What is ecological grief & climate anxiety?

Every day, it seems as though we hear about another looming or ongoing climate catastrophe. Wildfires, flooding, extreme heat, and other extreme weather events constantly occur somewhere in the world. Having feelings of overwhelm sadness, anxiety, helplessness, powerlessness, anger, numbness, or disconnection are all normal emotional reactions to learning about these events. These are complex and messy feelings, but they also make sense as emotional responses stemming from our relationship with the natural environment. Earth is our home; we are meant to care for the land. Seeing the destruction of our environment unfold hurts us. However, trying to tune out this destruction also hurts us as it strains our connection to the land.

How can people cope with ecological grief & climate anxiety?

1. Connection to Community

• Validate and Normalize: You are not alone in experiencing these feelings.

Connect with friends, family, spiritual supports, and peer communities.

• Grief Needs to Be Witnessed:

• Share what you love so others can love it too. If you have increased knowledge about the environment and what's happening to it compared to your community members, share your thoughts and feelings to inspire them to protect it alongside you.

2. Let Yourself Feel: Grieve, be sad, be angry.

3. Focus on What You Can Control/Do

• The Parable of the Hummingbird: A small drop/act can inspire many to do a small act (YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGMW6YWjMxw)

• Find something you feel comfortable acting on:

• Educators: Educate others.

• Writers: Write about nature/feelings/representatives.

• Donors: Donate to appropriate causes or research them and create donation chains.

• Get involved in community gardens/ecological projects.

• Expand your learning.

4. Incorporate Rituals & Practices

• Start a regular practice, alone or in a community. This can support processing sadness, grief, and anxiety. Ideas include writing, drawing, painting, and many more. These mediums allow you to capture the feeling as it flows through you, noticing how it exists and shifts within you, its ebbs and surges, and how it inspires you to think and act.

5. Find Comfort in Natural Spaces

6. Take Breaks from Social Media: Be intentional about when you seek out information. Rest.

7. Seek Clinical Support (If Needed):

• Low-cost and barrier-free mental health resources for Albertans: https://www.communityconnectyyc.ca/

• Those directly affected by wildfire: Psychologists' Association of Alberta – 3 free sessions with a volunteer psychologist (1-888-424-0297 or paa@paa-ab.ca)

• Evacuation resources for Albertans: https://evacab.ca/resources