Staying Mentally Fit While Storm Chasing
Mental health is an issue within storm chasing, but there's a path forward.
Curious about the hidden challenges of storm chasing? Head over to Ash’s blog for stories, expert insights, and wellness strategies to sustain your passion for storms- and your well-being beyond the chase and in your everyday life.
ALSO Follow Ash on Instagram: @all.living.is.storm.chasing
Storm chasing is awe-inspiring- but it’s also unpredictable, intense, and emotionally demanding. Behind the thrill lies physical exhaustion, split-second decisions driven by adrenaline, and the heavy burden of witnessing human devastation firsthand.
These challenges take a real toll, often manifesting as fatigue, anxiety, irritability, substance misuse, and even trauma.
Yet, despite how essential mental health is to chasing safely and sustainably, it remains an often-overlooked topic, both within the storm chasing community and beyond. Ignoring this reality can lead to burnout, undue risk, and missed opportunities for connection and support.
Part of the reason mental health struggles in this space go unnoticed is because storm chasers are often seen — and see themselves — as tough, independent, and adrenaline-fueled. There's an unspoken expectation to "power through," even when emotionally depleted.
Add to that the non-traditional nature of chasing — seasonal, unpredictable, and often solitary — and it becomes easy to see how stress can quietly build over time. When these struggles go unaddressed, they can contribute to health issues, strain relationships with loved ones, and even impair a chaser’s ability to respond effectively in high-stakes situations involving disaster-struck communities.
Without structured support systems or open conversations, many chasers are left to navigate these challenges in isolation, increasing the risk of burnout, risks to safety, and long-term emotional fallout — not just for themselves, but for those around them.
Recognizing this gap, I created my blog, All Living is Storm Chasing, to explore what it means to be human in the middle of the storm. As both a storm chaser and a mental health therapist, I share a mix of personal stories and professional insight, grounded in the belief that how we relate to storms reflects how we relate to ourselves.
The blog focuses on chasing sustainably — managing stress, building resilience, fostering connections, and staying grounded amid unpredictability — as well as ways to remain connected to what makes chasing truly meaningful.
By opening this conversation, we can strengthen the storm chasing community as one that supports mental health as much as it celebrates the joys of chasing.
How Storm Chasers Read Wind Direction
Ever wonder what that wind hitting your face during a storm is telling you? Learn to read nature's signals with this guide to storm inflow and outflow.
Discover how warm wind at your back signals a strengthening storm with tornado potential, while cold wind in your face reveals whether a storm is weakening or finding dangerous balance.
We'll break down the atmospheric physics behind these processes—from pressure deficits driving inflow to precipitation cooling creating dense outflow.