Coping with Climate Anxiety
“It’s getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes,” Nelly, Hot in Herre
It’s becoming more and more common for people to seek therapy for Climate Anxiety, or symptoms of distress related to our current climate crisis. And it’s easy to understand why - our headlines are too often filled with weather disasters, wildfire updates, and unprecedented weather temperatures. In fact, worldwide, January 2024 was the warmest January on record! Nelly’s chart topper Hot in Herre released in 2002, and while a little tongue-in-cheek as an inspiration for this week, I do like Nelly that follows the recognition of the temperature increase with call to action. And while I’m not recommending that you “take off all of your clothes” in response to climate change, I do think that there are some things that you can do to cope with climate anxiety. Read below to see some our tips for fighting climate change related anxiety.
Tips for coping with climate related anxiety:
1.) Validate your feelings: Talk to a friend, a therapist, or journal about how you’re feeling. Allowing thoughts like "we’re destroying the planet” to run wild in your brain will allow for them to spiral out into anxiety and a sense of helplessness. It is different to acknowledging something like, “Wow, I’m really afraid of the planet that the next generation is going to grow up in.” Talking to others about your worries allows for connection, empowerment, and solution focused action.
2.) Act on what’s under your control - there are things that you can do that can make a difference! Some ideas include:
Practice sustainable habits in your diet: plant herbs or veggies, fill reuseable bottle for outings rather than buying plastic, order delivery less.
Be mindful of your energy use: walk or bike more, invest in renewable energy sources, turn of lights in your home with more consistency, carpool on road trips, recycle, be mindful of water use.
Donate to causes that you care about.
Spend your money intentionally with companies who give to combatting climate change. You can view a list of 1% for the Planet affiliated businesses at this link to find companies in your area.
Spend less of your money intentionally with companies who contribute to climate change. This might seem impossible, but you can be a prudent consumer and shift your spending TO companies fighting climate change and FROM companies contributing most to it. On Thursday, 4/4/2024, the Carbon Majors Database published a report which found that “80% of these global emissions from 2016 through 2022 can be traced to just 57 corporate and state producing entities,” (read the full report here).
3.) Get involved:
Stay informed and optimistic: Keep up to date with non-profits involved in fighting climate change. Research organizations in your community that are combatting the climate crisis. Pay attention to your community’s initiatives in fighting climate change. For example, you can learn about Los Angeles County’s Climate Action Plan here or Durham, North Carolina’s Environmental Initiatives here.
Get involved with fighting climate change! Look up volunteer opportunities in your community. You can Google something like “Climate change initiatives in [MY CITY]” or visit 1% for the Planet’s List of Environmental Partners to find groups that that you’re interested in joining efforts with.
Better yet - get involved together: A study published by the Yale School of Public Health found that engaging in collective action to combat climate change can mitigate climate change related anxiety.
Yes - it’s getting hot in here and yes, we’re in the middle of a climate crisis. And yes there is hope. You can take steps to both manage your own anxiety and to make a difference in the fight against climate change. And you’re not alone in that fight! There are a number of people, communities, non-profits, and corporations taking steps to care better for our planet. Read on to learn more about how Future Full of Hope’s environmental commitment.
Future Full of Hope’s Corporate Responsibility
Believing in a future full of hope also requires investing into our world and our planet. That is why Future Full of Hope is a proud member of the 1% for the planet movement. 1% for the Planet represents a global network of businesses, individuals and environmental partners tackling our planet's most pressing environmental issues. As a 1% for the Planet member, we’re promising to donate 1% of our yearly revenue to environmental causes. This year, our 1% went to the Ron Finley Project and to the Triangle Land Conservancy.
Interested in taking a deeper dive in therapy? Follow the link below to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation!
AI Disclaimer: This post is original and written by Kevin Boyd of Future Full of Hope, PLLC. No AI tool was leveraged in the development of this post
