Your Custom Text Here
Eco-anxiety; how to manage climate stress
Depression, obsessive thinking, panic attacks, irritability, breathlessness—is how environmental challenges are affecting some of us.
‘Eco-anxiety’ (or 'ecological grief') can be described as feeling distressed about the state of the planet, and its future.
The World Health Organisation regards climate change as “the greatest threat to global health in the 21st Century” . Whilst the Australian Medical Association declared climate change a health emergency, as do a growing list of medical bodies around the world (3). The impact of climate change on our mental health is very real.
Earlier this year, I was feeling sad. My usual joys weren’t lifting my spirits. I didn't understand why, until it dawned on me.
I had been too deeply plugged into digital news and rotating images of natural disasters melting ice caps pollution plastics extinctions sufferings cruelty greed unethical politics poor leadership… I couldn't see the world around me was taking it seriously.
It wasn't until environmental activist, Greta Thunburg, shared my view waking the masses with her actions and messages about our climate emergency; "I don’t want you to be hopeful, I want you to panic"(1).
That was it. With Thunberg's and other worldwide student protests, the cry for urgent change finally hit mainstream culture (PRAISE the young!).
Be alarmed. Not Afraid.
We are right to feel alarmed. We (you, me, our leaders and policy makers) need to be aware, think and act on climate change. We also need to think about how we ‘place’ these thoughts or issues in our minds and lives, according to how much power we have.
Depression, obsessive thinking, panic attacks, irritability, breathlessness—is how environmental challenges are affecting some of us.
‘Eco-anxiety’ (or 'ecological grief') can be described as feeling distressed about the state of the planet, and its future.**
The World Health Organisation regards climate change as “the greatest threat to global health in the 21st Century” (2). Whilst the Australian Medical Association declared climate change a health emergency, as do a growing list of medical bodies around the world (3). The impact of climate change on our mental health is very real.
What to do with eco-anxiety?
Situations that need radical change, require strong leadership; paired with openness and commitment to new ideas and trying new things.
In terms of eco-anxiety, this includes how you lead yourself. By this, I mean your self-care. Your. Self. Care.
This is caring enough about yourself to get enough rest, to eat and drink well, and to move your body. This decreases your anxiety. It helps you to respond better to the world you live according to your values and ethics. You have greater energy and clarity to align with your best and most authentic state.
Take a digital detox. Your Facebook or Insta account won't miss you for a week or two, and your mental health will perk up. Clear your mind. Refill it with positive things and gratitude for the actions for the things that have been done to help (like these six stories about climate change). Talk to like-minded people about the positive things we can do. Be kind to yourself. Know that change takes time. No one is perfect.
Eco-therapists encourage people to take action on environmental issues.
Start with one thing. Small actions help. Perhaps create a new positive habit, like turning off lights (yes mum), or refusing single use single-use plastics like plastic straws and cutlery.
The Climate Council Climate Action Toolkit offers information on how you can help climate change.
The United Nations say a plant based diet can help climate change (4), so perhaps explore eating less meat.
Climate change also needs strong leadership in our Governments, families, workplaces, businesses, schools, social and recreation spheres (congrats to artists like Billie Eilish and Coldplay who are leading change in the entertainment business).
Mums and dads need to be informed. It’s no longer enough to say “it will be OK”. Kids need to hear and see authentic commitment to sustainability in their families.
Children and young adults can join The Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC) or School Strike 4 Climate on Facebook.
So what can you do about eco-anxiety? Take action. But be gentle with yourself. Do what works for you. Be it big or small. Take control back into your hands.
And what did I do? In August 2019 I created Authentic State—A Greater You. A Greater World™. I made a commitment to sharing tools and information to help others lean into the best versions of themselves and claim their power; to create a greater you, and a greater world.
If this article has raised any issues for you, get in touch with Authentic State, or call Lifeline crisis support 24/7 on 13 11 14.
**Symptoms of eco-anxiety can overlap with symptoms of other types of anxiety; however at the time of this article publication there is no specific diagnosis for eco-anxiety included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
References:
1. Thunberg, Greta (25 January 2019). "I want you to panic: 16-year-old issues climate warning at Davos". Guardian News. Event occurs at 2:23. Archived from the original on 17 September 2019. Accessed 20 November 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjsLm5PCdVQ&t=2m23s>
2. Good Therapy, 2018. accessed 29 November 2019, <https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/eco-anxiety>
3. Australian Medical Association, 2019, accessed 29 November 2019, <https://ama.com.au/media/climate-change-health-emergency>
4. BBC News, 2019, accessed 29 November 2019, <https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49238749>
Image Credits: NASA , Christian Erfurt, Markus Spiske, Meghan Rodgers
Are you on the ‘love-hurt’ merry-go-round?
Spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle says “There are two levels to your pain: the pain that you create now, and the pain from the past that still lives on in your mind and body.”
Most of us would say we want to live without pain. However Eckhart suggests we have a ‘pain body’ that seeks pain. And just like the needy monsters in the series ‘Stranger Things’, this pain body wants feeding. The hunger of the ‘pain body’ is only satisfied when we experience strong negative emotional reactions.
The ‘Pain Body’
Spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle says “There are two levels to your pain: the pain that you create now, and the pain from the past that still lives on in your mind and body”.
Most of us would say we want to live without pain. However, Eckhart suggests we have a ‘pain body’ that seeks pain. And just like the needy monsters in the series ‘Stranger Things’, this pain body wants feeding. The hunger of the ‘pain body’ is only satisfied when we experience strong negative emotional reactions.
The Emotional Merry-Go-Round
Does this sound familiar?
Do you and your partner bicker or argue too often?
Do you both push each other emotional buttons, and end up angry, hurt or defensive?
Do your relationships bring out feelings of shame, unworthiness, disappointment or feelings of being unloved?
Are you and your partner ‘finger-pointing’ to each other (pointing ‘blame’ or ‘responsibility’ of how you each feel, back to each other)?
Have you ever stayed too long in a relationship that fired emotional triggers, or find that time and time again, you are with different people but in the same relationship, with these same arguments?
These are examples of relationships that feed the ‘pain-body’ (the hurt creature) that lives inside you.
Relationships are not supposed to be painful. Like a ‘love-hurt’ merry-go-round, sometimes we can get stuck in a cycle of ups and downs. Our relationship is great, then a something starts the arguing and hurt, before things settle down. Then another emotional trigger starts conflict and pain, before it calms down again… you get the idea.
Are You Keeping an Eye on Your Shadow Side?
Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung (1875-1961) told us we all have a ‘Shadow’ side; the unknown dark side of the personality. This hugely influential Swede believed to truly grow as a person, one must remove willful blindness to one’s own Shadow side. Jung believed that by not wanting to look at our Shadow directly, many people project them onto others; meaning that the qualities of others we struggle with in our most intimate relationships, are qualities we are not willing to acknowledge in ourselves.
That is, qualities we have not resolved in ourselves, like a lack of kindness, acceptance and love for our selves, are replicated from our external world. So for example if you haven’t 100% accepted yourself, you will attract others who will not 100% accept you; or if you are not kind to yourself, you will attract people who are not kind to you. This perspective shares a confronting and hard truth. We live in a culture of comparison, achievement, distraction and denial, so rest assured, you’re not alone here.
Your pain-body is part of your Shadow side. When we are upset reliving old emotional pain, we are feeding our pain body.
The thing is, we often point our fingers at others in blame or as the cause of our hurt. Sure, he or she may have behaved like a complete dingbat, however it’s the extent of our reaction that is significant.
The crux of the matter is that the emotion you experience in your body, in response to your relationship today, is often due to deep-set pain from your experiences of the past and your inherited emotional biology. Past experiences of fear, loss, rejection, betrayal and other hurts and trauma become the emotional ‘imprint’, from which we unconsciously seek to repeat in relationships again and again.
You might be asking, do I really have a ‘pain-body’ that says “feed me!”, at the cost of crippling you moving forward in love, work and from being the greatest possible version of yourself? You may be asking “why would I (subconsciously) sabotage our relationships and those I love most?”. The simple answer is, because most of us don’t know we have a ‘pain-body, and we don’t know how to stop feeding the ‘pain-body’.
How to Manage Your Pain Body and Emotional Triggers
So how do we deal with the pain body?
At best, clearing the underlining, unwanted hurt (pain body) from the past, and addressing the root of the issue gets the quickest and best results. To do this you need to allow a trained healer, therapist or coach to guide you through the process. It can be a quick but profound process. Shifting the root emotional memory that has been locked in the body releases the self-limiting belief that acts like the magnet to negative behaviours.
Secondly, be mindful of ‘awareness’, ‘observation’ and ‘presence’.
Be aware when you are reacting to someone with feelings of hurt, anger or if you are offended, and consider it a ‘teachable moment’, what can you learn about yourself in that moment. This is difficult but not impossible.
Observe your feelings rather than react from your feelings.
Be present. Simply observe it and be the witness. Don’t judge it, be the space for it. Then gradually, its energy will decrease.
Try this as a personal experiment across the next couple of weeks and see what happens for yourself.
Self Directed Healing
At Authentic State Coaching, we are passionate about removing patterns of pain and trauma, enabling people to embrace their best self and greatest life in health, love and careers.
Through ‘Self Directed Healing’ we help people clear old triggers and dissolve the ‘pain-body’. This is like a life-hack; a quick and long-lasting remedy to your pain body. Imagine being set free from old hurts and unhealthy relationship patterns.
Read more about Self Directed Healing here.
Image Credits: Stijn te Strake | ScottWebb
It's OK to be selfish
Unless you’re in the 1% of the population that thinks like a psychopath, sometimes what's good for you, is the best for others. It might sound crazy but it’s true. Putting yourself first, can be the best service you can do for your kids, partner, boss and others who lean on you.
The next time you want to do something that makes you feel good, whole, or points you towards the path that you really want in life, think; it Selfish or Self-full?
‘Self-full’ is allowing yourself to fill your own energetic and creative cup first. By filling your own energetic tank and connecting to yourself you are inviting your authentic self to be present. Your energy and inspiration then over-spills into the lives of others.
How many people do you know are running on empty? Exhausted, snapping at their nearest and dearest, picking up viruses, or putting on a brave public face—getting home at the end of the day to tune-out in front of the telly, self-medicating with a drink or ‘two’… or any other common coping strategies.
Unless you’re in the 1% of the population that thinks like a psychopath [1], sometimes what's good for you, is the best for others. It might sound crazy but it’s true. Putting yourself first, can be the best service you can do for your kids, partner, boss and others who lean on you.
The next time you want to do something that makes you feel good, whole, or points you towards the path that you really want in life, think; it Selfish or Self-full?
‘Self-full’ is allowing yourself to fill your own energetic and creative cup first. By filling your own energetic tank and connecting to yourself you are inviting your authentic self to be present. Your energy and inspiration then over-spills into the lives of others. Rather than running on empty, you have an authentic capacity to love, attend to, and serve others; those that you love, your family, workplace and the world around you.
Being Self-full requires boundaries. Saying no, and sometimes re-teaching the people around you what you will and won't do. Of course, these changes are most successful when expressed firmly, with sensitivity, and with a sense of compassion for yourself, and others. Consistency is the key here.
Only you can give yourself true permission to live your greatest life.
Every now and then, when your energetic and inspiration cup needs filling, be a bit Self-full; take time out for you. Prioritise putting yourself first every now and then, and watch what happens to your frame of mind, energy levels and relationships.
No content on this site, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.