Mindfulness for eco-anxiety.
This article has been inspired by and is dedicated to our good friend Martin.
What do you feel when you hear about the climate crisis? Overwhelm, frustration, powerlessness, smallness, sadness, anger, numbness, apathy, disgust, aaaaaarrrrrrrggghhh, boredom, existential angst, desperation, vertigo, nausea, anxiety, fear, nihilism, all of the them?
If most or some of these apply to you, you might be experiencing a modern-age psychological distress called eco-anxiety, which is defined as the “worry or agitation caused by concerns about the present and future state of the environment.”
First of all, understand this is normal. We’re in a crisis and your brain is not immune to it. There’s something very wrong with the way we’re treating the Earth and we’re beginning to see the consequences.
For many of us born and bred in cities, growing up among fumes and concrete, nature was that thing out there, in documentaries, or where your parents took you some weekends if you were lucky. To make matters worse, along with this profound disconnection came the idea that we’re the most important creature on Earth, capable (responsible even!) of submitting the natural world to serve our own purposes, when in reality, we’re but a bunch of clever monkeys with a brain app called Consciousness. So it’s no wonder we struggle to process the idea that pretty much everything we do in our daily lives is contributing to destroy our own planet. It’s just too much to handle.
“The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.”
— Gaylord Nelson.
But this doesn’t mean we can’t live a happy life, filled with energy and enthusiasm. It’s not about denying what’s going on, but rather understanding that no matter how big the challenge is, we always have the agency to decide how we want to live with the reality we’ve been given. In this article we suggest some practices that can help you manage those feelings of disempowerment towards the climate crisis so you can recover the strength, autonomy and motivation to act according to your beliefs.
FEEL IT.
If you’re having strong emotions, these should be honoured and felt, as we’ve mentioned in previous articles, resisting them, ignoring them or rejecting them will only increase the suffering. So spend some time noticing how they feel in the body, feel them big, go to the root and open up to them. Having these emotions also means you’re a kind human being, alive, engaged and who cares, and you should recognise this positive side of you.
REMEMBER IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT.
Sure, we’re all responsible for what we’re doing to the planet, but you cannot blame yourself if sometimes it’s impossible to buy vegetables that are not wrapped in plastic, or for having been raised to believe that it’s normal to exploit the Earth. Instead, next time you feel guilt, think what’s the smallest and easiest step that you can take at that very moment to minimise your impact. Take it. And celebrate you’re moving in the right direction.
Go on a news diet.
MIND THE NEWS.
Limit and be selective with the news you read. When we worry about something we can become obsessed and look for information everywhere. This might not always help. It’s not about ignoring what’s going on but avoiding getting overwhelmed instead. As with most news, catastrophes sell better than offering solutions. But there is some progress and changes happening: many activists, companies and scientists are trying their best and even risking their lives to make things better for everyone, but we rarely hear about this, or else they’re even portrayed as radicals. Keeping a balance between good and bad news can help you gain a broader, more complete vision of the issue. Even if it’s too late or if politicians decide to skip this topic in their programs, the efforts of those who are trying to make a difference should be acknowledged and supported.
BREAK THE LOOP: MEDITATE.
It’s very easy to fall into rumination and obsessive thinking, we do it all the time. Meditation is one of the best tools that can help you interrupt those spiralling negative thoughts and redirect your attention towards something constructive. It can also help you explore what is your deepest intention, and reinforce it to become the major force leading your actions.
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.
You can’t help others properly, let alone this planet, if you don’t take care of yourself first. Observe and explore your feelings, open up to them, bring self-compassion and then will your true nature reveal clearer than ever.
TALK TO LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE.
Sharing a common struggle helps you realise you’re not alone and eases the suffering, plus you might be motivated by other people’s actions and ideas.
A possible scenario.
COME TO TERMS WITH THE WORST POSSIBLE OUTCOME: IT MIGHT ALL GO TO HELL.
It can happen. It’s a very real possibility. It might be that we’ve reached the point of no return. But you alone can’t control this and even if there was certainty that the planet will end up looking like an apocalyptic Hollywood movie, there’s still one thing you have control over: your choices. You can choose your actions, you can choose your vote, you can choose how you educate your children, you can choose your how you spend your holidays, you can choose how you spend your money, you can choose your home energy provider, you can choose to support or start environmental initiatives... You can choose to align your thoughts, words and actions to your own values regardless of the outcome. That is purpose. Own yours.
Tap into your deepest intention.
WHATEVER YOU DO, DO IT OUT OF LOVE.
Any small action you take, from putting a plastic tray in the recycling bin to signing a petition or planting a tree, try to do it from a place of love instead of anger, frustration, powerlessness… Spend a few seconds thinking about the impact that this action will have and connect to your deepest intention to protect our Home.
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