Coping With Climate Crisis Stress
Is climate change causing you anxiety? I’m not talking about actual feelings caused by the changes in our environment, but rather the knowledge that it is imperative to take action to combat the climate crisis right away. It’s a big responsibility that no one person can shoulder alone, and unfortunately this topic is divisive in America, so it can feel as though there’s no one to turn to and no progress being made.
I always try to remind myself that climate crisis-induced stress is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, that niggling worry about the future of our planet is ultimately what motivates many of us to act. However, as with any situation causing perpetual stress, that constant flow of stress hormones can wreak havoc on our well-being. So how do we reconcile continual, climate-related concerns with concern for our own well-being?
The cognitive dissonance at play here would compel some to feign ignorance and continue their lifestyle unchecked, but there are other ways to manage this stress while staying laser focused on a solution. After all, the number one thing I did to decrease my stress about this stuff? Acknowledge my role in environmental degradation and take immediate steps toward positive change. The day I committed to being part of the solution was the day I started sleeping easy again.
Apart from that, here are my top tips:
CBD - Thank God for this plant-derived miracle compound. A couple drops of tincture from my favorite CBD brand, Sunday Scaries, and I sleep through the night every. time. I also wake up feeling more rested and ready to continue the fight for our future! Once the product is all used up you have a travel-friendly glass bottle and dropper to fill with your favorite essential oils - try making a DIY face oil for your next flight - your skin will thank you.
Meditation - I got into yoga and meditation in high school, and thank God I did. As a typical Virgo, I can be extremely self-critical and obsessively organized, and meditation has been the antidote for me. When it comes to climate concerns, I use meditation to remind myself I’m doing what I can and to keep my vision and faith on the most positive outcome I can imagine, because worry - as I’ve heard it so beautifully described - is just wasted creative energy, and we need all the creative energy we can get in this fight.
Nature - Nature is my church. Being outdoors is where I feel the most connected to myself and to (what I would call) God. When I was young and things got too intense at home I would go into the woods and build fairy houses out of twigs and moss and it calmed me down every time. Today when I feel too intense about the state of the world a walk to the beach with my dog or a hike in some quiet wood will instantly put me in a state of peace and utter gratitude.
Bodywork (acupuncture, massage, reiki) - If you are in a constant state of stress it won’t take long before you start to see that stress manifest itself physically in the form of tension, aches and often, illness. Bodywork in its many forms helps to move this “stuck energy” by finding points of stagnation in the body and encouraging healing and a return a natural flow of energy.