The term ‘climate anxiety’ has been defined by this New York Times article as: “anger, worry and insecurity stemming from an awareness of a warming planet.” Climate anxiety often arises when we encounter specific, observable, local impacts of climate change (such as severe or unseasonal weather). Whether these emotions resonate with you personally, or not, many individuals feel some type of psychological barrier to accepting the negative ramifications of the climate crisis.
A study conducted by the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that feelings of climate anxiety are particularly common in younger adults and “climate change anxiety is correlated with ‘emotional’ (rather than ‘behavioural’) responses to climate change”. In other words, our natural instinct is to project climate anxiety inwards, which leads individuals to experience hopelessness and depression, rather than taking action to mitigate these negative effects. The emotional responses incited by climate change anxiety can lead to destructive patterns and be detrimental to our mental health. To combat these unfortunate repercussions, researchers suggest increasing the accessibility of creative outlets for youth. Although creative expression is not a necessary step in the process of channelling emotional responses to external stressors, many individuals have found this practice to be helpful. In a series of interviews conducted at Florida State University, one participant spoke about her garden and stated that: “[…] there are metaphors all around the garden that can be related back to therapy and our lives. The compost may be a place someone goes when processing grief and the loss of life, and a place to remember that loss evolves into space for new life.”
To read the rest of this article, follow this link to the Starfish Canada website where the original piece has been published:
Express Yourself: A Hidden Antidote to Climate Anxiety - Starfish Canada