Climate anxiety is a relatively recent concept, but not a recent event. It’s an anxiety about the future, a trauma we haven’t experienced yet. It refers to a very existential fear, and this anxiety has to do with our survival.
Many factors about the climate crisis can make you uneasy. Climate change will have a greater impact on the rest of the globe than the cities we live in today. The helplessness we feel in the face of the climate crisis is painfully creeping to the surface, regardless of race, class or gender.
In general, people are becoming more aware that the climate is changing, and the climate issue continues to gain attention as an urgent issue. At the same time, there has been a major shift in the way people talk about climate change, from arguing its validity to understanding the breadth and depth of its impact.
What is climate anxiety?
Climate disasters are increasingly making headlines in a seemingly constant stream of bad news, leaving us wondering what effect all this is having on our mental health. Maybe. Some of us are trying to come to terms with the fact that the climate crisis is already coming and destroying our planet. We are also navigating the harsh emotional terrain that comes with these realities.
Many people around the world who read the news or experience it firsthand are deeply distressed by climate change fears. Psychologists and mental health professionals have come to characterize it over the past 15 years as a “chronic fear of environmental hazards,” or a “pervasive impression that the ecological roots of existence are in the process of collapsing.” terminology.
Often characterized by the fear, sadness, pain, anger, and exhaustion experienced when thinking that one’s children, grandchildren, or even one’s future might be lost to unregulated climate change. You can Experts in the field of mental health were quick to point out that these are perfectly normal reactions to the fiery world.
According to a 2019 American Psychological Association survey, 47% of participants between the ages of 18 and 34 reported that climate concerns are affecting their daily lives. Another global survey of 10,000 young people found that 84% of young people are concerned about climate change and 45% say their feelings about climate change are having a negative impact on their daily lives. It became clear.
Climate anxiety is prevalent and disproportionately affects young people. The horrors of climate change are often driven by the perceived failure of governments and leaders not only to lead to the end of the world as we know it, but to fully confront this catastrophe on the scale needed. It will rise.
How to deal with climate anxiety?
Most of the climate change news and conversations can seem depressing, but looking for upbeat climate news can help reduce worry. Whether it’s species not considered extinct or the massive climate change movement gaining momentum on social media, it’s clear that positive developments are happening.
If the climate crisis is making you feel depressed, nervous, or overwhelmed, I recommend reaching out to a climate-conscious therapist. Therapists who are aware of climate change see eco-distress as a normal and understandable response to what is happening, in contrast to some who may view eco-distress as pathological or ignore it. I’m seeing They provide perspectives, skills, and tactics for dealing with it. This is a sure fire way to deal with climate anxiety.
Learning more about how these emotions play into people’s lives may be another useful strategy for dealing with climate anxiety. When we bring them into real-life experiences and hear how they use them for deeper meaning and action, we feel less alone and perhaps more motivated and energized.
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There are many uncertainties in the climate, but taking action may give you more control. Talk to people, work with them, and change their lives according to your principles. There are ways to deal with climate anxiety, and you don’t have to take responsibility for the crisis alone.
Janvi Kapur is a Counselor with a Master of Applied Psychology degree specializing in Clinical Psychology.
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