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As they become more exposed to the grim realities of climate change, today’s teens and people in their 20s — an entire generation — are experiencing increased anxiety, grief, fear or guilt about the planet’s future as well as their own.
For teachers of environmental studies, softening the scientific evidence about what lies ahead — in terms of sea-level rise and the increased intensity, duration and frequency of storms, droughts and floods — is not an option. While parents will need to choose how and when to deliver information in contextually or age-appropriate ways, pretending climate change isn’t here shouldn’t be an option either.
We can all agree on the fact that youth should be allowed to deal with these feelings on their terms. call eco-anxietyIt is impossible to imagine.
There are many ways that scientists can communicate the hard facts about climate change to all those who care about the mental well-being and mental health of this generation. While simultaneously fostering resilience. This will help them to adapt to adversity and manage the inevitable changes that come with age.
The aim is to help them accept that much will get worse — while understanding that that is not the end of the story.
This is not the case Realistically, optimism is a form of denying reality we often hear about. It is a darker possibility, but it is one that can turn fear, grief, and anxiety into positive action for change.
Here are six ways of helping youth build resilience while they learn about the planet’s future and ponder their own. These strategies and practices can be integrated into classroom learning.
1. Accept the facts
The first strategy is crucial: encourage youth to fully accept the realities of our time — As grim as they may seem — as well as the anguish they feel over the many uncertainties and losses.
This may sound counterintuitive but it is true. Do a lot of research. Joanna MaceyBuddhist scholar and activist for peace in the environment, he believes that denying or numbing reality can hinder our ability process and respond to information in an effective way. Accepting these facts frees us up to process the feelings and information that are vital to our mental health.
Psychoanalyst Anouchka Grose explored ways to translate this insight into climate conversations with children..
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dave Chidley
2. Acknowledge your emotions
Second, support young people in dealing with their emotions. This doesn’t have to be complicated (though professional help may be necessary if the distress is severe).
Start by reminding them they are not alone. They are not alone. I counsel my students to join clubs on campus that deal with climate issues — Safe placesThey can find a place where they can connect and realize that they are not the only ones.
The educational project was developed by Rosemary Randall, a psychotherapist, and Andy Brown, an engineer. Carbon ConversationsThis program is currently in operation in many countries around globe. Group discussions are designed to allow participants the opportunity to express and process their emotions, and to discuss local actions they can take to support sustainability.
Purposeful journalingAnother way to reduce anxiety and distress is to go outside. It can help us connect with nature. One of its many benefits is the ability to reduce anxiety and distress. benefitsJournaling can be a great way to help someone identify what they feel. Teachers can also give journaling exercises.
Continue reading:
How to use therapeutic writing to empower without having to revisit trauma
3. Teach mindfulness
The practice of mindfulness is closely related to the previous point. Leslie Davenport, a psychologist who specializes in climate psychology considers Mindfulness practiceEssential for mental health.
The West has seen mindfulness grow in popularity, but it is not the only place. Buddhist practices and encountersIt is becoming increasingly popular among millions, even those who are not religious. Meditation, which involves quiet breathing and no judgment, can help youth feel calm and in control by allowing them to be aware of their feelings and the world around them.
Jon Kabat-ZinnA scientist well-known for his work in mindfulness,, has provided many data and resources on mindfulness from a secular perspective. You can also incorporate mindfulness practice into the purposeful journaling described above.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
4. Expand how reality is conceptualized
Help youth to think dialectically — that is, to cultivate the capacity to see opposites existing simultaneously. Dialectical thinkingFrees people from thinking in terms black and white. To conceive the world in multiple ways.
This technique has been used successfully in Evidence-based therapy All over the world, to help people accept their reality and understand that it is possible to change it.
The situation is dire, but there are positive developments. This generation is part the problem, but also part of the solution. The Rapid Transition Alliance, a network of international organizations, is a great resource for finding evidence — past and current — of rapid positive changes worldwide.
5. Encourage art
Encourage creativity through art to help this generation cope with distress. A Finnish report, “Climate Anxiety,” by multidisciplinary researcher Panu Pihkala from the University of Helsinki, shows that today’s youth can experience healing states of mind through photography, graphic art and even dramatic arts.
Pihkala, whose research focuses on the psychological, spiritual, and environmental dimensions of climate change, has worked with art educators to organize youth-oriented art-based activities. These activities provide youth with a safe place to express themselves. In my teaching, I have found that students’ artwork can be incorporated into assessments and lessons when accompanied by written analysis on aspects of their creation.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
6. Redefine the meaning of hope
Fostering a naïve wish that things will turn out well is a form of denial, which is not healthy. Václav Havel, the Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992, likens hope not to a prediction about the future but to A frame of mind and heart. “Hope,” he says, “is not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.” In short, we must help this generation to discover and act upon something that makes sense.
Finally, let’s stop referring to these emotions as eco-anxiety. Rosemary Randall, psychotherapist offers “climate distress” as an alternative. Randall rightly notes that “eco-anxiety” tends to pathologize the emotions associated with it, leaving them for professionals to deal with and “cure.” These feelings are valid and appropriate, and all of us need to deal with them.
