7 Ways to Deal With Climate Despair
Forget climate anxiety: many people are in flat-out climate despair. About two-thirds of Americans (65%) report being worried about global warming, according to a January report from the Yale Program for Climate Communication. One in 10 say they’ve recently felt depressed over their concerns for the planet, and a similar percentage describe feeling on edge or like they’re unable to stop worrying about global warming.
No wonder more people are seeking care from climate-aware therapists. Some go to therapy to figure out whether they should have kids in the age of rapid climate change. Others are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder from natural disasters or are burned out from advocacy work.
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But if the threat is existential, is there value in sorting out how you feel about it? “The very first step is full validation,” says Leslie Davenport, a climate psychology educator and author of books including Emotional Resiliency in the Era of Climate Change: A Clinician’s Guide. “Things like, ‘This makes so much sense, I hear you, I understand, let’s talk about this more.’” Understand that it’s not irrational to be full of worry, rage, fear, guilt, or grief when the planet’s on fire.
Here, climate-aware therapists share their most effective coping strategies for going from overwhelmed to empowered.
Talk about it.
Climate change tends to get the reli...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Angela Haupt Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Source Type: news
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