I wrote this up for a discord server but figured I would share it here with the heat wave hitting the US this week. you don't have to do everything on this list; the idea is to pick one or two things that work for your lifestyle and then add more as you get comfortable with them.
accept that you are going to sweat. no matter what you do, there is nothing that will completely prevent you from being sweaty and sticky, even just getting in and out of your car or going to get your mail. it sucks. i know. but managing expectations can help with the frustration. you're gonna be gross and sweaty, but on the bright side everyone else will be too, so as least we're all suffering together.
moving air is your friend. still air is the enemy. because of the humidity, your sweat will not evaporate off your skin very quickly or at all. your body will be working very hard to keep your core body temperature down, so there will be a lot of expelled heat sitting near the surface of your skin. moving air helps carry that heat away from your body so you're not just broiling yourself in it.
if you have ceiling fans, make sure they're moving counter-clockwise. this will draw the drier air from the ceiling and keep everything circulating in your home so you're not generating your own personal heat zone in the still air.
floor/tower fans are also good for this. set up in a corner, they will draw cool air off the floor and distribute it throughout the room. working together with ceiling fans this is very effective.
open windows on opposite sides of your home to create natural air pathways. obviously don't do this in peak hours (10am-4pm) but when its cool outside, open lower windows on the cooler/darker side of your home and upper windows on the brighter/warmer side of your home. this leverages the physics of air movement, allowing hot air to escape your home and inviting in cool air from outside.
what you wear matters. certain materials are better for air circulation and moisture evaporation around your body. if you don't own any dri-fit undies, they're a game changer if swampass bothers you.
natural fibers like cotton and linen have a loose weave to allow airflow against your skin. cotton especially is decently comfortable even when sucking up all your sweat, and is less likely to cling to your body and make you feel sticky. the exception is denim, which is too thick to offer much relief.
if you have the budget for it, performance fabrics engineered for moisture management actively pull sweat away from your body and dry quickly. you can find these in the athletics section of your local department store, or at specialty retailers like REI, Dick's Sporting Goods, etc.
avoid synthetic materials like polyester and rayon, which can trap heat and moisture against your skin unless specifically designed to wick moisture. if in doubt, just try to stick to single-fiber garments, else you'll end up just wearing a wet sticky shirt all day.
please hydrate for the love of god. i know everyone knows this one but its worth including anyway.
you're losing water at a much more rapid pace than you're likely used to. you need to replenish it or you will have a bad time. i know a lot of us struggle with drinking water for sensory reasons, and often sodas and stuff are better than no liquids at all, but just be conscious of the fact that caffeine is a diuretic and will dehydrate you.
you're also losing a ton of minerals, so try to have an electrolyte beverage every once in a while. even if you're not working out or doing physical activity. if you're sweating, your body is jettisoning water and minerals to keep your organs from overheating. you kind of need that stuff.
time your outdoor activities for cooler hours.
if you exercise outdoors, plan this for the early morning (before 8 or 9am) during the lowest humidity levels of the day. your core body temperature runs lower right after sleep, so this is the best time to take advantage of that.
plan your errands for evening hours (after 6pm) to avoid sun exposure and heat radiating from the pavement in parking lots. cooler temps after sunset often bring on an evening breeze from the temperature change, too, so that's nice. take midday breaks during peak hours (10am-4pm) indoors in air-conditioned spaces if at all possible.
you can shower to cool off.
obviously you can still shower to get clean as needed, but sometimes just hopping in for a few minutes cool rinse can bring immediate relief if you're suffering. there have been summers back home where i have done this two or three times in a single day. for your regular showers, try lukewarm water instead of hot so you don't raise your core body temperature and end up sweating as soon as you step out.
if showering is too much of an ordeal but you still need immediate relief, cold water for your hands and feet are helpful. your hands, wrists, and feet have a ton of blood vessels very close to the surface that rapidly circulate cooled blood. running cold water over your hands for 30-60 seconds or keeping your feet in a cold basin of water significantly helps. holding ice cubes or ice packs to the pulse points on your wrists is another technique ive seen.
adjusting your diet can help. this is another one that might be difficult for sensory reasons, but it's still a factor to be conscious of.
heavier meals cause your body to work harder to digest, and that energy creates (you guessed it) heat. lighter meals throughout the day tend to be easier on your body than larger, heavier ones. water-rich fruits and vegetables (watermelon, citrus, cucumber, tomatoes etc) can help rehydrate you and replenish lost sugars and minerals. save your heavier foods (red meat, fried foods, rich sauces etc) for the evening after peak hours when your body can better handle the extra heat load.
for instant relief, cold foods like smoothies and slushies lower your core body temperature from the inside. obviously this also applies to any cold liquids.
alright that's all i got. once again this list isn't one size fits all - the intent of this post is to provide options for people to choose from as it suits them. stay safe out there folks!
Victor Frankenstein after achieving the impossible and building a fucking person from scraps of the dead: Oh god, ew, ew it's ugly! Yucky! Yucky! Gross! Ew! Ew! Yucky! Yucky! Gross! Ew!
when I was a kid I wished I had nosebleeds. I had some friends who had them and I was like. that looks so fucking cool. you're just sitting there and suddenly you're covered in blood. it looks so dramatic. it looks so... and here my language failed me. at such a humble age I did not have the vocabulary to describe the sublime. I just sat in incomprehensible jealousy. I turned out totally normal by the way
Doomed siblings have me on a chokehold in a way no trope can ever achieve. Something so gut wrenchingly beautiful about two kids going through unimaginable trauma and coming out damaged forever. I always eat it up. Maybe they stay together and find solace only in each other, used and kicked out by society! Maybe they end up on opposite sides of the war! Maybe they end up betraying one another! Maybe one of them dies haunting the narrative forever! Maybe one of them destroys the world for the other! So many endless tragic possibilities!
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