Get help if you have the following symptoms of heat illness:

• Weakness
• Tiredness
• Headache
• Confusion

“Weak, tired and confused” describes how I feel all year ‘round, but heat illness should not be taken lightly.  Neither should heat stroke in family relationships.  Those heat symptoms listed above describe how many people feel about some family member.  Too weak to continue working at a marriage that is strength sapping?  Tired and confused with an interfering parent or sibling?  Victims of family heat stroke often suffer a mammoth headache and the urge to give up.  In the midst of the hot weather of relationships, is there any help?

Those public service announcements offer good insights, by analogy, for avoiding family heat stroke.  Here are three:

• Drink lots of water and natural juices even if you don’t feel very thirsty.   Heat stroke avoidance starts with preventive hydration and the same is true in our families.  To avoid experiencing “dog days” with family members, we should replenish and refresh our relationships before they become dehydrated.  If you’re married, plan a weekend get away (and really do it, don’t just talk about it!).  If you sometimes feel the heat with a parent or sibling, perform an unexpected act of kindness for them.  The advice of “Drink before you’re thirsty” applies equally in the family.  Hydrate your relationships.
   
• Avoid going out in the blazing sun or engaging in intense physical activity. Stay in the shade as much as possible.  There are some pleasant days in our families when we sit on a shaded veranda, cooled by a gentle breeze.  But there are other times when relationships are sun baked, hot, and dusty.  During those days, stay in the shade as much as possible.  When there is tension in the family, show more courtesy than you normally would.  Whether the “hot days” in our families are caused by unrelenting work stress, unruly kids, or uncooperative in-laws, try to stay in the relational shade.  It’s not always best to “work on your problems” when you feel wilted.  If you’re hot under the collar with some family member, chill out and give it a rest.  Engage in the more intense activity of relationship development when the weather is a little cooler.
   
• If symptoms persist, see a professional. There are times when victims of family heat stroke need professional attention.  Going to a counselor is nothing to be embarrassed about.  It’s not an admission of failure.  It’s simply an acknowledgement that you don’t have all the answers and you’re not too proud to ask for help.  If family heat stroke symptoms persist, get professional help.

I’m hoping to stay cool this summer—physically and in the family.  I pray your family will also survive the dog days of summer.