If I’ve heard that once, I’ve heard it a hundred times. While that adage may be true, it hits everyone differently. Regardless of the humidity, I’m comfortable at 85° unless I’m weeding, hiking, or walking in the full sun. For many people, especially those raised north of the Mason-Dixon, 85° is about 10° too many.  I have read that our (Southerners’) bodies experience physiological changes to adapt to higher temperatures. Incompatibility with a summer month in Georgia, or even Tennessee, may not be simply a preference, but an involuntary reaction.

So it is with non-heat-related situations. Well, it could be involuntary when my stress levels rise due to a driver who waits til the last possible moment to attempt a forced merge or a diner at a restaurant who is conversing so loudly Siri asks me to shut down my iPhone so she can hear herself think. Little things like that wear on me. Those annoyances are a little like the weather, though, aren’t they? I can’t do anything about them. If I know the temps will be uncomfortable, I hydrate and dress in only two layers. If I plan to see people in public, there’s a better-than-average chance I’ll observe behaviors that I’d rather not see. For my own mental health–and perhaps my heart health–I should manage my expectations.