Dear John,

We are pleased to share this personal story from MCV Summer Intern Lindley Saffeir which includes her reflections on the overwhelming feelings that are associated with climate anxiety and a compiled list of resources to learn more and connect with others. 

Lindley hails from Pownal, Maine and is currently pursuing an Environmental Studies and International Relations major at Loyola Marymount University in California

Dear John,

Like you, I care about our environment. Growing up in rural Maine, I have felt deeply connected to the outdoors, as my life is rooted in a healthy and accessible environment. After taking a gap year abroad, and landing at college on the coast of California, my attachment to, and appreciation for our shared land, water and air only grew. Starting college, I was clear that my academic career would be focused on the environment. 

So in September, I began a semester that turned out to be full of catastrophic information about the state of our climate. Throughout lectures, discussions, research and writing, I felt increasingly devastated, as I became more educated on how the environment was deteriorating due to climate change. In June of this year, when I had the pleasure of starting a summer internship with Maine Conservation Voters, I had the creative space to explore the feelings of heartbreak, hopelessness and anger that underlaid my environmental work, inspiring my article on Climate Anxiety. 

In researching this article, I had the pleasure of interviewing an expert in the field, who broadened my view and understanding of climate anxiety, both in terms of how it’s defined, how it affects our mental and emotional state, and how it can be managed. It was encouraging to learn that climate anxiety is being talked about, researched by professionals, and that there are concrete steps that we can all take to work through the often overwhelming feelings that are associated with climate anxiety. 

In an effort to bring to light as much information on this topic as possible, I’ve compiled a list of resources, which are shared below. If you, or a loved one are feeling overwhelmed with climate anxiety, please know that you are certainly not alone in these feelings. I hope my article and these resources help to provide you with a sense of hope, clarity, and a way of moving forward, as they did for me. 

Warmly, 

Lindley Saffeir 
 

Climate Anxiety Resources

Groups: 

Good Grief Network - ““builds personal resilience while strengthening community ties to help combat despair, inaction, eco-anxiety, and other heavy emotions in the face of daunting systemic predicaments.” 

See their list of resources: Good Grief Resources 

Climate & Mind - Information and resources on the relationship between climate change, psychology, and mental health. Hosts a great resource list.

The Climate Dreams Project Gathers “our collective dreams about climate breakdown.” You can submit your own. 

Climate Psychology Alliance-North America

EcoAnxious Stories - holds ‘space for eco-anxious stories in the hopes of normalizing our experiences and supporting each other in taking meaningful action.”

Books: 

List of Book Resources

Academic Papers:

List of Academic Paper Resources

Audio:

List of Audio Resources