How heat affects creativity: The heatwave that nearly broke me
Summer heat – Ute Wieczorek-King
I was so ready for it to be over, this insufferable heat. Record-breaking temperatures of 36-38C are rare here in the UK. As it got hotter and hotter, my brain just stopped working properly. Everything felt fuzzy, like brain fog. My concentration disappeared, and even simple things felt like wading through treacle.
So I downed all tools. My laptop stayed off, my mobile screen time went right down, and my writing routine was non-existent.
I remember seeing the forecast, and I had an inkling that I might need to slow right down. But that I ended up doing next to nothing took me completely by surprise.
Why we’re so bad at heat in the UK
I always feel like I need to explain this, because if you don’t live in the UK’s South East, it probably sounds a bit dramatic. But the truth is, we’re just not built for this kind of heat.
It’s like the whole system starts to wobble. Our homes are designed to keep heat in, which is very useful in winter, but not so much in a heatwave. Air con is rare; shutters, like those in other areas of Europe, are not really a thing. And once the heat gets in, it just stays there, day and night.
There’s no quick fix either. It didn’t take long, for example, for portable air con units to sell out everywhere. We had no choice but to find ways to adapt.
Can’t we “just get on with it”?
What didn’t help me was the general message on social media to carry on as normal. To stop making a fuss.
This may work in your average heatwave… until it doesn’t. For example, when road surfaces start to crack, as happened in my area. It’s harder to see the effects inside. Some homes belonging to older people had heated up to well over 40C according to the news. With increasing temperatures, the risk to life increases exponentially. (Update: According to the news on 13 July 2026, close to 3000 people died in the UK of heat related causes in this and the previous heatwave!)
If your body is already under pressure and struggles even in moderate heat, whether from age-related health issues, chronic illness or fatigue, pushing through isn’t the brave thing to do. Now is not the time to prove how resilient you are. I did just that a long time ago, when I was pregnant. The result was heatstroke, whand it happened ever so quickly!
What to think when heat affects your creativity
Sitting there with my brain fog, a few things felt very familiar:
- “Pushing through” can be bad advice for bloggers too! Especially when your body (or brain) is clearly saying “not today.” Forcing yourself to write may not produce your best work. And when your heart isn’t in it, it shows every time.
- Being consistent, considered important in blog writing, isn’t everything. It may leave you feeling drained and could, at worst, lead to burnout. You may have all the hours to write, but not the capacity.
- Rest isn’t just a break. It could play an important part in your creative journey. Rest is great for mind and body. It can free the mind which is great when you’re looking for inspiration and new ideas. As long as you remember to jot these down when they come. You can then transform them into great content when your mind is at its best.
Slowing down isn’t failure
So instead of pushing through, Mr K and I spent most of the week in the coolest corner of our house. We also looked into what might need to change. Because heatwaves seem to be becoming a thing.
Using YouTube for research, I discovered new ways to position fans in rooms and why investing in some cooling cloths may be a good idea (yes, they are a thing!). Also, some quick solutions to stop windows from heating up so quickly. Because glass that heats up can quickly turn your house into an overheated greenhouse!
The ideas I came up with aren’t glamorous, but they felt like a small turning point. Like when you have felt stuck with your writing but suddenly the words start flowing again. So often, it only takes a new idea or a small change, and we start to feel a bit more confident that all will be well.
What happens when the heatwave is over
Waking up the morning after the heatwave, I could feel the cool air blow through the open windows. I almost felt like reaching for another blanket but decided to savour the coolness of the early hours.
It was 10°C less outside and felt so good. I could breathe freely again and later, sit in the garden without sweating or feeling faint. The sense of having to battle through the day was gone. And that in itself felt like a small luxury.
I sat there sipping coffee from my Portmeirion Enchanted Tree mug, a little vintage find from a bric-a-brac shop in Wales. It felt like my brain was working again.
I love that the design is based on the Tree of Life, and being the tree lover that I am, this made me very happy.
Around me, the garden looked like it had just been waiting for us to return to it. Not much had been done during the heatwave, apart from turning the sprinklers on every day.
But it was the no-mow clover patch that made me smile. I sat on the edge of it for a while, listening to the sound of church bells in the distance. I also kept looking over to the bird bath, one of my husband’s vintage finds from about 40 years ago. A present for his late mum back then, it came back to us recently when her house was sold. I like seeing it here now, in our garden.
Here I was, appreciating the small things again. The difference in my awareness felt incredible.
It’s all too easy to ignore the learning and move on
And yet, often, when the temperature drops, we breathe a sigh of relief, and within days it’s like the heatwave never happened. We go back to normal, and no changes are made.
The mind forgets too easily and, in a way, you are none the wiser.
Blogging can be the same. You get stuck, sit it out, or maybe you push through. You (seemingly) recover, but this often means doing what you have always done. When, instead, you could be pondering what you might do differently next time.
Would you try to water your plants during a heatwave? I’m sure you would if you didn’t want to lose them. After all, you may have spent hours, months, perhaps even years nurturing them.
A hosted WordPress blog like this one needs regular nurturing too. Even when I can’t write because my chronic illness flares up or I’m suffering from the heat. I still have to log in regularly and check that all the updates are happening as they should.
Because not keeping an eye on things can cost you dearly when hackers find a backdoor into your little patch. that’s what happened to me! (Read more about the pain of losing all my carefully written content, and how I moved on(
A realisation and a good intention
In my garden there was, of course, a long list of things that didn’t get done. The cool break we had between heatwaves just wasn’t long enough to catch up with everything.
The tricky thing was knowing that another hot spell was already on the way. It felt a bit like a deadline, and I’m not a fan of deadlines at the best of times.
But it’s all part of the learning too. That not everything can be rushed or forced or squeezed in before the next thing hits. Maybe the better option is to pause for a moment, process what is happening, and think about what is possible and what isn’t.
What is important now? And what can you let go of?
The other thing worth taking away from all of this: the house, the garden, you, your body, and even your blog all need some regular care. Perhaps this is about the kind of (self) nurturing that has worked well in the past but somehow got neglected. Could it be worth reaffirming your intention?
It would be better than relying on a quick fix or pushing through at all cost. Just small, sensible things done often enough so that the next heatwave, or dry writing spell, doesn’t catch you quite so unprepared.
PS. All images my own. Copyright 2026 Ute Wieczorek-King
