Methods To Adapt Our Perspectives To Better Address Climate Change And Disaster
Stress can sometimes feel a bit like a monster with seventeen arms, tentacles, and razor-sharp teeth – completely overwhelming and beyond our capacity to deal with. When it comes to enormous changes, it is easy to find our stress levels pushing right past the breaking point – this type of change includes events such as disasters and, for some people, global warming.
What can we do to make sure that doesn’t happen? What tools are out there that we can access and utilize that will make us better equipped and more psychologically resilient in the face of climate change and disaster?
Stress management is a popular topic (and one of my favorites to nerd out about). There are articles upon articles all over the internet about how to deal with stress in our day-to-day lives with most suggestions on how to handle it sounding like very vague versions of the same thing: get some good sleep, eat well, take a break, take a few deep breaths, etc.
Now, don’t get me wrong, all of these activities can be helpful, and have helped me to some degree depending on the situation – and these activities can be especially important in the face of disasters and emergencies because it can be harder to find the time to do them.
Studies have shown everything from breathing (extended exhalation), to proper nutrition, and a healthy sleep cycle can all decrease stress – so, yes, ensure you are getting proper nutrition and rest, that you are taking time to enjoy yourself even if just in small ways, and learn relaxation techniques that are effective for you.
For me, though, these techniques only provided a short-term solution. They provided a brief reprieve from the physiological alarm response called stress that my body created in response to the threat of real or imagined harm, but the body can only sustain such a heightened sense of alertness for a certain period, even less with breathing and relaxation techniques. The lowering of my heart rate or the lessening of my headache and anxiety never saved me from the return of that stress response later on or the emotional or psychological discomfort that followed.
I had to find another way to reduce and/or manage the stress I felt about climate change and the increasing destruction it is causing across the globe.
So, while all of these suggestions can be helpful, they are shorter-term solutions that do not address the roots of longer-term stressors – like climate change and disasters – and I needed more.
In an effort to address this, I decided to dedicate my studies to addressing the subject and I started this podcast and blog with one of my closest friends, with whom I discuss this topic fairly regularly. That is not the answer for everyone when it comes to climate or disaster-induced stress.
With that said, what are some more climate- and disaster-specific, long-term coping mechanisms that we can utilize in the face of our current, sometimes frightening, often overwhelming reality?
- Do something. Taking action can lessen feelings of powerlessness and provide you with a greater sense of control, diminishing the sensations of being stressed or overwhelmed that often come with those emotions.
Taking action on climate change or planning and preparing for disaster can lower stress levels. Sign that climate petition, do a beach or road clean up, and/or find ways to minimize your carbon and/or waste footprints. Research what disasters are likely in your area and how you can prepare for them, get involved with your local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), and/or donate blood or money to help those who might need it once an emergency or disaster strikes.
If you can set up a routine and organize these activities, you can create a habit of taking action, and increase the likelihood of continuing to act long term – ensuring that this stress management technique is sustainable. Set concrete, manageable goals, like volunteering one day a month with a cause you believe in, or spending one hour a week researching petitions to sign, local politicians to support, or charities you can support to help protect the environment (or another cause you feel strongly about). - Change the way you think. Looking at what worries you most about climate change and reframing or changing the way you think about it by recognizing it as an opportunity to take action or by understanding the variables you have control over can decrease feelings of hopelessness and, again, provide a sense of control.
Reframing and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) are two techniques that are recognized as some of the most effective methods of stress management regardless of the situation, and can easily be applied in the climate and disaster contexts.
One tool for accomplishing this is to focus on only a few issues that you feel most strongly about. Manage your time and emotional capacity by recognizing when you need to say no to something, and take on only the actions that you have the time and energy to fully commit to – accomplishing a small goal can motivate you to continue working and create a sense of hopefulness that is essential to sustainability. - Find community. One of the easiest ways to decrease stress levels is to recognize and acknowledge that you are not the only one feeling frightened or overwhelmed – and finding the person or people you can have those hard conversations with about what frightens you and what you need.
Following number one, it’s important to realize that no single individual can create change alone, but a lot of individuals together can, and building a support system is essential to sustaining climate action and responding effectively to emergencies and disasters. Community action is essential to changing the way we interact with the world and can buoy our well-being as we work toward making an impact.
Recognize that different people in your support system have different strengths and abilities – draw on those strengths, know who you can reach out to if you need someone to listen, and who you can reach out to if you need help patching your roof after a storm. Talk to your neighbors about creating a community emergency plan, and/or find a community garden or farm where you can compost and improve local food security. - Allow emotions. This can look different for everyone, the way people experience emotions and process them is often based deeply in both culture and personality – so find a way to process and manage your emotions that works for you. Unacknowledged feelings can decrease an individual’s ability to manage stress and increase the likelihood of unintentional harm to others, which can cause stress levels to skyrocket in a tense situation.
Use mindfulness practices to create a better awareness of your body and how your body reacts to your emotions and your surroundings – identifying what you are feeling can be difficult, and it may take time and effort for you to reach that goal. Recognize what your signs of stress are, and have a conversation with friends and loved ones about your respective signs so that you can better support one another in times of crisis. - Reflect and learn. Take steps 2 and 4 a little further – reflect on what you know about yourself, your disaster vulnerability and preparedness, and climate change – and create space to learn more. Keeping an open mind and steering clear of concrete ideas of how things ‘should’ happen or what you ‘should’ be doing can decrease stress and increase motivation to take the action that works for you.
Allow yourself room to grow by ensuring there is a balance between your actions and healthy reflection on those actions – recognize why you want to take said action, and make your goals manageable enough that you have space and time to reevaluate before moving on to ensure your plans and your goals are still working for you and your community.
Note: Stress can manifest very differently across a spectrum of individuals, and no one stress management technique works for everyone. Be sure to put in the time to understand how you respond to stress, how your body responds to stress, and how those around you respond to stress – only when you have that understanding can you begin to find ways to manage and mitigate your stress response.
