Eco Anxiety
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A mental health perspective brings important insights into the experience of climate crisis. How do you see these natural human responses playing out in your communities?
Trauma: our sense of safety is shattered by events that overwhelm our ability to cope
• Constantly reliving the event and being ‘on edge’, feeling that danger may strike
• Difficult to think clearly, plan ahead or be proactive
• Blocking all feeling and avoiding anything which feels like threat: numb.
Across the world people are already experiencing traumatic climate events (worsened by COVID-19). Many are becoming climate refugees.
Dissociation: splitting off some parts of yourself to protect the whole self
• Denying and minimising the threats and risks of climate change
• Escapism e.g. gaming, addictions
• Laying blame on others to avoid personal responsibility.
Pre-Traumatic Stress: stuck in helplessness anticipation of a future traumatising event
• Not able to do anything about it or protect yourself or others.
Symptoms are: “the anger, the panic, the obsessive, intrusive thoughts. Signs of pre-traumatic stress are increasingly evident among those who stare at the problem of climate change head-on: climate scientists, climate journalists and climate activists.”
(Lise van Susteren, Psychiatrist and co-founder of the Climate Psychiatry Alliance)
Eco-Anxiety: the chronic fear of environmental doom
“Brought about by the apocalyptic double play of media that insists that our planet is headed for catastrophe and that politicians are doing nothing about it.”
(Niki Harre, School of Psychology, Auckland University)
• Emotions of burn-out and bitter cynicism
• Existential crisis, despair and hopelessness
Eco-anxiety can be seen as a healthy thing: “There is very reasonable eco-fear related to very real threats to ecosystems” (Panu Pikhala)
Moral Injury: a violation of our sense of what is right
“The helplessness of feeling caught up in a vast machine that prevents one from acting with care and conscience. Feeling one's own experience and sense of reality is brushed aside and does not count. Many people now report feeling this way about the economic and political world in which they live, that inevitably generates a climate crisis. Suffering moral injury is a sign of mental health, not disorder. It means that one's conscience is alive!” (Sally Weintrobe, “Psychological Roots of the Climate Crisis,” lecture at the NZ Association of Psychotherapists Conference, online, March 2021)
Grief: the process of coming to terms with loss
Ecological grief in response to loss of forests or species extinction, for example, in Finland people feel “snow grief” as it no longer snows as much as it used to. (Panu Pikhala)
• Guilt and shame; can complicate grief
• Anger and rage
Trauma: our sense of safety is shattered by events that overwhelm our ability to cope
• Constantly reliving the event and being ‘on edge’, feeling that danger may strike
• Difficult to think clearly, plan ahead or be proactive
• Blocking all feeling and avoiding anything which feels like threat: numb.
Across the world people are already experiencing traumatic climate events (worsened by COVID-19). Many are becoming climate refugees.
Dissociation: splitting off some parts of yourself to protect the whole self
• Denying and minimising the threats and risks of climate change
• Escapism e.g. gaming, addictions
• Laying blame on others to avoid personal responsibility.
Pre-Traumatic Stress: stuck in helplessness anticipation of a future traumatising event
• Not able to do anything about it or protect yourself or others.
Symptoms are: “the anger, the panic, the obsessive, intrusive thoughts. Signs of pre-traumatic stress are increasingly evident among those who stare at the problem of climate change head-on: climate scientists, climate journalists and climate activists.”
(Lise van Susteren, Psychiatrist and co-founder of the Climate Psychiatry Alliance)
Eco-Anxiety: the chronic fear of environmental doom
“Brought about by the apocalyptic double play of media that insists that our planet is headed for catastrophe and that politicians are doing nothing about it.”
(Niki Harre, School of Psychology, Auckland University)
• Emotions of burn-out and bitter cynicism
• Existential crisis, despair and hopelessness
Eco-anxiety can be seen as a healthy thing: “There is very reasonable eco-fear related to very real threats to ecosystems” (Panu Pikhala)
Moral Injury: a violation of our sense of what is right
“The helplessness of feeling caught up in a vast machine that prevents one from acting with care and conscience. Feeling one's own experience and sense of reality is brushed aside and does not count. Many people now report feeling this way about the economic and political world in which they live, that inevitably generates a climate crisis. Suffering moral injury is a sign of mental health, not disorder. It means that one's conscience is alive!” (Sally Weintrobe, “Psychological Roots of the Climate Crisis,” lecture at the NZ Association of Psychotherapists Conference, online, March 2021)
Grief: the process of coming to terms with loss
Ecological grief in response to loss of forests or species extinction, for example, in Finland people feel “snow grief” as it no longer snows as much as it used to. (Panu Pikhala)
• Guilt and shame; can complicate grief
• Anger and rage
'Bubble-wrap' and denial
Download HERE: "Bubble-Wrap: Why it’s hard to think about climate change" by Silvia Purdie
What happens in your head and heart when you hear ‘bad news’ about climate change? We all have some kind of ‘bubble-wrap’ to protect us from being overwhelmed by fear and anxiety. Collectively our defences against facing up to climate crisis resist change and enable to us to continue ‘business as usual’ even through we know this is not working.
These include:
- wishful thinking, optimism, hope for the best
- focus on small practical things and ignore the big things
- feeling overwhelmed with immediate problems and choosing to push climate problems aside
- deny the science and drawn to doubt, cynicism and conspiracy theories
- ‘I’m all right’, withdraw into personal security.
These include:
- wishful thinking, optimism, hope for the best
- focus on small practical things and ignore the big things
- feeling overwhelmed with immediate problems and choosing to push climate problems aside
- deny the science and drawn to doubt, cynicism and conspiracy theories
- ‘I’m all right’, withdraw into personal security.
Podcasts ...
Eco-anxiety, eco-despare, eco-depression, eco-grief?
Listen to podcast from the Climate Psychology Alliance HERE
13 October 2019
Verity Sharp and Caroline Hickman discuss emotional responses to the climate crisis, especially for children and young people.
“You feel out of control with what actually is going on, and that builds a sense of anxiety.
The anxiety and the grief, the rage and despair, and some guilt and some shame, are all bound up together in this complex emotional response as soon as we become aware. That anxiety, grief, rage and pain is also the price that we pay for living fully in the world. I want to live fully in the world, but I also need to give myself permission to not have it in my full consciousness 100% every day. I fear it would break me and destroy my ability to deal with anything else. And there are other things as well that are still important. Other people’s pain is still important, and birthdays and friendship and laughter are still important. So I don’t want to give myself over to it, but I don’t want to push it away either.”
What do you notice in your own emotional responses to bad news about the environment?
What do you hear from the people you work with?
Listen to podcast from the Climate Psychology Alliance HERE
13 October 2019
Verity Sharp and Caroline Hickman discuss emotional responses to the climate crisis, especially for children and young people.
“You feel out of control with what actually is going on, and that builds a sense of anxiety.
The anxiety and the grief, the rage and despair, and some guilt and some shame, are all bound up together in this complex emotional response as soon as we become aware. That anxiety, grief, rage and pain is also the price that we pay for living fully in the world. I want to live fully in the world, but I also need to give myself permission to not have it in my full consciousness 100% every day. I fear it would break me and destroy my ability to deal with anything else. And there are other things as well that are still important. Other people’s pain is still important, and birthdays and friendship and laughter are still important. So I don’t want to give myself over to it, but I don’t want to push it away either.”
What do you notice in your own emotional responses to bad news about the environment?
What do you hear from the people you work with?
Comments ...
Anxiety is not the problem: Comment by Jem Wendell
"Should we discuss our anticipation of collapse?" February 18, 2021. View full article HERE
Your anxiety or even emotional distress about the situation with the climate is normal, sane, healthy and even righteous. Those difficult emotions you have been feeling may also be a painful gateway to a different expression of who you are, depending on how we support each other in that process of change.
People who do not share your anxiety or distress, despite being exposed to the information on the situation, might be experiencing something psychopathological. Their avoidance of normal yet difficult emotions might be an instance of something termed ‘experiential avoidance’ in psychology and which is correlated with mental health problems, such as depression, panic attacks and aggression (Chawla and Ostafin, 2007). They may tell you to be more positive, or stop upsetting other people. They may begin to see you as the problem, rather than our predicament as the problem. They may tell you that you are being manipulated by bad people, so that you can blame them for your difficult feelings and shift that energy. However, those opinions can be difficult for you to accept, as you want to stay present to reality, take responsibility for your emotions, and communicate without fear of judgement.
"Should we discuss our anticipation of collapse?" February 18, 2021. View full article HERE
Your anxiety or even emotional distress about the situation with the climate is normal, sane, healthy and even righteous. Those difficult emotions you have been feeling may also be a painful gateway to a different expression of who you are, depending on how we support each other in that process of change.
People who do not share your anxiety or distress, despite being exposed to the information on the situation, might be experiencing something psychopathological. Their avoidance of normal yet difficult emotions might be an instance of something termed ‘experiential avoidance’ in psychology and which is correlated with mental health problems, such as depression, panic attacks and aggression (Chawla and Ostafin, 2007). They may tell you to be more positive, or stop upsetting other people. They may begin to see you as the problem, rather than our predicament as the problem. They may tell you that you are being manipulated by bad people, so that you can blame them for your difficult feelings and shift that energy. However, those opinions can be difficult for you to accept, as you want to stay present to reality, take responsibility for your emotions, and communicate without fear of judgement.
Being heard: Comment by Katie Carr, Deep Adaptation Forum
When people first begin to anticipate disruption and collapse they can feel overwhelming panic, powerlessness, fear, sometimes depression and anxiety. Having a sense of community, belonging, a space of unconditional positive regard in one’s life, where it feels ‘safe enough’ to share freely and openly about emotions that can feel unbearable when they’re only existing inside us, is pretty much the most powerful source of healing that humans can provide for each other. It’s our magic power. Being held and heard, non-judgmentally, is what can allow those overwhelming feelings to rise and fall, to be processed in the moment, and not stored in the body as future trauma.
When people first begin to anticipate disruption and collapse they can feel overwhelming panic, powerlessness, fear, sometimes depression and anxiety. Having a sense of community, belonging, a space of unconditional positive regard in one’s life, where it feels ‘safe enough’ to share freely and openly about emotions that can feel unbearable when they’re only existing inside us, is pretty much the most powerful source of healing that humans can provide for each other. It’s our magic power. Being held and heard, non-judgmentally, is what can allow those overwhelming feelings to rise and fall, to be processed in the moment, and not stored in the body as future trauma.
Be present to difficult emotions in a crisis: Comment by Jasmine Kieft
In a world that is rapidly changing before our eyes due to the impacts of climate change, being able to engage with our emotions and collectively support each other is going to be more important than ever. We cannot pretend that climate change is not scary. We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that people are already navigating emotional experiences. It is in nobody's best interest to protect people from having emotion or teaching them that avoiding emotion is the solution. We need to be communicating the risks that come with a world that is warming. We need to communicate the importance of engaging with emotion, create spaces where these can happen collectively, and scaffold that process. And we need to communicate the importance of solidarity and collective responses.
Research looking into the aftermath of disaster found that those who are more likely to engage with their emotions showed greater post-traumatic growth than those who shut off. Experiencing high levels of distress is not necessarily a bad thing in the long term; it leads to greater growth. And this is because people who are being really present and honest with themselves have the opportunity to engage with and reflect on this. So rather than be afraid of our strong emotions and try and prevent them, we can learn how to tolerate them and then grow from them.
Volunteers find themselves feeling a greater sense of belonging when assisting with post-disaster responses. There is a real benefit for both caring for others, and being cared for during crisis.
Presentation to Te Ipu Taiao, Climate Crucible, Conference of the NZ Assocation of Psychotherapists, March 2021
In a world that is rapidly changing before our eyes due to the impacts of climate change, being able to engage with our emotions and collectively support each other is going to be more important than ever. We cannot pretend that climate change is not scary. We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that people are already navigating emotional experiences. It is in nobody's best interest to protect people from having emotion or teaching them that avoiding emotion is the solution. We need to be communicating the risks that come with a world that is warming. We need to communicate the importance of engaging with emotion, create spaces where these can happen collectively, and scaffold that process. And we need to communicate the importance of solidarity and collective responses.
Research looking into the aftermath of disaster found that those who are more likely to engage with their emotions showed greater post-traumatic growth than those who shut off. Experiencing high levels of distress is not necessarily a bad thing in the long term; it leads to greater growth. And this is because people who are being really present and honest with themselves have the opportunity to engage with and reflect on this. So rather than be afraid of our strong emotions and try and prevent them, we can learn how to tolerate them and then grow from them.
Volunteers find themselves feeling a greater sense of belonging when assisting with post-disaster responses. There is a real benefit for both caring for others, and being cared for during crisis.
Presentation to Te Ipu Taiao, Climate Crucible, Conference of the NZ Assocation of Psychotherapists, March 2021
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Poem on video: The Peace of Wild Things
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