Climate Change & Mental Health
A mother of two adolescents I was working with a few years ago shared with me that she was having trouble attending to her parenting because she was so crippled by her anxiety about the degradation of the environment that she couldn’t feel optimistic about her children’s future.
While this example may be extreme, the past few weeks’ weather have brought into sharp relief the kind of hardship a warming planet and shifting weather patterns may bring in the years to come. As parents, already concerned about our children’s future, we now have to contend with preparing them for differences in quality of life that we may never have imagined possible just a few years ago.
The NY Times joked in a recent article about the “Hurricane 5”, meaning that Tri-State Area residents had turned to food for comfort in the past 2 weeks, gaining 5 lbs of unwanted weight as the result of emotional eating. And it’s no joke: for the 3 days that I was housebound with my family, I baked and broiled more comfort food than I will on Thanksgiving. And my pants are tight.
This of course seems to pale in comparison with the devastation that those who lost power, homes, property, livelihood, or lives have endured since Hurricane Sandy hit. Their plight falls squarely in the realm of trauma.
What I want to address here, though, is the insidious but pervasive stress stemming from the unpredictable, undefined worry and creeping sense of doom that the looming prospect of climate change has begun to represent. In addition, the enormity of the task which lies ahead, should we finally decide to tackle the climate change problem, can leave one feeling overwhelmed, depleted, and exhausted before we even start.
There seems to be something very primal about our relationship to weather. After all we are animals too and therefore respond to changes in season and climate accordingly. Who doesn’t get lethargic in the fall when the days get short, and want to curl up with a book and a cookie? And even though we are for the most part going through our day in climate controled environments, we still feel the awe of a big bolt of lighning in a thunderstorm, or wonder at the winter’s first flakes of snow.
Our sense of time passing and life unfolding is intrinsically tied to the rituals that go along with the changing seasons. So when a Hurricane hits the Northeast in October, and a snowstorm coats the same area in a white blanket a week later, our compasses run amock, our internal clocks start spinning, and our sense that the world has some predictability gets shattered, leaving us reeling and confused.
For parents, this feels like a heavy burden to shoulder while preserving our children’s sense of agency and optimism. It is important to remember to manage our own feelings of concern and worry separately, and respond to our children’s fears in ways that match the child’s age and ability to comprehend what is happening. Too much information will leave your child feeling overwhelmed and unduly upset. Too little, and you may be missing a teaching opportunity, or worse yet, leaving your child to fill in the blanks with inaccurate beliefs about what is going on.
The Art Therapy Solution
Children take great pleasure in helping others, as it makes them feel like they can make a difference. Helping them write cards or letters to family, friends or even strangers affected by the storm can help them feel like they have the power to do good in the face of adversity. Cards allow children to express their experience, their fears and also their wishes, and conceptualize a positive outcome. Because younger children tend towards magical thinking, writing something as simple as: “I hope your house is fixed soon”, can provide the reparation they need to feel like things are going to be okay.
For older children, being of service can teach altruism, gratitude, and organization. Let them think creatively about how they would like to help out. This encourages them to think outside of themselves, and brainstorm solutions to problems, both great skills to develop. The creativity in this case may not be in making art per-se, but in learning how to think of positive outcomes and adapt to new or unexpected situations. These are skills our children will certainly need in the world that lies ahead.
As for yourself, parents and adults: be careful not to take on too much. In times of crisis, keeping yourself and your family ok is a big job, and sometimes just maintaining as much of your regular routine as you can is enough. If your worries seem out of control, don’t be afraid to be on the receiving end of support. Don’t forget that others are just as eager to help as you, and will welcome the opportunity to be of assistance.
Finally, know that much about our life is uncertain. Taking stock of what you have control over and what you don’t can help you gain perspective as you focus your response to difficult situations. And while making art, or a craft, or writing a poem or a journal entry while the world outside seems to be unravelling can seem trivial or gratuitous, expressing yourself honestly about what you are going through, or worrying about, can provide some much needed release of tension. And it won’t make you gain 5 lbs.