Compiled by: Namrata Vyas
WHAT IS CLIMATE ANXIETY?
● Climate anxiety is fundamentally distress about climate change and its impacts on the landscapes and human existence. That can manifest as intrusive thoughts or feelings of distress about future disasters or the long-term future of human existence and the world, including one's descendants.
PHYSIOLOGICAL COMPONENT: it is how the body reacts to an emotion
BEHAVIOURAL COMPONENT: it is how you express and show your emotions
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE ANXIETY:
● There is a physiological component that would include: heart racing and shortness of breath
● Behavioral component: when climate anxiety gets in the way of ones social relationship or functioning at work or school
● When worry becomes a problem, it becomes overwhelming and debilitating, when it keeps you from living your life
● Panic attacks can occur
● Insomnia may be a symptom in affected
● Obsessive thinking and depression may lead to suicidal thoughts
● Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a feeling of anxiety can be present
FACTORS AFFECTING CLIMATE ANXIETY:
● The scale encompasses two factors that capture different dimensions of climate anxiety:
● Cognitive-emotional impairment – the cognitive-emotional factor assesses the degree to which individuals experience psychological and emotional distress about climate change.
● Functional impairment- in contrast, the functional impairment factor focuses on the effect of climate anxiety on individuals everyday functioning and behavior.
WAYS TO OVERCOME CLIMATE ANXIETY:
● Sit with your feelings and issues facing us
● Avoid becoming overwhelmed by our worries and feelings
● Avoid burnout and fatigue
● Continue to function and find joy in our everyday lives
● Stay engaged in climate action
● Instill hope for the future
REFERENCES:
1) (Yale Experts Explain Climate Anxiety | Yale Sustainability, 2023) Yale Experts Explain Climate Anxiety | Yale Sustainability. (2023, March 13). Yale Sustainability. Retrieved August 29, 2024, from https://sustainability.yale.edu/explainers/yale-experts-explain-climate-anxiety
2) Schmidt, C. (n.d.). Climate Anxiety | Harvard Medicine Magazine. Harvard Medicine Magazine. Retrieved August 29, 2024, from https://magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/climate-anxiety https://magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/climate-anxiety#:~:text=For%20many%20young%20people% 2C%20worry,obsessive%20thinking%2C%20and%20other%20symptoms.
3) 6 tips for coping with climate anxiety | Health & Wellness Services. (2024, April 18). University of Colorado Boulder. Retrieved August 29, 2024, from https://www.colorado.edu/health/blog/climate-anxiety
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