Fighting the Feeling of Impossibility: The Intersections of Climate Change and Mental Health
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Burning forests, warming oceans, floods, extreme temperatures, the list goes on and on. Everyday we’re exposed to news that further fuels feelings of despair, hopelessness, and perpetuates levels of eco-anxiety. Surrounding myself in this space daily, I found myself getting discouraged, losing passion, and quite frankly feeling sad when I got home. With all the stress we feel in our day to day lives, I couldn’t believe the fight I hold so close to my heart was bringing me down. I started asking, “what’s the point?” Every solution I sought out felt like it was met with road blocks that were set up for me to fail, and I succumbed to the concept of impossibility.
How can we fight this feeling of impossibility?
It’s no surprise that eco-anxiety is on the rise, but I’m here to serve as a gentle reminder that good is happening in the world and to tell you about the 3 things I’ve done to help my mental health.
It’s hard to solve problems in every corner of our lives, let’s trust one another to solve them together.
A hard pill to swallow, but recently I was told by a dear professor to choose. Albeit, this was me choosing to run with 7 different assignment topics in one, but I felt that it was applicable to fighting climate change. Being such a complex and intertwined problem, it’s easy to feel like you’re struggling to stay afloat and fight all avenues. So, choose. Choose where you find your passion in this problem, and trust your peers and fellow environmentalists that they too will choose and care for other areas. Climate change is a collective issue, so it’s only right that we fight it together. I have peers around me tackling gender issues in environmentalism, waste management, law, human rights, governance, and I’m learning to trust them to fight their fights for the collective good, as they trust me. I got this, you got this, and I can’t wait to see how we all choose and crush the places we want to be in.
Stay connected to your roots
Academica, from personal experience, can kill the spark in this field. Thousands of pages of complex ideas and conversations of failures can take a toll on anyone. Beyond academia, seeing news headlines in our doom scrolls kind of kills the vibe, and your spirit. It’s easy to feel lost and alone, and wonder why no one else cares. In the midst of feeling low and uninspired, I supported a friends initiative to protest big bank investments in fossil fuels. Something as simple as painting posters, standing in the rain, and talking to people of all ages (from children to seniors) served as a reminder of why I’m here and why I do this.
Creds: Me!
I am not the only one fighting this fight, I’m not the only one that cares, I’m not alone. There are people that have had an entire life before we were born that have created shockwaves in the fight, and look to us to continue on. Something as simple as volunteering your time, talking to your friends, asking questions, and grounding yourself outside of the distant world of online threads of despair can refuel your passion. It felt silly to feel that an hour long protest reminded me of my purpose, but I’m here to tell you that it did. Take charge and take action in whatever ways you can, and use grassroots organizations as a tool to get direct exposure to action!
Put the phone down, seriously
There’s been a steady theme in this blog about how media creates spirals of despair and loneliness. When the Willow Project was approved, my entire timeline was filled with videos of dying polar bears, melting ice, polluting chimneys, literally anything and everything that could invoke feelings of sadness. Social media is a beautiful tool that has inspired others to change their habits and learn about climate change, but there is a limit to how much our brains can consume. Put the phone down, remove yourself from the algorithm that so badly wants you to fall into a downward spiral. Go outside and see what your Earth has to offer. Not the Earth across the planet you’re reading about, but the one in front of you. We are so quick to forget how lovely the sun is when it shines or how nice rainfall sounds, so remind yourself of the peace that nature brings. When you inevitably pick it back up, make a conscious effort to search for the good. Simple searches like “good climate news” can dramatically skew your outlook. The Environmental Defense Fund has a “This week’s good climate news” segment, “Happy Eco News” is a website focusing on climate positives, and the list goes on. Protecting your mental health requires effort from all angles, and protecting it from mounds of climate despair is no different.
I am always here if you need someone to talk to 🙂
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