Confronting climate anxiety
Photo by Jonathan Meyer on Unsplash
A lot is weighing down on our shoulders these days: global pandemics, economic inequality, technological advancement, disinformation, social division, etc. Looming over all this is the impact of climate change, which is not separate but deeply interwoven with all the other challenges that we are engulfed in. I wonder: how is each of us really feeling about the situation we're in?
How we are really feeling right now may seldom be expressed in our everyday conversations. After the past three years, many of us just want life to go back to 'normal', however we define that. Not only have we witnessed disruption 'out there', but we've also experienced pain and loss within our own households and communities. So it's understandable, having experienced such high degrees of volatility, if we find ourselves grasping for every bit of normalcy and contentment that we can find in our day-to-day lives.
I believe it is important to acknowledge how we're really feeling. I can say and think whatever I would like, but my body does not lie. I might tell you that I am happy and everything's fine, but the gnawing sensation and weightiness in body defies the words I may speak. I don't believe we can bypass this experiential incongruence with our cleverness. We must honour the full breadth of our human experience.
However, I understand that not everyone has the same capacity to face what may be potentially uncomfortable or inconvenient. Not everyone in our life feels ready to talk about climate anxiety. How, then, do we begin a dialogue about how we're actually relating to ourselves and the world we're living in? Where do we go to honour what our bodies yearn to express? How can we be fully honest with ourselves — and each other — in order to find a way forward without falling into the extremes of pessimism or optimism?
One way we can do this is being in community with others who are also asking similar questions. I recently completed an eight-week course called Mindfulness-Based Sustainable Transformation where I got to experience being in such a community. It was refreshing to have the opportunity to discuss our experience in a safe and welcoming space without feeling pressured to align with a particular agenda. I never thought of myself as an activist. Although I live a relatively modest lifestyle and try to be environmentally conscious, I wasn't sure if there was much I could do to really make a difference.
In the course, I connected with others who also questioned what role they could play. Rather than jumping into problem-solving mode, we had a chance to honour what we care about and hold space for our uncertainty, fears, anger, as well as our curiosities, hopes and joys. We explored the importance of embodied mindfulness and practicing self-care as we try to find clarity around how we've gotten here, where we are at and where we are going. This has been my experience, and I encourage you to find spaces that resonate with you and your needs as well.
Sooner or later, all of us will need to face reality as it is, not just our idea of reality. I hope more spaces will begin to form where we can hold space for all that we experience with each other without negating our feelings. I hope we can all learn to do that using inclusive, accessible language that speaks to people's hearts. I hope that, rather than falling into a Messiah complex and hiding behind hyper-intellectualism, we can acknowledge our own vulnerability and uncertainty about the right path forward. It's okay to be afraid, and it's also okay to not know and have no clear answers. We can walk this human journey together, through darkness and light, and we will face whatever arises, even the inevitability of death when it comes.