The Hidden Stress: How Texas Weather Triggers Anxiety

As Texas gets slammed with winter weather and snow, it has a tendency to create a lot of anxiety. Sure, some areas and regions of Texas as used to getting a little bit of snow, but there have been some weather events that we just couldn't have ever imagined.

The winter storm of 2021 has to be the most recent one that impacted so many across the state. Some places racking up over 20 inches of snow, hindering travel, killing power, and all sorts of other issues.

Since then, we all end up a bit on guard, and almost panicked when we hear that a big weather event could be coming through our city. The Dallas area was supposed to get hit with a bunch of snow yesterday, and other cities were sending resources there to help them out.

Meanwhile, Amarillo was supposed to get only 1-2 inches of snow. Well, Amarillo sent resources then got hammered with over 8 inches of snow. Events like this cause panic and worry, which is when we see panic buying at the grocery stores.

Apparently, this is absolutely normal. It's called weather anxiety and according to a study done by Thriveworks, 32% of people said natural disasters are a huge cause of anxiety, just below cost of living, war, and crime.

Because it's such an unpredictable thing, when we hear there's going to be a snowstorm, or severe weather event such as thunderstorms, possible tornadoes, etc., our brain and body go into a certain type of panic mode.

We begin thinking about all the different things we need to do, the items we need to stock up on just in case, etc. and that creates a lot of worry for us.

The main reason for the panic and worry though? It's the fact that weather is completely out of our control. There's nothing we can do to stop it, divert it, or lessen it. It's the ultimate what happens, happens sort of event, and we don't do well with things we have zero control over.