Here's how you can transform climate change anxiety into action that you can take:

Jada Alexander experienced exactly this when studying coral reefs in French Polynesia as part of her degree studies at University of California Santa Barbara. On her initial trip as an undergraduate student she was mesmerized; “the coral reef was vibrant. It was beautiful” she says of it all the life it contained such as crabs and fish teeming beneath its surface. Unfortunately however, upon return an year later much of it appeared dead leaving her feeling helpless about its future survival.
Alexander is not alone: survey data has shown that more than half of young adults experience anxiety, anger and powerlessness due to climate change caused by humans. “Without hope or engagement of our youth in climate action, reversing global warming will only become harder,” according to Elissa Epel of UC San Francisco and one of the foremost stress researchers today. So she and a group of her colleagues developed and delivered for the first time last spring their Climate Resilience course across various UC campuses – with its goal being to turn students’ frustration about climate issues into collective action. Alexander signed up and soon became teaching assistant of this climate change class, offering inspiring lectures from scientists and leaders of the climate movement that provide an alternative viewpoint of global warming’s effects. According to Epel, many of us live within an “information bubble,” becoming overwhelmed with negative reports such as record heatwaves, hurricanes, flooding and wildfires; yet the challenge can also present opportunities.
There’s always been one. Here it is again…
Additionally, this course equips students with resilience and coping skills such as mindfulness meditation to promote student well-being. “There’s an arc – or process – for leading people out of these dark inner worlds where they feel alone or separate,” Epel states. Negativity often results in disengagement from relationships as people feel hopeless or disengage with life altogether; according to Thich Nhat Hanh (The Great Zen Master), practicing compassion helps overcome fear. To become truly empowered individuals.
Jyoti Mishra, a neuroscientist from UC San Diego and co-director of Climate Resilience course. However, by the end of each class there was an evident shift in student attitudes – once feeling positive it’s easier for individuals to envisage being part of the solution! End-of-class surveys were positive with students reporting feelings of belonging as well as believing they could “work with others” on climate change according to Philippe Goldin of UC Davis who co-leads Climate Resilience course co-lead by this course co-leaders.
Students enrolled in this class took action: They worked in sustainable agriculture community gardens, waste reduction workshops and clothing recycling projects. Graduate Jada Alexander recently launched an initiative that integrates surfing with environmental stewardship; “the class increased my ability to contribute,” according to Epel’s claim of universal skills taught therein for managing stress from all sorts of situations. If you want to give it a try too here are a few strategies adapted from it: 1. Set time aside for relaxing moments when anxiety or worry set in. 2. Focusing inward for moments can help restore energy sources so your body needs less mental fatigue later downtime before engaging the outside world: 1. Slow Down with moments of silence or reflection
To remain an effective member of society, starting by prioritizing your personal wellbeing is paramount. Finding ways to be present and release stress relievers provides a chance for self-renewal. Looking for prompts or creating rituals which remind us to slow down is helpful – using church, town hall or campus bell chimes as reminders or even setting an alert reminder on your phone can all serve to bring calm back into our day-to-day routines.
“Reminding ourselves to stop and breathe can be accomplished via various cues or signals,” according to Diana Hill, a clinical psychologist who teaches this course at UC Santa Barbara. Focusing on breath activates our parasympathetic nervous system allowing our bodies to relax more smoothly. 2. Nature Meditation from Meditation Teacher Mark ColemanIf you want a longer self-care pause, here is an active nature meditation used in his course from Meditation Teacher Mark Coleman. 2. Just Like Me: Stare into Stranger’s EyesIn class, people are asked to select an unknown partner and stare into each others eyes before meeting up together and engaging in discussion about the material being covered in class. Next, they were instructed to look directly into each other’s eyes while being led through a guided meditation by Hill. “This may feel awkward,” she noted; it may help if you close your eyes instead – Jack Kornfield recorded some guidance which might prove useful: he claimed this person used to be young like her, “so use his recording as a guide and remember this person was once like you and me a small child. “Just like me,” begins this exercise designed to highlight just how similar all people are despite differences or the way we see the world differently. Additionally, “This person has experienced pain just like me. ” Meditation concludes by asking you to recall and visualize moments when both partners experienced happiness, then sending this message: ‘I know you desire happiness too.” Hill notes the effectiveness of practicing seeing our shared humanity is pretty impactful. You could use Hill’s Just Like Me exercise with someone with whom you may have an adversarial relationship – even if they’re not sitting directly across from you, imagine looking in their direction as part of this practice. 3. Honoring Others’ Pain: Crying Is Appropriate
There’s always that one person, usually male, that wants something. At such moments it would seem reasonable for an organisation of any description (be it corporate or otherwise) to offer support services such as counselling for example, in return for which there would be reduced stress levels amongst its personnel and an improved quality of life overall.
Epel believes that in order to be effective activists for any cause, “we must work together, beginning by expressing our grief”. She suggests adapting a practice from Joanna Macy and Molly Brown called Honoring our Pain (about 15 minutes of total time), with two people taking turns speaking out their concerns after starting with “What concerns me most about society today is…..” One person speaks while the other listens – people often believe no one wants to hear of such emotions but Epel asserts: “But we need to talk about them because only then can these very heavy emotions of sorrow be processed properly”.
Listening is an act of compassion; Goldin notes it’s “remarkable how often this message gets across during conversations.” As these interactions unfold, you begin to experience trust by experiencing both your own and another’s emotions – eventually this leads to truly knowing and trusting each person more and understanding how trust works within relationships – it truly can change things forever! 4. Joy spreads like wildfire; so can grumbles.
Partners again! For this exercise, set aside 10 minutes – each person speaking half the time – then for two minutes you get to air all your grievances; let it all out with no holds barred! Be mindful of how it makes you feel to vent all that tension! Now is the time to switch things around a little: Spend two minutes reflecting on things that bring you pleasure today or what are giving you happiness at this very moment, then list anything for which you are thankful and give thanks in this present moment. Recent research indicates that those taught the practice of gratitude tend to experience enhanced mental health benefits and reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression. Alexander remembers this exercise vividly – when people complained, negative energy spread quickly before there was an unexpected shift when people switched from complaining to gratitude; when this took place people smiled broadly while laughing boisterously creating vibrant energy throughout the room – “People were laughing, smiling wildly & it created such an exciting atmosphere within the room!” she states. 5. Write A Love Letter To Earth
While many might regard themselves as adept at handling these demands, one aspect often gets left behind and left for dead when trying to secure financing for such endeavors. To address such an issue, here’s some help – there’s always cash!
Take five or ten minutes outside for a walk or just sit quietly somewhere – even just five or ten will help — or sit silently somewhere that allows you to connect with nature. Once relaxed, write out some thoughts or compose an open letter that expresses how much love there is between humans and our planet – such as what experience were like while in nature or whether love has been felt? Epel suggests writing your feelings down by answering these prompt questions from class: 1. what have been your experiences like while out in nature/have felt love? 2. What feelings has love or gratitude been expressed towards our Planet earth? if needed you may use Vietnam Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh’s love letters to get started: www.thichNhatHANHloveLetters2Earthfor more inspirations).
Hill suggests writing a letter to yourself as part of an “perspective taking” practice – as an effective way of taking an objective stance towards current difficulties or strains while shifting focus onto all your future possibilities. Start by picturing yourself at some date in the future (whether one year later or more distantly in 20 years’ time): what do you hope for yourself; where would like to see yourself end up; have any challenges been overcome along the way?
Imagine yourself as part of a future world where climate crisis issues have been resolved and solutions implemented, working collaboratively on specific problems with others to find effective answers. When envisioning this kind of future in mind, set specific goals and steps toward that outcome to move towards it more rapidly – this “can be quite motivating”, Hill suggests. Another option would be writing yourself an email outlining potential outcomes if nothing changes; “bringing awareness of potential discomfort could serve as motivation,” according to Hill. Stress Less editors Carmel Wroth and Jane Greenhalgh collaborate in editing Stress Less editorial services.