In today’s world, the looming specter of climate breakdown, from wildfires to flooding to extreme heat, permeates our daily lives. With these ongoing environmental challenges, many of us find ourselves grappling with a unique blend of grief and anxiety, known as climate anxiety and ecological grief, or “eco-grief.”
Understanding Climate Anxiety and Eco-Grief
Climate breakdown is a daunting and complex threat that can lead to distressing emotions, such as anxiety, depression, grief, and hopelessness. Since climate breakdown is a long-term threat, we must learn to cope with the potentially difficult emotions that it may cause to ensure our well-being over time. If we learn to manage these feelings, we can recognize them as signs of our compassion and connection to the Earth and harness them as important motivators for taking action on climate breakdown.
The Importance of Coping Strategies
As climate breakdown is a long-term threat that will continue to unfold over decades, if not centuries, it’s essential to develop effective coping strategies to manage the associated distressing emotions. Coping strategies not only help us navigate our own mental health but also empower us to take action on climate breakdown.
Study 1: Coping with Eco-Grief
At the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the Office of Sustainability recently hosted a two-part event to raise awareness of the intersection between sustainability and mental health. Led by community facilitator Jodi Lammiman and co-facilitated by Alana-Dawn Eirikson, MSW’18, the event explored tools and resources to cope with and address feelings of eco-grief.
Lammiman emphasized the importance of recognizing and addressing eco-grief: “Eco-grief is often similar to other forms of grief, as it signifies our connections and love for the natural environment. We must start acknowledging the emotional toll of climate breakdown and finding ways to support each other through it.”
Living in regions heavily reliant on resource extraction, such as Alberta, can exacerbate feelings of disenfranchised grief. Conversations around climate-related grief can be polarized, highlighting the need to validate these emotions within the community.
Study 2: Navigating Climate Anxiety
With its myriad of implications, climate breakdown poses a daunting and complex threat to our Earth and all life. Beyond the physical changes it brings, climate breakdown also evokes a range of distressing emotions, including anxiety, depression, grief, and hopelessness.
Acknowledging and understanding these feelings is crucial for our individual and collective well-being as we navigate the realities and unfolding crises of a changing climate. Dr. Renée Lertzman, an internationally noted climate psychologist, describes these emotional responses as normal reactions to the complexities of our world. Lertzman emphasizes the importance of addressing climate anxiety: “The emotional toll of climate breakdown is significant and often underestimated. It’s crucial that we create spaces for people to express their anxieties and fears about the future.”
Strategies for Adapting to Climate-Related Distress
Working through our Emotions
When it comes to coping with climate-related distress, one of the first steps is acknowledging and exploring our emotions. Climate psychologist Dr. Renée Lertzman emphasizes the importance of emotional intelligence in addressing climate anxiety: “We need to learn how to sit with our emotions, to hold them lightly, and to recognize that they are valid responses to the world around us.”
Exploring and naming these emotions can be challenging but is crucial for our mental well-being. For instance, when individuals experience eco-grief—a form of grief stemming from environmental losses such as species extinction or habitat destruction—it’s essential to recognize and validate these feelings. Jodi Lammiman, a community facilitator, highlights this approach: “Eco-grief is often similar to other forms of grief, as it signifies our connections and love for the natural environment.”
Seeking social support can significantly aid in working through these emotions. Connecting with others who share similar feelings provides a sense of validation and solidarity. Youth climate activist Maria Farag underscores this point: “Reaching out to those people often helps. Even if none of us have solutions, it’s good to talk it out and be reassured.”
Engaging in eco-therapy practices, such as spending time outdoors, can also alleviate climate-related distress. Research has shown that being in Nature can reduce stress, improve mood, and foster a sense of connection to the natural world. However, it’s important to recognize that not everyone has equal access to outdoor spaces, particularly marginalized communities. Efforts to ensure equitable access to Nature are essential to reap the mental health benefits it offers.
Taking Action on Climate Breakdown
Turning anxiety into action is another effective coping strategy for addressing climate-related distress. Adam Hannibal, a school psychologist, advocates for this approach: “Action is probably the best remedy right now.” Individuals can regain a sense of agency and hope for the future by taking concrete steps to mitigate climate breakdown.
Individual actions, such as reducing carbon footprint and adopting sustainable lifestyle choices, are crucial in combating climate change. However, collective actions are equally important. Joining community environmental groups, participating in climate rallies, and advocating for policy changes can significantly affect addressing the root causes of climate breakdown.
Conversations about climate breakdown also play a vital role in fostering collective action. Open and honest discussions with friends, family, and colleagues help normalize the topic and inspire others to get involved. These conversations create spaces for sharing knowledge, resources, and personal experiences, contributing to a culture of climate awareness and activism.
Reframing the Threat and Finding Active Hope
Developing sustainable hope and resilience is essential for navigating climate anxiety and eco-grief. Dr. Elin Kelsey advocates for “evidence-based hope,” which involves critically examining the challenges we face while acknowledging the existing progress and solutions. She emphasizes: “If we continue to reproduce feelings of hopelessness, that’s as big a problem as the problem [of climate change] itself.”
One effective way to reframe the threat of climate breakdown is to focus on co-benefits. Solutions to climate breakdown often have multiple benefits beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions, such as improving public health, enhancing biodiversity, and promoting social equity. Recognizing these co-benefits can motivate individuals to engage in climate-related initiatives.
Moreover, seeking out positive news and solutions about climate breakdown can counter feelings of despair and inspire optimism for the future. While mainstream media often focuses on the negative aspects of climate breakdown, there are many stories of resilience, innovation, and progress that deserve attention. Actively seeking out and sharing these stories can help shift the narrative from doom and gloom to possibility and action. Nevertheless, we must not keep our heads in the sand.
Navigating climate anxiety and eco-grief requires a multifaceted approach that addresses both individual well-being and collective action. By implementing coping strategies to manage distressing emotions and taking meaningful action towards a more sustainable future, individuals can contribute to a more resilient and hopeful world for themselves and future generations.
At the core, collective action must be understood as imperative. Remember, you’re not alone in this journey; together, we can overcome the challenges of climate breakdown.
Further reading
Ray, S. (2020). A field guide to climate anxiety: How to keep your cool on a warming planet. University of California Press.
Programs and Interventions to Address Climate Grief: A Case Studies Report (2021) https://sustain.ubc.ca/sites/default/files/2020-077a_Programs%20to%20Address%20Climate%20Grief_Wu.pdf
For an overview of existing group interventions for climate-related distress: https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/group-interventions-climate-change-distress?fbclid=IwAR33Ul-MabpUnSi-KtH79Xi8BNZAWq9th12mTJJ5f7hHbAJ66djg13wb6a4
Comments