Climate Related Emotions
Climate Change and Related Emotions
Climate change has brought with it multitudes of emotions including grief, anxiety, powerlessness, despair, guilt, inspiration and hope. Thankfully mental health concerns related to climate change is starting to be recognized more. The Climate Mental Health Network has put together this great emotions wheel that is available in multiple languages here. They also have a couple excellent book lists and in general are a great resource.
Isalas Hernandez has published a great article to read here that is where the scale below comes from. I found the fact that there are terms that already exist to describe this more profound feelings and senses I have experienced to be comforting myself.
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An additional resource is the making it in the Anthropocene conference and website. As there website notes, The Anthropocene (n): is a unit of geologic time, like the Holocene, used to describe the most recent period in Earth's history when human activity has started to have a significant negative impact on the planet's climate and ecosystem.
Mental Health and Climate
There are many resources online that you can benefit from engaging such as the above. Some people find it helpful to journal or create art about the emotions, thoughts and felt senses that come up while engaging in such material. Others find it useful to debrief and engage in therapy sessions where these emotions, somatic connects, thoughts and systemic influences can be discussed together. This can help with not feeling isolated in the experience and additional tools might come up in the conversations, although sometimes just having a safe space to be able to express yourself about how you have been impacted by climate change is where the healing starts.
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Some examples of climate related impacts:
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Forest fires
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Heat domes
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Altered micro-climates in region affecting farming
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Water access
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Working or advocating in areas related to climate impacting projects
- Economic impacts related to environmental changes
- Urban living and rural living concerns related to climate
- Decision on children, fertility concerns related to delayed child rearing or other concerns and decision to limit or have no children
- Ethical concerns, especially if you are Autistic/neurodivergent and have strong ethical drive impacting daily life
- Systemic impacts and connects with other complex systemic concerns such as economics, racism, institutions traditions, accessibility, ageism, heteronormativity, patriarchy, religious impacts and so many other systemic concerns that intertwine with climate impacts as well as your personal experiences.
You Are Not Alone
The above feelings and experiences are more common than you think, especially for youth and young adults although all ages experience emotions related to climate change impacts.
Reach out for support with myself or another therapist through the Climate-Aware Therapist Directory.