Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Climate anxiety: How to help young people cope - 84% are worried about global warming and need adults' support



Climate anxiety is a growing concern, with 84 per cent of young people (including Faith Hui, above) worried about the future.
PHOTO: Climate anxiety is a growing concern, with 84 per cent of young people (including Faith Hui, above) worried about the future.
Photo from South China Morning Post
Picture posted by Kate Whitehead, Asiaone on 25 July 2022 at 05:53 pm
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AsiaOne has launched EarthOne, a new section dedicated to environmental issues — because we love the planet and we believe science. Find articles like this there.

Fifteen-year-old Faith Hui is spending the summer in Hong Kong thinking about the future. Not her future career, but the future of the planet. And she’s concerned.

“I’m worried about climate change because I feel whatever we do right now, our actions will impact whatever is going to happen in the future. The situation is already bad; if we don’t stop it, or lessen the impact, then I fear for future generations,” she says.


I’m worried about climate change because I feel whatever we do right now, our actions will impact whatever is going to happen in the future.
PHOTO: “I’m worried about climate change because I feel whatever we do right now, our actions will impact whatever is going to happen in the future. The situation is already bad; if we don’t stop it, or lessen the impact, then I fear for future generations,” she says.
Photo from Jeff J Mitchell/Getty
Picture posted by - A schoolchild protesting in Edinburgh in March
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvuAlrlCuQ4_XPavydHoQ5S_et3hMBj0rkpd0B_kztEwUMC2GLWvWd4cU162izuYG8GQwhWKieeVJQGGmN3XVHnaQpmOQl8_i3LRLBrWjz5no4ci-rw19cUObHgUNE7gcIBozPYV4ZvAABX2uMIshJV4Ka7IQfgHfRmeTcP3Ao2YEQ_KnyyvsS90X/s1200/gettyimages-1135956666.png
https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21132433/gettyimages-1135956666.jpg
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2220561-stressed-about-climate-change-eight-tips-for-managing-eco-anxiety/


Faith’s concerns are echoed by young people around the world. The first large-scale investigation of climate anxiety in children and young people globally found that 84 per cent were worried about the impact of climate change.

In a report of the research published in The Lancet in December, 45 per cent said climate anxiety and distress is affecting their daily lives and functioning, and almost half of those who said they talked with others about climate change felt ignored or dismissed. That is how Faith feels too.


Faith Hui feels like people don’t listen to her concerns, because they can’t see climate change happening.
PHOTO: Faith Hui feels like people don’t listen to her concerns, because they can’t see climate change happening.
PHOTO: Xiaomei Chen
Picture posted by Kate Whitehead, Asiaone on 25 July 2022 at 05:53 pm
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“I definitely feel some people ignore what I’m saying; they can’t see what is actually happening. Climate change happens little by little, so they say, ‘It’s OK, I don’t see anything happening now’,” she says.

The American Psychological Association first defined eco-anxiety in 2017 as “a chronic fear of environmental doom”. Since then, heatwaves, wildfires and other natural disasters linked to climate change have made “climate anxiety” a household term.

Linda Aspey, a psychotherapeutic counsellor and climate change speaker based in the UK, is keen to stress that climate anxiety is not a disorder. She prefers the terms “climate distress, grief or trauma”.


Linda Aspey, a psychotherapeutic counsellor, says climate anxiety is not a disorder.
PHOTO: Linda Aspey, a psychotherapeutic counsellor, says climate anxiety is not a disorder.
PHOTO: Linda Aspey
Picture posted by Kate Whitehead, Asiaone on 25 July 2022 at 05:53 pm
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“It’s a valid and healthy response to the climate and environmental crises, which present threats on many levels,” says Aspey,

The Lancet report also found that climate anxiety can be connected to many emotions, including worry, fear, anger, grief, despair, guilt, shame and hope. People sometimes feel guilty for their own contributions to climate change, or shame about the damage caused by humanity more broadly.

“Complex and sometimes competing feelings are often experienced together and can fluctuate in response to personal and world events. These experiences have been argued to be understandable, congruent, and healthy responses to the threats we face, but such threats can be experienced as an unremitting psychological stressor,” the report says.


The Lancet report also found that climate anxiety can be connected to many emotions, including worry, fear, anger, grief, despair, guilt, shame and hope.
PHOTO: The Lancet report also found that climate anxiety can be connected to many emotions, including worry, fear, anger, grief, despair, guilt, shame and hope. People sometimes feel guilty for their own contributions to climate change, or shame about the damage caused by humanity more broadly.
Image: Pixabay
Picture posted by Science, exepose.com
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Faith says her school, Victoria Shanghai Academy, puts climate change on the agenda, but she wishes adults had a greater awareness and understanding of the issue.

“Adults should initiate change. They have an advantage – they can make things happen in a way that children can’t – and they could use that advantage to help young people,” Faith says.

So why do people find climate change so hard to talk about? The Norwegian psychologist Per Espen Stoknes’ excellent TedTalk, “How to transform apocalypse fatigue into action on global warming”, says the biggest obstacle to solving climate disruption lies between our ears.


So why do people find climate change so hard to talk about?
PHOTO: So why do people find climate change so hard to talk about? The Norwegian psychologist Per Espen Stoknes’ excellent TedTalk, “How to transform apocalypse fatigue into action on global warming”, says the biggest obstacle to solving climate disruption lies between our ears.
Picture posted by Celine Castronuovo on 18 November 2020 at 4:23 pm ET
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https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/526572-red-cross-says-global-warming-greater-threat-than-covid-19/


He identifies five inner defences:
  • Distance: It’s not here, it’s not now, since it seems so far away it seems outside my circle of influence.
  • Doom: Climate change is usually framed as a looming disaster, which makes us fearful, but people habituate to it and then get apocalypse fatigue.
  • Dissonance: This is felt as an inner discomfort.
  • Denial: If we keep silent, ignore it, we might find refuge from feeling guilty.
  • Identity: Alarmed activists don’t care about people like me who are just getting on with life day to day.

Climate anxiety is not exclusive to young people, but they are the ones most likely to experience it. So, what can we do to support them?

Jo McAndrews, a member of the Climate Psychology Alliance, says we can’t protect children and young people from the impact of the climate crisis, but we can protect them from being alone with it. She points to the neurobiology of human development, which explains how we grow and function in relationships.


Climate anxiety is not exclusive to young people, but they are the ones most likely to experience it.
PHOTO: Climate anxiety is not exclusive to young people, but they are the ones most likely to experience it.
Jo McAndrews, a member of the Climate Psychology Alliance, says we can’t protect children and young people from the impact of the climate crisis, but we can protect them from being alone with it. She points to the neurobiology of human development, which explains how we grow and function in relationships.
Picture posted by Myriam Gurba Serrano@lesbrains on 01 September 2020 at 02:14 am
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https://twitter.com/lesbrains/status/1300495145872187392


“Children need warm adult care to learn and develop healthily, and adults also need warm care to live healthily,” says McAndrews.

In a nutshell, humans have evolved for connection. Emotions are at the heart of connection and physical development. Because we are all connected, our bodies, brains and nervous systems physically tune into each other. We need to connect to other people, we need each other to co-regulate.

“Climate science brings up big emotions. Young people need adults to listen to and accompany [them in] their distress,” says McAndrews.

When we are anxious or distressed, it shows up in our nervous system as the fight, flight or freeze response. This is not a choice, it is an automatic response. McAndrews says that punishing distressed behaviour causes more distress.


When we are anxious or distressed, it shows up in our nervous system as the fight, flight or freeze response.
PHOTO: When we are anxious or distressed, it shows up in our nervous system as the fight, flight or freeze response. This is not a choice, it is an automatic response. McAndrews says that punishing distressed behaviour causes more distress.
Artwork by Gerald Festus Kelly (1879–1972) -  Nude Study; Little English model
Picture posted by Newport Museum and Art Gallery
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“Young people need adults to be on their side and understand their experience. They need warm attuned empathy,” says McAndrews.

What’s the bottom line? If your child or a young person in your life wants to talk to you about climate change, don’t dismiss them or tell them not to worry; it’s all too easy to slip into one of Per Espen Stoknes’ defences.

Instead, challenge yourself to listen to them with openness and curiosity, and be on their side. Young people need someone to understand their feelings and offer support.


Instead, challenge yourself to listen to them with openness and curiosity, and be on their side.
PHOTO: Instead, challenge yourself to listen to them with openness and curiosity, and be on their side. Young people need someone to understand their feelings and offer support.
Picture posted by Renee Doyle in Wildlife - In a Mothers Arms
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https://1x.com/photo/1626540/latest:all


We are in massively urgent times and facing catastrophe if we don’t act, says McAndrews, who is often asked what people can do as individuals.

“The answer – stop doing things as an individual. It’s too late for lifestyle changes to save the world. I believe what’s needed now is for older people to step up and support younger people. Help them feel seen, heard and understood,” says McAndrews.


What Faith is asking for is to stop doing things as an individual.
PHOTO: "What Faith is asking for is to stop doing things as an individual. It’s too late for lifestyle changes to save the world. I believe what’s needed now is for older people to step up and support younger people. Help them feel seen, heard and understood,” says McAndrews.
Picture posted by Cuteness
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https://www.pinterest.com/pin/232990980723854537/


And that’s exactly what Faith is asking for. This is an opportunity for the young people and adults to come together, for older people to truly listen to their concerns and help empower them to make positive change.

“I feel a lot of people are not fully aware of the impact of climate change. The more people know about it, the better the chance of lessening it – it’s a team effort.”


This is an opportunity for the young people and adults to come together, for older people to truly listen to their concerns and help empower them to make positive change.
PHOTO: This is an opportunity for the young people and adults to come together, for older people to truly listen to their concerns and help empower them to make positive change.
Picture posted by fr.2021outletonline.ru
By Kate Whitehead, Asiaone, 25 July 2022 at 05:53 pm
This article was first published in South China Morning Post.
Reference
[1] Kate Whitehead, Asiaone, Climate anxiety: How to help young people cope - 84% are worried about global warming and need adults' support, posted on 25 July 2022 at 05:53 pm, https://www.asiaone.com/lifestyle/climate-anxiety-how-help-young-people-cope-84-are-worried-about-global-warming-and-need


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