I am a member of Climate Psychology Alliance North America.

What is Climate Distress?

Climate anxiety, grief, and other negative emotions are a natural result of waking up to the reality of the ecological crisis we are living in today. Other feelings may include rage, helplessness, sorrow, nostalgia, guilt, hopelessness, and more. Climate distress refers to the psychological process of becoming aware of the ways in which climate change has impacted the safety and future of our planet and all beings who inhabit it. The scope of the problem and the lack of broader social awareness can contribute to feelings of isolation and overwhelm.

How Climate Distress Impacts You

Climate anxiety, grief, and other negative emotions are at their core an existential concern. These feelings can bring out a sense of despair or meaninglessness at the thought of the future. As humans we are wired to be future-oriented, and these feelings can create a barrier to planning for one’s future and/or feeling optimistic about life. Many people experiencing climate anxiety and grief can become absorbed in reading the news, talking with friends and family, or trying to change their lifestyle. They might have difficulty bringing themselves to perform necessary tasks of daily life. These feelings can bring a sense of perspective which can make one’s daily activities such as work and relationships seem to matter less. These feelings can have life-altering consequences due to informing big decisions such as having children, where to live, and accessing resources, as well as small decisions such as how to eat, where to shop, what to wear, and more.

Therapy Can Address Climate Distress

Working with a therapist who is climate-aware and has experience in existential and humanistic approaches can help. A therapist can work with you to hold space for and navigate the big emotions without allowing them to paralyze or overtake you. Therapy can help you become aware of your coping strategies or psychological defenses related to the climate crisis and process your emotional experience. Therapy can help you downsize your thinking in order to prioritize what your values are and how to live in alignment. A therapist can help you find joy, meaning, and make the case for hope within your daily life without feeling personally responsible and/or helpless to make change on a larger scale. A therapist can also provide education and resources such as reading material, podcasts, and social activist groups, and referrals for climate grief groups to help you feel informed and supported. Therapy can also offer interventions such as reconnecting with nature and learning how to enact small, meaningful changes in your life that help you feel better. Lastly, therapy can help you become aware of and address habits that exacerbate the feelings such as doom-scrolling, avoidance, and denial. Through therapy, you can come to an understanding of how you personally want to move forward.