Sustainable Practices for Environmental Leaders
How to Transform Climate Change Anxiety
Neuroscientists tell us that we have neurons that connect with one another and create paths, based upon how we think and act. Just one thought can put us on a fast track down a rabbit hole. #What are your reoccurring thoughts about climate change that cause you anxiety? Scientists also estimate that we have about 6,000 thoughts a day and with our self-talk, 95% are repetitive—those thoughts are all getting caught up in the vortex of the rabbit hole. And, to make matters worse, 80% of those thoughts are negative. We have Velcro for the negative and Teflon for the positive thoughts, so no wonder many of us face anxiety! When you are listening to the media, do you gravitate towards those climate change stories that reinforce your fears? Stress is our emotional and physical reaction to challenges and like other creatures, we have a fight or flight response. When we have occasional stress, it can actually be motivating. But long-term, chronic stress can cause emotional and physical damage.
One of the ways we respond to stress and increase our anxiety is through blaming, shaming, and complaining. Those thoughts keep us stuck in victim behaviors, where we believe that we are powerless—that there is nothing that we can do. #Who do you blame for our climate challenges? #Do you feel ashamed of your lack of action? What we can do is take responsibility for those thoughts and actually try to understand where they come from and if they are actually true. One inspiring thought leader, Byron Katie, created a process to help us evaluate those thoughts. She suggests focusing upon a situation and then ask these questions: 1. What happened? Is it true? 2. Can you absolutely know that it is true? 3. How do you react when you believe that thought? 4. How would you be without that thought?
Eckert Tolle, another transformational leader, states that how we interpret what happens is what causes us suffering or stress. We may regret what happened in the past or be worried about the future. Much of our worry about the effects of climate change is about how it will affect our future. But, the past is in our rearview mirror and the future is up ahead, just out-of-view. We cannot do anything about the past or the future. All we have in NOW. If we can truly BE in the present moment, we know there are no problems. There are situations—and when we clearly see the situations, we can begin to address them.
#EckhartTolle#ByronKatie#transformation#climateanxiety#climatechange
Sacred Earth Science helps environmental leaders master leadership skills by learning and applying innovative tools and techniques to manage demanding workloads, reduce stress, boost their productivity, and achieve work-life balance. Our specialized training and Next Level Coaching helps clients transform the way they work.
