Climate Change and Mental Health

September is often a time of beginnings, as children head back to school, working people return from vacation and the days cool, allowing for more outside activity. The natural world is also pulling out all the stops, as roadsides are bursting with bright yellow goldenrod and purple asters, and fresh locally grown corn and peaches let us know it is harvest time. Ecotherapy approaches affirm that the abundance and beauty of nature can refresh the body and mind, and offer insights that ground and inspire us, reminding us of our connection to a reality bigger than ourselves. This is sometimes referred to as interbeing, or a sense of connectedness to what we love, and to all living things. This can be a powerfully grounding way to live, one that offers support as we grapple with more difficult experiences and emotions that arise as we tune in with our own lives and with what is unfolding around us.

Climate anxiety, eco-anxiety and eco-grief are all phrases that help capture distressing emotions that more and more people report experiencing in response to threats to our ecology, particularly the reality of a changing climate. Even as we recognize the positive relationship between connection to the natural world and mental health, there is a growing understanding of the connection between climate change and mental health for people of all ages and cultures, but particularly for youth and young adults. In 2021 a Lancet study polled 10,000 young people ages 16-24 from 10 countries, and found that almost 60% are “very” or “extremely” worried about climate change (note 1). Both direct exposure to climate change including heatwaves, forest fires, floods and other natural disasters, and indirect connection through the news, biodiversity loss, and reading about climate change can contribute to anxiety, sadness, anger, despair, depression as well as impacts on sleep, overall functioning and to the sense of hope in a good future.

Far from being a disorder, it is natural to experience more difficult feelings in the face of damage being done to the natural world. In fact, these experiences indicate something positive, a level of caring for something that is loved and is also needed for our survival. Many people however, understandably want to be able to speak about what is upsetting to them and find meaningful ways to respond. Increasing numbers of mental health experts are recognizing the need for spaces where people can know that they are not alone in their fears and concerns, and are offering climate related and ecotherapy supports.

If you wish, take a moment to breathe and notice what emotions, thoughts and bodily sensations you notice as you’ve been reading this reflection. What wants your attention, and how can you offer it that, with kindness and compassion? What inside you wants connection, or a pathway for action? Take a moment to notice what might feel supportive to you right now, whether it is putting your feet on the ground, looking up at the blue sky, listening to the birds on their fall migration journey, talking with someone, or reaching out for therapeutic connection or resources.

Notes

1. Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey

Hickman, Caroline et al. The Lancet Planetary Health, Volume 5, Issue 12, e863 - e873    

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash