Why Self-Love is Essential for Climate Action
I lived with climate anxiety for many years and since I never dealt with it (I didn’t know I should) it began to escalate into all sorts of things — eating disorders, body dysmorphia, insomnia, anger, despair.
It was not a healthy way of life and not empowering in any regard, and it was in finally choosing to heal myself that I recognized how important that inner work is.
The unhealed version of me would:
Think I wasn’t enough.
Believe my actions didn’t matter.
Become overwhelmed by the smallest things.
Get frustrated when things did not work out the way I thought they should.
Lose myself to hopelessness and despair.
Feel anger and resentment toward other people.
As you can probably see, the angry activist version of me didn’t act from a place of curiosity, understanding, and love. Instead, she was lost most of the time and spent a great deal of her energy just staying afloat. I was still able to inspire some people but for the most part, they probably just thought of me as that “different” eco person who they’d rather avoid a conversation with.
On a road trip, I would be that cranky car that keeps breaking down and needs to spend all the money and time on repair shops and tow cars.
Having been on that journey and come out on the other end, I get to say this with serious weight to my words: YOU matter.
Your health, spiritual presence, and mental well-being matter. In fact, you will be a much more impactful change-maker if you take care of yourself and continue to work on your emotional resilience and healing. Because that is how you will show up grounded and empowered, inspiring those around you from a place of optimism, light, and love.
Smart drivers know how to rest and fuel up. If you travel by car, it’s important that you stop every now and then to fuel up both your vehicle and yourself. You need gas (or cooler — electricity) to keep going, as well as rest to continue to travel safely. Not only will these breaks allow your trip to be fun and smooth, but you’ll also avoid serious dangers like being stranded in the middle of nowhere or crashing because you fall asleep at the wheel.
Now let’s make sure you do exactly the same on the climate journey you’re on!
My Four Guiding Principles for Climate Healing
Recognize that it’s okay to feel and let yourself be one with your emotions. Ignoring your feelings will not make them go away. They will only build up inside, which can lead to anxiety and depression. Letting yourself feel (the anger/ worry/ hopelessness/ despair…) is the first step in healing.
Once you’ve recognized it’s okay to feel your emotions, no matter how difficult they are, it’s important to remember you don’t have to hold on to these feelings to make a difference. You’re not a better activist because you’re angry and worried all the time. In fact, you’ll be much more effective if you choose to heal yourself and act from a place of strength, love, and light.
Understand that you’re not alone. By talking about it with others, you activate your own healing, first of all, but you also allow others to start their healing process. When we share how we feel, we begin to understand we’re not alone. That is a good first step in releasing pain. Also, when we come together in fear and grief, we feel like we have support, like there is hope. Hope is where the action grows.
This leads me to the last part—taking action. The fastest way out of anxiety is by feeling you have control. When you take action, you feel you have control. Whatever you can do to make a difference, no matter how small it may seem, do it. Become the change you wish to see, and slowly work yourself out of despair and into empowered action.
On my resource page, you find an extensive guide for healing journaling if that’s work you feel called diving into! And if not, just start practicing addressing this journey from a lot more respect and self-love!
And as a recap…
Here are three reasons why self-care as a climate optimist matters:
Your will to show up is stronger and longer lasting
Your inspiration, creativity, and motivation increase
Your likelihood to inspire others rises significantly
And if you’re looking for more of this, or if you would like to gift this kind of self-empowering journey to someone you love, check out The Climate Optimist Handbook.
