At the start of 2022, there was a surge in climate change awareness, it was both a huge relief (we’d finally hit the tipping point!) but also a concern – because awareness starts with accepting the real truth about where we are and the huge challenges we face. And, as anyone knows who’s been paying attention for a long time, with awareness comes despair – deep, dark despair – now commonly called eco-anxiety.
Eco-anxiety is brutal, but it is part of the journey to acceptance, and if you allow yourself to experience the full emotions and then come out the other side, ready for action, we can all get to work and solve the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. But that path is not an easy one to navigate.
We must acknowledge that the impact of Eco-anxiety is intense. I’ve been through it many times, and it hit me again this year. If you want to understand how and why, I released this podcast: A ride on the eco-anxiety train and a return to hope.
The reason? It started with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which shocked me profoundly, and then every week since we have heard more and more alarming climate news, or as I like to call them: News Shocks. Together, I have been knocked for six, but I don’t stay down forever. That’s a useless place to be, in my mind. I can’t do anything from there.
However, going into eco-anxiety again surprised me, because I thought I’d done the work, but apparently it’s not a one-time thing. So be warned OK? Equally, this year, it’s about accepting that we are now accelerating towards climate collapse and have no time to lose. It’s all happening faster, it’s more extreme, and well, it’s on our doorstep.
What wasn’t supposed to happen until 2040 is happening now.
What wasn’t expected until 2080 is happening now.
What wasn’t expected until 1.5C or 2C warming, is happening now.
My biggest challenge recently, has been about accepting the accelerated timeframe and what it means to all of us. I know I am not alone here.
When I go into eco-anxiety, I have to go through my own process and it’s first about understanding the bigger picture of what’s going on, making sense of what that means to all of us, and then once I have the answers, I can get back to work. But it’s a hard journey – so hard – and that’s why I decided to put some resources together.
I’ve been collecting these over a long period of time, because it is an area I wanted to understand more, and I don’t share any as endorsements. I just wanted to go far and wide, so everyone can find one option that matches their personality. We are all different after all. I also wanted to make sure to cover children. Boy these kids have got some big stuff to deal with in their future.
Now when I wrote my book, Uncommon Courage: an invitation, I didn’t write it as an eco-anxiety book, and while one of the topics is climate courage, I do believe it is a very meaningful book for this time. It’s about going within and finding your inner strength to help you manage in the world today. And so I do believe it is a very relevant book for this time, because we all need that inner strength right now. Grab a copy if you have a chance.
So here you go, and if you have any other resources or recommendations, please send them to me or leave a comment. I’ll keep adding to this as I go.
My only request. Please pass this onto anyone you know who is struggling with eco-anxiety. If you are, please know you are not alone and let’s come together to support each other through it, so we can then get to work on solving the challenges ahead.
The Great Simplification – full movie
Academies/Organisations/Events/Communities/Resources
EAUC – The alliance for sustainability leadership in education
Climate Psychology Alliance North America
The University of British Columbia
Inner Engineering – Offered by Sadhguru
UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development
Climate Curriculum — ThoughtBox Education
climate anxiety resources | Learning to live with climate change
Individual Therapeutic Support (climatepsychologyalliance.org)
Exploring Ecoanxiety – a series – Eventbrite
Climate Science For Our World’s Worry – The Resonance and Climate Series 2022
Young People’s Voices on Climate Anxiety, Government Betrayal and Moral Injury: A Global Phenomenon
UBC Climate Hub » Climate Wellbeing Resource Kit
Resources | Climate Mental Health Network
Force of Nature | Mobilising mindsets for climate action
Climate change Australian Psychological Society
Resources – Psychology For A Safe Climate
Facing Difficult Truths Climate Psychology Alliance
Population Matters | Every Choice Counts | Sustainable Human Population
Leslie Davenport | Climate Psychology
We WILL Fix Climate Change!
Articles/videos
The next global mental-health crisis is about climate change
Will humans survive the next hundred years?
How to Stop Freaking Out and Tackle Climate Change
How do scientists feel about climate change?
10 ways you can help fight the climate crisis
The stress of climate change is real. Here’s 5 tips on how to manage it
Climate change: Don’t let doom win, project tells worriers
The century of climate migration: why we need to plan for the great upheaval
Eco-anxiety: the psychological aftermath of the climate crisis
Why is climate ‘doomism’ going viral – and who’s fighting it?
The challenge of global culture building: Rising to our Deweyan moment
Which diet will help save our planet: climatarian, flexitarian, vegetarian or vegan?
The Emotional Toll of Climate Change on Science Professionals
20 climate change documentaries you need to watch because this planet is NOT fine
Here are all the positive environmental stories from 2022 so far
Climate change: How to talk to a denier
George Monbiot FULL INTERVIEW: the environment “MYTHS” threatening the world | The New Statesman
Coping with the climate crisis 1: Disavowal or everyday denial
We Were Made for These Times, by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Clover Hogan: What to do when climate change feels unstoppable | TED Talk
Hopepunk and Solarpunk: On Climate Narratives That Go Beyond the Apocalypse
Stop Telling Kids They’ll Die From Climate Change
Is / Isn’t: Climate Anxiety (doctorclimatechange.com)
University of Northern Colorado anthropology class considers the fate of the world
How Do We Reduce Climate Anxiety? Try a Simple Reframing
KD Hurlbutt: Gen Z’s Mental Health is a Climate Priority: Here’s Why | TED Talk
Climate anxiety is real. Why talking about it matters
What is ‘Climate Anxiety’, and what can you do about it? – Mental Health UK
The Battle Against Climate Anxiety
Why Hope Matters in an Age of Doom & Gloom: Elin Kelsey April 2022
For kids
Book Coco’s Fire: Changing Climate Anxiety into Climate Action
Book Amazon – How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change: Turning Angst into Action
Book Climate Change and Youth: Turning Grief and Anxiety Into Activism
Game Climania – The Climate Action Game
Book Oxford University Press: Max Takes a Stand
Book All the Feelings Under the Sun: How to Deal With Climate Change
Book In Deep Waters: Spiritual Care for Young People in a Climate Crisis
The Youth Climate Circle – One Resilient Earth
How I Cope with Climate Grief, as a Climate Writer
Books
A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet: Ray, Sarah Jaquette and a review of it by Extinction Rebellion Book Review: A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety – Extinction Rebellion
Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet: Hanh, Thich Nhat
A Guide to Eco-Anxiety: How to Protect the Planet and Your Mental Health: Grose, Anouchka
Emotional Resiliency in the Era of Climate Change: Davenport, Leslie
Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis: Wray
The Eco Hero Handbook: Simple Solutions to Tackle Eco-Anxiety: Wardley, Tessa
URGENT MESSAGE FROM A HOT PLANET | Kirkus Reviews
Find Your Flow and Change the World
Climate Warrior | Climate Change Activism
This place – Mike Sprout and Sam Donaldson
Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy
Direct action in the face of a warming climate and rising fascism: Preparation without escalation
Resources for working with climate emotions – by Britt Wray
Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming
A Calm Guide to Climate Anxiety for Parents
Uncommon Courage: an invitation
Book Launch: ‘Climate Psychology: A Matter of Life and Death’
Podcasts
A ride on the eco-anxiety train and a return to hope
The path out of eco-anxiety is ACTION – tips when sitting in the grief.
Feeling Doomed? How to Tackle Climate Anxiety
#172 Jason Hickel: “It’s either degrowth for the rich or climate disaster”
Eco-Anxiety, Youth Activism & The Future Of The Environmental Movement with Verel Rodrigues
Meditation The Sitting Room
Tara Brach: The Earth is Crying in our Hearts
Climate of Change – New Energy Nexus
Prevail with Greg Olear: The Trauma Vortex (with Claudia Black)
15 Podcasts That Deal With Climate Anxiety – Cut The Crap
The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens
Facing it with Jennifer W. Atkinson, Ph.D
JOANNA MACY: Climate Crisis as a Spiritual Path
Groups
The Built Environment, Climate Change, and Mental Health
If you come across any really powerful eco-anxiety or mental health content relevant for people struggling to come to terms with the climate crisis, please do pass them onto me and I will update this blog.
I hope there is something here for you if you came looking for tools to help right now.
Cheers
Andrea
Uncommon Courage: an invitation – my latest book
Uncommon Courage is an invitation to be your courageous best self every day. It’s also an antidote to the overwhelm, fear, and rage rolling around the world. But it’s more than a book; it’s an invitation to join an inclusive community that wants to better understand humanities challenges – both global and personal – in order to take courageous action and create a better world for everyone. If Covid19 has given us the time and space to reflect, Uncommon Courage gives us the nudge we need to create lasting change.
You can buy it on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Booktopia, Smashwords, Kobo, Gardners, Odilo, Indie Bound, BookShop by BookTrib and Scribd.
Better yet, order it from your local bookstore, so you can #SupportLocal.
You can read the reviews, including a new five-star review on Book Commentary, another five-star review on ReaderViews, a review on BookTrib, and three more on Booklife, another on Book Commentary and Blue Ink Reviews. I’m also collating reviews on my Website too. Have a look and grateful to everyone who has written or recorded one.
Come and join the conversation on my Facebook Group Uncommon Courage.
Uncommon Courage, the podcast – Apple, Spotify and everywhere podcasts are published.
The Know Show
Check out The Know Show. It’s a weekly wrap up of the news!
18 Steps to an All-Star LinkedIn Profile
Listed by Book Authority in the 100 Best LinkedIn Books of All Time and 22 Best New LinkedIn eBooks To Read In 2021 and 2022 categories. Grab it today if you want to take your professional presence to the next level! When it comes to LinkedIn, it really is time to ask — can you really afford not to have this book in the hands of every employee?
Connect with me
andreatedwards.com , uncommon-courage.com
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Feedback
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