From BBC News 14.09.21:
"Climate change: Young people very worried - survey"
A new global survey illustrates the depth of anxiety many young people are feeling about climate change.
- Nearly 60% of young people approached said they felt very worried or extremely worried.
- More than 45% of those questioned said feelings about the climate affected their daily lives.
- Three-quarters of them said they thought the future was frightening. Over half (56%) say they think humanity is doomed.
- Two-thirds reported feeling sad, afraid and anxious. Many felt fear, anger, despair, grief and shame – as well as hope.
You can read the ful article here: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-58549373
This is also emphasized in many other sources.
For example these videos
How climate change affects your mental health
How to turn climate anxiety into action
Overcoming climate anxiety could be the secret to real change
We don´t need treatment - but coping strategies
The young people are right: The situation is dire, and these feelings are quite natural, given the threats we are facing. It is their future that is at stake.
Therefore, we don´t need more therapy. We need to learn coping strategies. This is not a disease but very adequate emotions given the threats looming in the near future. And the world isn´t anywhere near being able to offer professional help to all.
Fortunately there is hope. We in World Climate School are convinced that there afe much better options than treatment or therapy by professionals, and we are happy to introduce some tools that have proven very useful in this context.
Our gift to you: A set of tools to learn coping with
climate change induced emotions
Below are our two video lectures about coping with climate change induced emotions.
They are both an itegrated in our main 4 module course, but can also be used as standalone Items. And if you have questions or need support regarding this: Just reach out to us.
Two videos that may change your life
How to cope with your emotions alone:
This video is about grief, anxiety and depression.
Familiarizing yourself with them, acknowledging them, and learning strategies to cope with them individually.
But it is also about starting to think about this:
What if we – together – can create a much better, more beautiful, more just, happier world – where there is much less inequality, powerty, struggles and wars – and a much more happiness, abundance of natural resources, love, sharing and caring for one another. What kind of future do you want us to create – together?
How to cope with your emotions in a social context:
This video is about how to make a leaderless group of peers function so that it reaches it goals and every member is well taken care of.
Leaderless peer to peer groups are perfect tools to come to grips with the emotional impacts of climate change.But we all have experienced dysfunctional and demotivating groups. In this lecture you will learn how to make sure that your Climate Mastery Peer-To-Peer group can avoid this and deliver full score on both results of the groups work and taking care of fellow group members, personally and emotionally. Thereby assuring high levels of satisfaction for the members and a strong feeling of belonging. Together you CAN turn climate anxiety into rewarding collective action.
Why is all this important?
Shed A Light: Rupert Read – This civilisation is finished: so what is to be done?
Our emotions are stopping us from acting.
Basically, emotional reactions to climate change is the driving force behind denial, feelings of powerlessness, apathy and lack of action. Putting our entire civilization at risk.
Yes, the consequenses of climate change ARE scary, the risk of societal and civilizational collaps as well.
That is why Rupert Read in this lecture is pointing at exactly sharing thoughts and emotions and supporting as our only path forward.
Our tools are well suited to help everyone start walking this path. And it´s free!
Brought to you by Hans Joergen Rasmussen, Retired psychologist, Founder of World Climate School.
Born in Denmark 1945. Living in Norway since 1990, and partly Turkey since 2014. Retired psychologist with more than 30 years of practising psychology and teaching behind him. Full time climate activist, passionate about doing whatever possible to ensure a livable environment for coming generations. Skilled in photographic art and webdesign, and passionate about playing live music. Has developed well functioning methods for handling grief, anxiety and depression in a time of globe crisis. These methods are now integrated in WCS educational bundle.
Page header photo with parrots by Debora Tingley on Unsplash