Climate Distress: You’re Not Making This Up

In recent weeks, most of the central and eastern U.S. was affected by an intense heat wave that cancelled 4th of July celebrations, imperiled World Cup attendees, and caused numerous deaths. Europe experienced an historic and deadly heat wave, as did South Asia, along with ongoing record heat in North Africa. Wildfires have burned out of control in Canada, the American West, and southern Europe, and smoke from them has choked cities far away, including Chicago. If you are into science news, you might have noticed reports of an intense El NiÑo ocean warming developing in the Pacific, with worrying implications for weather and rain patterns around a vulnerable world. 

Increasingly, summer–the season we associate with slowing down, playing, and getting outside–feels like the season of climate consequences. Something menacing is hanging over summer, whether that’s literally in the form of stifling heat or smoke, or emotionally in the form of grief, anger, and fears for the future. 

It’s the nature of life in this time, or at least of being aware of the climate crisis, that we live simultaneously in two different stories. (Joanna Macy calls them Business As Usual and The Great Unraveling.) It’s normal and human and even healthy to spend a lot of time present and just enjoying your summer, or to be occupied enough at times with the other things in life that you’re not thinking about how climate change affects you or your community or others around the world. And other political and public events might take your mind off climate change, but bring similar feelings of overwhelm.

But if these things do loom large for you at times you’re not alone. Polls show that most adults are significantly concerned about climate change, and large portions of people, especially young adults and adolescents, acknowledge feelings of anxiety, anger, sadness, confusion, and hopelessness. It can be difficult to find spaces, even with those closest to us, to talk about big, frightening thoughts about the future and the emotions that go with them. 

Finding a way to move toward these feelings can help us move through them and get unstuck. Climate-aware therapy can be part of that. Other pieces are often finding at least one person you can talk with about your feelings, finding spaces (like Climate Cafes) that support structured sharing, journaling, spending time with the natural world, and, when you’re ready, finding meaningful ways to take action. Many writers have written about these topics, too, and a book or blog can be a way to understand and feel less alone. I’m a big fan of Britt Wray’s work, as well as Active Hope. 

If working with a supportive therapist is part of what you need to work through feelings around climate change, reach out today for a free consultation.

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