxious-in-the-summer-anxiety/
Stress hormones spike as the temperature rises: Study surprisingly finds higher cortisol levels in summer than in winter. (n.d.). ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180425131906.htm
Clinic, C. (2023, December 19). How To Avoid Hometown Anxiety and Holiday Regression. Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/hometown-anxiety
