The human brain is complex. As the seat of both thought and emotion, it can create interesting amalgams of both to either torture or comfort. With a global threat such as our climate crisis, a person can go through a painful process as they move from interest to despair to engagement.
Intellectually, it is possible to accept the scientific evidence of climate change while still managing to deny any sense of a personal threat. Analogous to receiving a cancer diagnosis, the mind is faced with this death threat and reacts to cocoon the self with comforting counter arguments. Yes, I have cancer, but the technological advances made by medicine will save me. I have a memory of my father, cigarette in hand, making exactly that case less than twenty years before he died of lung cancer helped by no miracle.
It was in this conditional way that I accepted the science of climate change as a general threat but without the adrenalin rush of impending doom. I rationalized that other places would flood or burn but not here. By mentally setting aside this threat, which was after all in the future, I was able to go about my business as usual. Perhaps others would die but not me nor mine. Safety intact.
David Wallace-Wells broke through my cocoon of comforting lies with the publication of his New York Times opinion editorial laying out the findings of his book, The Uninhabitable Earth.
I personally internalized the threat to me and my family in full force. I fell prey to climate grief. Mostly I suffered from parental guilt. How could I have dismissed environmental degradation as I raised my child to love wild land and the creatures who lived upon it? And what do I do now?
The increasing visibility of climate change, combined with bleak scientific reports and rising carbon dioxide emissions, is taking a toll on mental health, especially among young people, who are increasingly losing hope for their future. Experts call it “climate grief,” depression, anxiety and mourning over climate change.
Last year, the American Psychological Association issued a report on climate change’s effect on mental health. The report primarily dealt with trauma from extreme weather but also recognized that “gradual, long-term changes in climate can also surface a number of different emotions, including fear, anger, feelings of powerlessness, or exhaustion.” [Emphasis added]
“We need to see that what is at stake is our own dignity. Leaving an inhabitable planet to future generations is, first and foremost, up to us… it has to do with the ultimate meaning of our earthly sojourn.” -Pope Francis
The phenomenon of climate grief is becoming more widespread as more intense and frequent storms with tornadoes cause massive flooding that does not subside and wildfires that incinerate whole towns. We have arrived at climate crisis. How we deal with this grief will determine how we overcome our feelings of helplessness to combat the effects and make rapid changes to forestall the worst impacts in the future.
What helped me climb out of the pit was a combination of political action/writing and preparing for change in our lifestyle. I still fear; however, most days, I can manage.
Where Are You in the Process of Personally Internalizing the Threat of Our Climate Crisis?
Have You Pushed Past the Fear to Hope?
What Has Helped You to Act?
Join us at KosAbility: Climate Change Anxiety Support Group while we gather to commiserate and share hope and strategies to keep us moving forward with grace and hope.
We will be discussing strong emotions in this group, so ask for kindness and civility. No one response is better than another. We are all unique. We hope that by breaking through the climate silence, we can come to terms with our climate reality, support each other, and move forward with sanity and grace.
It is never a good idea to diagnose yourself with either a physical or mental health disease; however, you can recognize certain feelings and leanings in yourself to know yourself better for your own self care. Remember that we all have quirks; however, mental health difficulties that increase to the point where they interfere with your normal functioning are serious and should prompt you to see a professional.
To Join:
dailykos
Group founded by Angmar
Climate Change Anxiety Support Group
(A nonpartisan group in Kosability)
"Experts call it "climate grief"--
depression, anxiety and mourning over climate change.
According to a Yale survey taken this year, anxiety is rising in the U.S. over the climate. Sixty-two percent of people surveyed said they were at least somewhat worried about the climate, up from 49 percent in 2010. The rate of those who described themselves very worried was 21 percent, about double the rate of a similar study in 2015. nbcnews.com/…
(KosAbility: meets the last Sunday of each month at 4pm PT / 7pm ET. We are a volunteer diarist community of, by & for people living with disabilities, who love someone with a disability, or who want to know more about the issues. Our use of "disability" includes temporary as well as permanent health and medical conditions, from small, gnawing problems to major, life-threatening ones. Our use of "love someone" extends to cherished members of other species. Our discussions are open threads in the context of this community. Feel free to comment on the diary topic, ask questions of the diarist or generally to everyone, share something you've learned, tell bad jokes, post photos, or rage about your situation. Our only rule is to be kind; trolls will be spayed or neutered.)
*it's not necessary to be a Kosability member*
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Climate Stress-
Coping with severe weather-
Heatwaves:
HEAT MAP
ucsusa.maps.arcgis.com
(Thanks kay3295!)
"US heatwave leaves several dead"
A dangerous and deadly heat wave grips nearly more than half of the U.S.
"Across the globe, hot days are getting hotter and more frequent, while we’re experiencing fewer cold days. Over the past decade, daily record temperatures have occurred twice as often as record lows across the continental United States, up from a near 1:1 ratio in the 1950s. Heat waves are becoming more common, and intense heatwaves are more frequent in the U.S. West, although in many parts of the country the 1930s still holds the record for number of heat waves (caused by the Dust Bowl and other factors).
By midcentury, if greenhouse gas emissions are not significantly curtailed, the coldest and warmest daily temperatures are expected to increase by at least 5 degrees F in most areas by mid-century rising to 10 degrees F by late century. The National Climate Assessment estimates 20-30 more days over 90 degrees F in most areas by mid-century. A recent study projects that the annual number of days with a heat index above 100 degrees F will double, and days with a heat index above 105 degrees F will triple, nationwide, when compared to the end of the 20th century.www.c2es.org/...
Some physical solutions:
Tips to survive the heat
- Drink water, even if you don’t feel thirsty. Take a bottle with you always.
- Hot cars kill. Never leave kids, older people or pets in cars. The temperature inside a parked car can double within minutes.
- Keep cool. Seek out air-conditioned buildings, draw your blinds, use a fan, take cool showers and dress in light and loose clothing made from natural fabrics.
- Plan ahead. Schedule activities in the coolest part of the day and avoid exercising in the heat. If you must go out, wear a hat and sunscreen and take a bottle of water with you.
- Check in on others. Look after those most at risk in the heat – your neighbour living alone, the elderly, the young, people with a medical condition and don’t forget your pets.www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/…
2 days ago - Recommendations vary between drinking two to four glasses of water every hour in excessive heat. Do not wait until you are thirsty to hydrate ...
CDC:
“Hot weather can also increase the amount of pollutants, pollen and mould in the air which can trigger asthma symptoms. If you are worried about the weather or hay fever affecting your asthma, make sure you take your hay fever medicines, keep taking your regular preventer as prescribed by your doctor and carry your blue reliever inhaler at all times.
“We’d advise you to drink lots of water to prevent dehydration and plan any outdoor activities for earlier in the day when the air quality tends to be better.”www.theguardian.com/...
Please let us know in comments how you fared both physically and psychologically,in the recent extreme heatwaves, some of which are continuing in the East and West coasts.
LINKS:
A Green Revolution:Climate Anxiety Support Group
Our link on Facebook
facebook.com
A Green Revolution: Climate Anxiety Support Group
facebook.com
Welcome to Climate Change Anxiety Support Group
a non-partisan support group on DK in conjunction with Kosability.