You didn’t cause the climate crisis; A pathway towards emotional resilience

Last week we saw #TimeToTalk day from the mental health charity Mind. A reminder to create space for compassionate conversations.

Meanwhile climate scientists published data showing that last month was the hottest January on record, where global temperature rise averaged 1.7℃ above pre-industrial levels.

Rather than compartmentalising the fact that as a society we are struggling with declining mental health, and simultaneously we have a huge global crisis on our hands, we can look at the challenges together through the lens of emotional resilience.

Climate anxiety is not just a young people’s issue as it has often been portrayed. According to the British Medical Journal ‘climate emotions’, can range from despair and grief, to optimism and empowerment. Taking this broader and more inclusive perspective, the Climate Calm™ method eases the range of emotions that we feel in response to challenging times, creating space for the optimism and empowerment side of the equation.  

My research partner (aka my Dad) this weekend sent me a Guardian interview with writer and therapist Owen O’Kane. He advocates the emotionally resilient approach. O’Kane points out that a global crisis “doesn’t justify a highly anxious existence based on the state of the world. If the world is chaotic and we are operating from an internal chaotic state, two negatives don’t make a positive.”

So where do we start? Today I offer up one transformational thought.

You didn’t cause the global climate crisis.

One person never could.

Take that thought into Step One: Stop and Centre, and in just one minute, start your shift towards emotional resilience.