Weather has an effect on my anxiety. I feel best on cool, rainy days. I feel freer and more relaxed. I feel like I can breathe more easily. I also love thunderstorms. I love the sound of the wind and the heavy rain on the roof. It's comforting to me and I feel very calm and safe in my home. Hurricanes are a different matter all together. ;-)

My panic attacks are worst on hot, sticky summer days. I get nauseous and feel like I'm suffocating and I get very panicky. I also feel irritable when it's hot. I'm just so on edge. I also don't like being in very warm rooms. One of my colleagues keeps her office very warm and I always feel edgy and queasy when I'm in there. I keep my home and my office at 15C/59F and that's a comfortable temperature for me. I also sleep with the bedroom window cracked open even in winter. I like fresh, cold air.

I'm sensitive to bright sunlight. I have an inner ear problem and bright light makes me dizzy sometimes, so I prefer low light. I like cloudy days and I LOVE rainy days. I live in Nova Scotia so fortunately, I get lots of foggy, rainy days through most of the year. Suits me just fine. I wear sunglasses a lot -- even on days that aren't very sunny. I sometimes wear them in malls and grocery stores too where there's lots of bright fluorescent light. I'm less likely to have a panic attack if the light is dimmed.