The evidence, unfortunately, is clear: Climate change is here, it is accelerating, and it is going to get worse, with potential cataclysmic changes occurring as soon as 2040.
That, obviously, can and will have massive implications on all of our lives. However, as this NBC article notes, one of those negative impacts from a mental health perspective: The depression which comes as a result of “climate grief.”
I didn’t realize this until this article, but the American Psychological Association released a long report on how climate change is affecting mental health. That’s available here. That report, it seems, concentrates largely on the effects of climate change on the mental health of those who are more directly impacted by the negative impacts of climate change, including some of the enhanced hurricanes and extreme weather events. However, it also notes that personal relationships and psychological can be impacted:
Psychological well-being includes positive emotions, a sense of meaning and
purpose, and strong social connections. Although the psychological impacts of
climate change may not be obvious, they are no less serious because they can lead to
disorders, such as depression, antisocial behavior, and suicide. Therefore, these
disorders must be considered impacts of climate change as are disease, hunger,
and other physical health consequences.
I gotta say, personally, I totally get this, and I bet you do too. Worry about the planet’s health has starting permeating some of my worst fears, and particularly in terms of what we are leaving behind for our children. My children.
The NBC article notes that a woman featured in it, who has three very worried children, enrolled in a ten step program (the Good Grief network), which helps people deal with collective societal problems. I like this strategy a lot because it actually involves doing something – not just sitting and waiting.
I will refer again to an earlier entry I wrote in the aftermath of the Tree of Life shooting – how to have hope in a world filled with darkness. One of the specific items I wrote was this: Find what you can control, and do something about it. Is climate change an issue which is important to you? It should be. The question needs to me this then: What can you do about it? As an individual, there are quite a few things. This involves changing what you buy, what you use and how you take care of yourself. This also means connecting with elected officials and becoming a citizen activist.
On this issue, the best advice I can give is this: You aren’t helpless, and you aren’t powerless. If you are worried about climate change, do something.
Mike Schlossberg - Author 