Climate grief, ecoanxiety, and anticipatory or pre-traumatic stress disorder are emotional experiences related to the overwhelming understating of climate crisis, which affects a large portion of the world- even those who haven't experienced a major loss or climate disaster. If we don't talk about our climate anxiety, the resulting isolation can lead to depression. This causes a whole host of other serious mental health issues, leaving people even more vulnerable to climate consequences.
So how do we deal with climate anxiety?
First, don’t go it alone.
Find a space even if that space is just one trusted friend to create a space for feeling. Find a climate-aware therapist if that’s something you can do. Having climate conscious conversations can help alleviate feelings of isolation.
And climate change is often a shared experience. Joining together with others can be a step towards healing, if it’s a protest or grief circle or even an outing in nature with like-minded friends.
Informal gatherings called climate cafes, the Good Grief Network, All We Can Save Circles, and climate justice groups around the world act as feeling communities for climate anxiety.
Do things that soothe your soul.
Allow yourself to disconnect for a moment, Surround yourself with loved ones and youthful energy. Spend time in nature. Read something positive. Move your body. Meditate.
Do something nice for someone. Garden! Sing and dance to your favorite music! Get creative! Make a nourishing meal, have a shower, go for a walk, take a nap, journal or hang out with your furry friends. The list is endless.
Then, allow yourself to feel your feelings
There’s a lot to grieve, so don’t push your feelings away. Try naming your feelings and noticing how long they last. The more we can feel our overwhelming feelings, the less we are controlled by them.
A healthy grieving process can look like a lot of things. It may look like:
Accepting the severity of the predicament.
Practicing being with uncertainty
Honoring our mortality
Doing personal inner work to lessen the heavy emotions we feel.
Developing an awareness of our biases and perception.
Practicing gratitude, witnessing beauty and creating connections.
Taking rest to avoid agitation and burnout.
See the opportunity.
As you process, look for openings that were previously blocked by your biases and fears. Take a moment of gratitude for the connections, creativity and transformation that climate change can bring.
Figure out your superpowers and identify how you can lend them to the movement! Turn that grief into action and solidarity.
The thing about climate is that you can either be overwhelmed by the complexity of the problem or fall in love with the creativity of the solutions.
— Mary Annaise Heglar
Take Action.
Get to work doing heart centered action regardless of the outcome. It is in that process that we are able to experience meaning and joy.
It can be big or small, in tandem with an organization or by yourself. Allow yourself to feel like you’re being purposeful. Part of the cure may simply be action. Embracing our resilience is empowerment in itself!
Some examples of actions include: connecting with local climate organizations, turning up to a protest or climate events, learning a new skill that builds your resilience, divesting from your bank, and creating a resilient community yourself.
