Environmental Anxiety
Anguish in a Burning World
The climate crisis rages on. Anxiety abounds. Environmental distress (also called climate anxiety or ecological grief) is growing. Signs of environmental distress include:
- Anxiety about the future of the world
- Fear of extreme weather events
- Doubts regarding one’s own future prospects
- Frustration over lack of action by governments and industries
- Guilt related to one’s complicity in the problem
- Anger toward others for refusing to change behaviour and lifestyle
- Grief related to the loss of home, landscapes and species
Environmental distress contributes to a baseline of uneasiness that can make life difficult. Worse, it can erode one’s faith in humanity.
Stillness in the Dark
The thought of ecological disaster is frightening, and the problem can be too big to contemplate.
However, if you are alarmed by the climate crisis, there is nothing wrong with you. Standing in solidarity with life, your grief is the earth waking up to save itself. The distress you feel is energy in raw form, an energy that can be channelled toward renewal.
Bloom in Murky Waters
For those struggling with ecological distress, inner work may include:
- Finding stability amid uncertainty
- Developing coping strategies in response to fear and anxiety
- Designing practices and rituals that honour the land and the earth
- Cultivating wisdom and resilience in the face of crisis
- Redefining purpose and meaning
- Strengthening agency and engagement
The ecological crisis marks a definitive epoch in the earth’s history. It can also precipitate a shift in consciousness. If you would like to explore further, use the contact form below.