Grief / Gratitude

Guilt, Grief,

Trauma, Anxiety,

and Gratitude

Pollution harms mental health:

"A 2019 review of studies ... found that long- term exposure to bad air was associated with depression, anxiety, and suicide risk."

"Children and adolescents, with brains still developing, are especially vulnerable."

Anxiety:

“Eco-anxiety is a natural response to a threat." "Climate-informed

therapists ... encourage activism and time in nature as a way to cope."

PTSD:

Excessive emotional distress following events of notable suffering

- especially when one felt unable to reduce or stop the pain - is called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Potential emotional responses related to trauma include:

Grief after death or destruction
Shame from inflicting pain on other creatures
Fear the terrible circumstances or behavior may recur
Panic related to the emotional turmoil
Suicidal thoughts
Social anxiety, etc.

Extreme event survivors, cattle slaughterhouse workers, wildland firefighters, and many others face fallout from trauma.

Grief:

"Studying ecosystems ... takes an emotional toll on researchers."

Elizabeth Kübler-Ross conceptualized 5 stages of grief:

Denial – people "believe the diagnosis is ... mistaken, and cling to a false, preferable reality."

Anger – "when ... denial cannot continue, they become frustrated ... 'How can this happen to me'?"

Bargaining – "involves the hope that the individual can avoid [the] cause of grief."

Depression – "'Why bother with anything?'... [one may] ... spend ... time mournful and sullen."

Acceptance --- "a person's assent to the reality of a situation."

"'We are not going to be able to save all the things we love’." “Grieving is an important part of the process.”

Guilt:

"Guilt involves feeling distress and remorse regarding the morally injurious event (e.g., 'I did something bad.').

Shame is when the belief about the event generalizes to the whole self (e.g., 'I am bad because of what I did.')"

Forgiveness is recommended.

A guilt/shame "response is normal and natural. However, when it becomes extreme, it becomes a problem."

Forgiving oneself can be a way of "taking responsibility, allowing yourself some time to express remorse, making amends, and then finding a way to move on."

What to do?

Crying, hugging, and reaching out to others have helped me -

plus taking action.

Try the Solutions. Won't it feel good to accomplish something?

From the American Psychological Association:

"Climate solutions are available [that] ...

people can ... integrate into their daily lives.

These ... solutions ... can help to curb the stress."

You are not alone.

Living like climate change is real and that

we can do something about it can help shift cultural norms.

Gratitude:

If you’ve already seen death and devastation,

or you have a sense of what’s coming,

why not take a moment to appreciate where you are right now?

Besides causing death, pollution also causes

misery for the living.

The more pollution

you help prevent,

the fewer will suffer.

You can do this.

To find counselors/therapists in your area:

goodtherapy or psychologytoday.

For "climate" specialists: climatepsychology.

For treatment facilities: findtreatment.

Crisis/suicide-related: speakingofsuicide,

or call 988.