Emotion Focused Resources for Navigating the Climate Crisis

Emotion Focused Resources

  • Facing It Podcast - This podcast explores the emotional burden of climate change (anxiety, grief, fear, despair) and offers resources for navigating those mental health impacts. Episodes are relatively short and can be assigned for students across disciplines, followed by group discussions or free-writes. Each episode also has a list of resources and further readings. By: Jennifer Atkinson

  • Bridging Theory to Action: Hope and Climate Change - TED Talk with Dr. Lisa Kretz: a short discussion of the theory-action gap, disempowering emotions due to climate fear, emotions that counteract that sense of being overwhelmed and instead empower action (such as hope), and a call to action.

  • Climate Scientist Letters “How does this make you feel?”- A website dedicated to sharing letters from people doing climate work responding to this question on emotion, and suggested classroom activities contributed by Dr. Anya Galli Robertson.

  • Mind Map of Ecological Emotions - A group activity designed to explore emotions related to ecological and climate realities through the creation of personal mind maps. By Dr. Panu Pihkala

  • Spectrum Line of Ecological Emotions - “This activity helps people to share their emotions and thoughts about the ecological crisis. If wanted, you can focus explicitly on climate change.” By Dr. Panu Pihkala

  • Seventh Generation Exercise - From Joanna Macy’s “The Work That Reconnects,” a “deep-time ritual” that uses role-playing to help participants see the impact of our present actions within a larger time frame.

  • New Zealand Climate Change Learning Program: Wellbeing Guide - “The ‘Climate Change Wellbeing Guide’ has been developed to provide teachers with background information and tailored resources to help them navigate the delivery of climate change scientific content, whilst maintaining the wellbeing/hauora of students.”

  • Article: As a Psychotherapist Treating Eco-Anxiety and Eco-Grief, Mindfulness Helps. Sometimes. - By Leslie Davenport

  • Emotional Resilience Toolkit for Climate Work - “A handbook designed to provide emotional support, resources, and tools for eco-anxiety, grief, and the range of feelings that accompany climate work.” By the Climate Therapy Alliance (Pacific Northwest Chapter)

  • Anti-anxiety Peer Bonding Exercise - A group activity to bolster self-esteem through peer to peer support and building connections with other people. Contributed by Barbara Jane Davy