Wildfire smoke, mental health, and practical strategies for coping when the outdoors isn’t an option.
Last weekend, I spent a day exploring the breathtaking beauty of Mount Rainier National Park. The skies were a brilliant blue, wildflowers covered the alpine meadows, and every trail seemed to offer another unforgettable view. It was one of those weekends that fills your lungs, quiets your mind, and reminds you why spending time in nature is so restorative.
As we drove back toward Boise, however, the landscape slowly began to change. The sky became hazier with each passing mile until the mountains of eastern Oregon were barely visible through a blanket of wildfire smoke. At one point, Interstate 84 was closed because of a wildfire, adding nearly an hour to our drive home. It was frustrating, discouraging, and honestly, a little heartbreaking. Instead of taking in the beauty of eastern Oregon, we found ourselves staring into gray skies that made everything feel heavy. By the time we arrived home, the air looked unhealthy, smelled like smoke, and simply felt…gross.
Like many people in the Treasure Valley, we couldn’t change the conditions. We couldn’t wish the smoke away or reopen the highway. But we could choose how we responded. We reminded ourselves how fortunate we had been to experience such a beautiful weekend and accepted that, for now, life was asking us to adapt. The mountains hadn’t disappeared—they were simply hidden for a while.
That experience reminded me that flexibility isn’t just an important life skill—it is an essential mental health skill.
As I write this, Boise’s Air Quality Index (AQI) has climbed into the 160s, placing it in the “Unhealthy” category. At these levels, everyone—not just people with asthma or heart disease—is advised to reduce prolonged outdoor activity. While most conversations focus on protecting our lungs, we often overlook something equally important: protecting our emotional well-being.
Why Poor Air Quality Affects Mental Health
Many of us rely on the outdoors to regulate stress. We walk after work, ride our bikes, kayak, garden, hike in the foothills, or simply enjoy a cup of coffee on the patio. These activities aren’t luxuries—they’re healthy coping strategies.
When wildfire smoke forces us indoors for days or weeks, we lose access to many of the things that help us feel grounded. It’s normal to become restless, irritable, anxious, or discouraged. Research also suggests that wildfire smoke events are associated with increased symptoms of anxiety, depression, and psychological distress, particularly when communities experience prolonged periods of poor air quality.
If you’ve found yourself feeling “off” lately, you’re not imagining it.
1. Give Yourself Permission to Feel Disappointed
One of the most common thinking errors is believing we shouldn’t be bothered by something because “other people have it worse.”
Disappointment doesn’t require comparison.
If your favorite way to recharge is spending time outside and suddenly that’s no longer possible, it’s okay to acknowledge that loss. Rather than criticizing yourself for feeling frustrated, practice self-compassion.
Try saying:
“This isn’t what I wanted, and it’s understandable that I’m disappointed.”
Research consistently shows that self-compassion helps us recover from stress more effectively than self-criticism.
2. Adapt Instead of Abandoning Your Routine
One of my favorite sayings is:
Flexibility is one of the healthiest forms of resilience.
When we can’t do what we planned, our tendency is to do nothing instead.
Instead of asking, “What can’t I do?” ask yourself,
“What’s another way to meet the same need?”
If walking outside helped you decompress, perhaps today it’s yoga, stretching, an indoor workout, or laps around the mall.
If sitting on your deck with coffee brought you peace, create a cozy reading space by a window.
You may not recreate the exact experience, but you can still meet the emotional need behind it.
3. Protect Your Body
Our mental health is closely connected to our physical health.
Wildfire smoke contains microscopic particles known as PM2.5, which can travel deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream. Exposure can irritate the eyes and throat, worsen asthma, increase cardiovascular stress, and contribute to fatigue and brain fog.
When the AQI reaches unhealthy levels:
- Limit prolonged outdoor activity.
- Keep windows and doors closed.
- Run your air conditioner on recirculate if possible.
- Use a HEPA air purifier or high-efficiency HVAC filter.
- Wear a well-fitted N95 mask if you must spend significant time outdoors.
Protecting yourself isn’t overreacting—it’s simply good self-care.
4. Watch Your Thoughts
When life becomes stressful, our minds naturally drift toward worst-case scenarios.
You might notice thoughts like:
“This whole summer is ruined.”
“I can’t do anything.”
“It’s never going to clear up.”
These thoughts are understandable, but they aren’t necessarily accurate.
A healthier response might sound like:
“This week is disappointing, but it won’t last forever.”
Changing our perspective doesn’t deny reality—it simply helps us respond to it more effectively.
5. Stay Connected
Poor air quality often leads people to isolate themselves.
Instead of canceling connection altogether, adapt it.
Meet a friend for coffee.
Visit a museum.
Take an exercise class.
Invite neighbors over for dinner.
Connection is one of the strongest protective factors against anxiety and depression. We need one another, especially when life feels limiting.
6. Don’t Spend the Day Doomscrolling
Checking the AQI once or twice a day is helpful.
Checking it every fifteen minutes probably isn’t.
The same is true for wildfire updates and weather reports.
Stay informed, but don’t let constant monitoring become another source of stress. Choose a trusted source, check it periodically, then return your attention to the parts of life you can actually influence.
Remember What the Smoke Can’t Take Away
As a therapist and Certified Nature Therapy Guide, I spend a lot of time talking about the healing power of nature. While wildfire smoke may temporarily keep us indoors, it doesn’t erase everything nature teaches us.
The smoke eventually clears.
The trails reopen.
The rivers keep flowing.
The mountains are still there.
Sometimes resilience isn’t about pushing through difficult circumstances. Sometimes it’s about adapting with grace until those circumstances change.
Last weekend reminded me of that. We couldn’t control the wildfire, the highway closure, or the smoke that greeted us when we returned home. But we could choose gratitude for the beautiful weekend we’d just experienced, patience for what we couldn’t change, and hope that clearer days were ahead.
That’s true of so many challenges in life.
There are seasons when we can clearly see the mountains and seasons when they’re hidden behind smoke. Either way, they remain exactly where they’ve always been.
Sometimes hope is simply trusting that what matters most is still there, even when we can’t see it.
References
American Psychological Association. (2024). Climate change and mental health. https://www.apa.org
AirNow. Air Quality Index (AQI) Basics. https://www.airnow.gov
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Wildland Fires and Smoke. https://www.epa.gov/air-quality/wildland-fires-and-smoke
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Wildfire Smoke and Your Patients’ Health. https://www.epa.gov/wildfire-smoke-course
American Lung Association. State of the Air Report. https://www.lung.org/research/sota