Coping with Climate Distress

Climate distress is an increasingly prominent issue we are all facing. The CPA created this toolkit to assist you and others you care about in addressing the impacts of climate distress.

Check out the infographic, and then scroll down to dive deeper into the specific actions you can take.

This toolkit was created with contributions from Robin Cooper, Beth Mark, Janet Lewis, and Robert Feder for the CPA Steering Committee and CPA Member, Kate Niles.

  • 1. Acknowledge your feelings

    Identify and process the wide range of feelings

    (sadness, grief, despair, anxiety, anger, numbness, even temporary periods of stagnation and disconnection, but also joy, pride, wonder etc).

    Distressed feelings are normal in the face of real threats. In fact, our feelings can be utilized to mobilize us for concrete action.

    Some wise thoughts on the matter:

    “This is a dark time, filled with suffering and uncertainty. Like living cells in a larger body, it is natural that we feel the trauma of our world. So do not be afraid of the anguish you feel, or the anger or fear, because these responses arise from the depth of your caring and the truth of your interconnectedness with all beings.”

    Johanna Macy, Buddhist scholar, environmental activist, workshop leader. The work that Reconnects

    “When we push away our feelings, we risk …..losing our connection with our caring selves. “ Grief can make us come alive and point us towards life’s bigger purpose amidst climate breakdown”.

    Brittany Wray, Climate scientist, researcher and author Generation Dread pg. 138

  • 2. You are not alone

    Embrace social connection

    Isolation and loneliness plague many in our disconnected, fragmented current society. But, you are not alone, many others are equally challenged.

    When feeling overwhelmed, it’s easy to feel isolated which fosters negative thinking. One of the best ways to combat loneliness and isolation is to find like-minded people and share feelings and ideas in safe spaces.

    Check out these connection opportunities:

    International Climate Cafés

    USA-based Climate Cafés

    All We Can Save

    Good Grief Network - The Work that Reconnects

    For those who get solace from spirituality, lean on spiritual beliefs and practices.

  • 3. Cope / Calm the nervous system

    Social connection which also gets called “mutual regulation” helps us calm our nervous systems. And we also have other ways to calm our nervous system.

    • Deep restorative breathing techniques can calm our nerves and help us to regulate. In particular: 4/7/8 breathing; is an effective technique. Here is a guided YouTube video which shows you how it’s done. Similarly, you could try Box Breathing. Finally, you can listen to ocean waves on shore going in and out – this is literally the ocean/earth breathing.

    • Integrate meditation practices into your life. There are many other versions of anti-anxiety meditations Some good Apps available on your phone include: Calm, Headspace, or Insight Timer. Additionally, Exhale is a free meditation app which targets BIPOC women.

  • 4. Resist the tendency to catastrophize

    • Avoid only seeing the negative and thinking in black and white; that is, either/or or dualistic thinking.

    • Counter the negative, doom scenarios with what IS happening positively in the present. Remember that media thrives on negative stories. They do not always present the whole story.

    • Be aware of the counter-balancing stories: There is growing public awareness and concern, more and more activists’ groups forming, an explosive growth in clean energy solutions, scientists working on solutions and ways to respond, an increase in business climate-related investments and many legislative policies at the local, state and national level. Many people are busy! And hopeful!

    • Anxiety and grief can co-exist with positive emotions. ALWAYS remember this. One does not wipe out the other and in fact the former can motivate us toward change. Upsetting emotions do not have to be crippling or paralyzing.

    • Stay Present. A good way to do this is to watch a tree. It moves with wind, weather, and endures. You can do this too.

  • 5. Foster reasonable, realistic hope

    Hope is a verb.

    “Genuine grounded hope comes from rolling up one’s sleeves, rather than watching other people do the work”. “ Engaging with like-minded groups with a common goal is one way to build collective hope” (BBC article)

    Greta Thunberg scolded European MPs for failing to understand this. “You can’t just sit around waiting for hope to come. Then you are acting like spoiled irresponsible children. You don’t seem to understand that hope is something that you have to earn.”

    “Real hope offers a chance of a more vibrant future; a glimpse, of something better than what we have today, not worse.” Katherine Hayhoe, PhD, climate scientist and Evangelical climate activist

    “Radical Hope is stepping forward even when we don't know how we will do what we are called to do.” Janet Lewis, MD, CPA Steering Committee

  • 6. Mobilize for collective, socially-engaged action

    Join and participate in groups addressing climate solutions. Working with others is important for emotional support and decreasing isolation as well as mobilizing for real solutions. Too often we get overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation which contributes to retreating.

    Start with something manageable. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. You can focus on tangible, local change which will contribute to your feeling that you can actually make a real difference

    But also know that large solutions require mobilizing for effective policies ; so support engagement with political advocacy.

    Find a group that matches your interests, talents, capacities and style.

    Check out this BBC article sharing 10 simple ways to act on climate change