Heat Rage: When Your Body Tantrums Like a Toddler on a Holiday Weekend

Heat can make us all want to throw a fit, especially with heat intolerant conditions like POTS.

You know the drill. You finally muster up the spoons to brave the crowds, slap on some tinted SPF 50, double-layer the deodorant, pack the salt tabs, and wear the flowiest outfit you own that still screams “I tried.” You get in the car, you show up to the beach/barbecue/fireworks/insert holiday fantasy here—and that’s when it happens.

Your body throws a full-blown meltdown.

Not you. Your body. Like a toddler at Disney World, overstimulated, overheated, and one sticky snack away from a full collapse.

That’s heat intolerance with POTS, baby. And when it decides to show up? It doesn’t care that it’s Memorial Day or Fourth of July or the first time you’ve socialized in weeks. No, it comes in hot—literally—and it throws a tantrum so dramatic even Karen from the HOA would be impressed.

The Symptoms (AKA the Plot Twist You Didn’t RSVP For)

• Your heart rate skydives and then spikes just from standing still in the sun like you’re doing an interpretive dance called “Oops, all dysautonomia.”

• Sweat? What sweat? Your body skips that cooling function because it missed the memo. Welcome to internal boiling point.

• Lightheadedness hits like a slap from Aunt Cheryl’s sangria—you’re upright one second, searching for shade and electrolytes the next.

• Brain fog rolls in, and now you’re staring at the potato salad like it holds the secrets of the universe, but can’t remember why you came outside in the first place.

And then, the real fun starts: The Guilt.

You’ve become That Person. Again.

The one that has to “sit down for a minute” in the middle of the pool party.
The one holding an ice pack to their chest while a kid asks, “Are you okay, lady?”
The one who just spent three hours prepping to leave the house only to be cooked medium-rare by 12:30 p.m.

Reality Check: You’re Not Failing and You’re Not a Whiner. Your Autonomic Nervous System Is.

Let’s stop pretending this is about willpower. Heat intolerance with POTS isn’t some quirky inconvenience—it’s a physiological shutdown that can feel like your internal thermostat is set to being being hot to “incinerate.”

And yet, every summer, society expects us to slap on a smile, roast marshmallows, and pretend our body isn’t waging war with the weather.

What to Do When the Tantrum Hits

Here’s your survival kit for when your body decides it’s DONE adulting in the heat:

1. Become besties with your cooling gear. Cooling vests, fans, electrolyte slushies, misting bottles. It’s not overkill—it’s armor.

2. Don’t chase the day. Find the shady spots, let others stand in line for the funnel cake, and pick activities that don’t involve full sun or long walks. You’re curating an experience, not auditioning for Survivor.

3. Know your out. Whether it’s the car, the AC’d bathroom, or a “Hey I need a break” signal with your friends—have your exit strategy prepped.

4. Ditch the guilt. You’re allowed to be there and leave. To show up and sit out. To celebrate on your terms, not the calendar’s.

One More Thing: Let It Be Okay

So maybe your holiday weekend looks like a popsicle in bed instead of a bonfire on the beach. Maybe you make it 30 minutes into the cookout before ghosting like a sweaty ninja. That’s okay. Really.

The real tantrum is pretending we’re fine when we’re melting.
And the real freedom? Giving yourself permission to peace out before your body completely crashes.

So this summer, let’s start a new tradition: listen to your body, laugh at the chaos, and keep an emergency Gatorade in your fanny pack.

Because nothing says Zebra style like managing a full-system shutdown with salt, sass, and just enough SPF to survive another round.

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Want to drop your best heat hacks or meltdown moments? The comments are open. Let’s swap survival stories and celebrate the fact that we showed up at all.