12 HSP-Friendly Tools to Manage Climate Anxiety By Alex Arnold
Guest Post
Evidence of climate change is everywhere. In addition to news about its devastating impacts, the term eco-anxiety, or climate anxiety, appears more and more around us. So much so that some say that we are not only facing a climate emergency but also a mental health crisis. Climate anxiety is typically used as a catch-all term for a very wide range of emotions one can experience in response to climate change. (I speak about this in more detail on this podcast episode: Climate Coaching: Navigating Emotions and Taking Action in a Changing World.)
In a world that is already “too much” for Highly Sensitive People, how do we cope with these huge added stressors?
The good news is that even though climate anxiety is becoming a bit of a buzzword, it means that awareness is rising about the psychological aspect of climate change. People, organizations, and resources to help manage climate distress are multiplying fast. Below are 12 tools that work even (and some of them especially) for HSPs.
Note that these are not tangible actions, quick fixes, or denying the gravity of the climate emergency. My invitation to you is to consider these mindset shifts and practices as long-term investments in your well-being and climate resilience. In fact, you may be familiar with some of them already from Julie Bjelland’s HSP Brain Training Course! Experiment and choose what works for you. Be kind to yourself and take your time as you build these new skills and habits.
Positivity: According to positive psychology, “the science of well-being,” micro-moments of positive emotions, such as a few minutes of awe, curiosity, or laughter, can create positivity spirals and get us out of the fight or flight response.
Powerful language: The language we use to talk about climate change determines what we notice more. Talking about catastrophic scenarios and natural disasters fuels despair. Talking about the amazing innovations, examples of community resilience, and recovering or thriving habitats that are already happening all over the world fosters hope.
Values: Being clear on what really matters to you sheds light on why certain news is particularly triggering and provides a compass when feeling stuck. You don’t have to do it all. Doing something, even small, about what you most care about helps you regain a sense of agency.
Authenticity: There is no need to learn new skills or stretch way out of your comfort zone to take part in the climate movement. Stop listening to the climate activism clichés. Be yourself. Build on your strengths. All skills are needed - especially HSP’s superpowers!
Name it to tame it: Learning to identify the many climate emotions you may be experiencing, for example, by using a Wheel of Emotions, brings distance between you and the experience. You are not your emotions. You are an observer of your emotions.
Pain vs suffering: News and circumstances caused by climate change cause pain. Suffering is often caused by what Buddhists call the “second arrow,” which is the judgment, shame, guilt, and criticism we inflict upon ourselves on top of the original pain and doesn’t serve us.
Self-love: For HSPs with a nervous system that is constantly overstimulated, self-care and self-compassion are essential. Now that we also have to face distressing information, pain, disruptions, and crises caused by the changing climate, we need to love ourselves more than ever.
Mindfulness: Slowing down and being present with our daily actions and decisions is the greatest gift we can give to the earth. When we shift out of auto-pilot, we know deep down what to do. Small and simple mindfulness practices also help reduce stress.
Beyond happiness: Finding meaning beyond “success” and the accumulation of things has many physical and mental health benefits. It is particularly important to have a larger purpose when we can no longer take our homes and lifestyles for granted.
Your true self: Highly sensitive people are more intuitive than most. You can trust that listening to your inner self, rather than to the “shoulds” in your head, will lead you on the path that is best for you and for the planet. This works for decisions, small and large.
Reinventing, prototyping, and gaming: The world is changing more dramatically and faster than ever. Skills of the future include imagination, adaptability, agility, and the willingness to do things differently, learn, and try again. It is all more doable with a playful attitude.
Relationships and community: You don’t need to do it alone. Find a supportive community (like Julie Bjelland’s Sensitive Empowerment Community) and invest in the relationships that bring out the best in you and nourish your optimism. Set boundaries with people who bring you down with constant bad climate news or defeatist attitudes.
Each of these topics is worthy of an entire blog post! These practices suggest a new way of being to manage climate-related emotions like you would a chronic illness rather than trying to avoid or end them. This deeper transformation is more supportive of your well-being and the health of the planet and is just as important as the more common “climate actions.” Learning to live and engage with climate change is a journey of building resilience so that every one of our actions becomes a “climate action.”
To delve deeper into how these tools apply specifically to your life, I invite you to join my 12-week coaching program: From Climate Anxiety to Climate Resilience: 12 tools to navigate climate change. It is also available as a self-paced course with resources from experts in their field, simple practices that bring instant relief, and journaling prompts. A small-group (8) option is available by invitation only, January 10-March 27, 2024. If you’re interested in joining, email me at alex@almacoaching.org.
A member of the Climate Coaching Alliance and graduate from the Climate Change Coaches training program, Alex Arnold (she/her) is an ICF-accredited (ACC) personal development and climate resilience coach at Alma Coaching & Consulting. Alex draws from positive psychology, Appreciative Inquiry, social constructionism, and the positive intelligence framework to help her introverted, highly sensitive and empath clients who struggle with grief, anxiety or helplessness related to climate change. In her free time, Alex volunteers at a therapeutic horse farm and enjoys the beautiful and quiet outdoors in Vermont.
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Julie Bjelland, LMFT, is an HSP Psychotherapist specializing in high sensitivity. As the founder of Sensitive Empowerment, she is passionately committed to raising awareness about the extraordinary value inherent in sensitivity. Recognizing the vital importance of education and support, Julie is dedicated to equipping HSPs with the necessary tools to reduce their susceptibility to mental and physical health challenges. Her extensive array of resources stands as a heartfelt endeavor to provide this essential support. Learn more at JulieBjelland.com.
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