Feeling the Pain of the Earth
I don’t know about you, but I have been feeling overwhelmed by the climate crisis recently. In the Northeastern U.S. & Canada, we have been facing the implications of the climate crisis head-on as ash, haze, and smog fill the air all around us as a result of hundreds of forest fires burning in Canada. Even if you didn’t experience this most recent iteration of the ecological crisis, you may have been faced with other challenges - such as worsening seasonal allergies, the residual effects of flooding or droughts, loss of food sources, displacement due to climate disasters, etc.
Let’s check in - how are you feeling?
Are you angry or sad? Numb or overwhelmed? Hopeless or ashamed or fearful? Are you completely checked out or so overwhelmed and overworked you’re burning out?
However you’re feeling, it’s okay and normal and valid. Allow yourself to feel.
Now, tune into your body. What do you notice?
Are you dissociated from your body, disconnected from physical sensation? Maybe you’re feeling nauseous or have a headache. Are you noticing tension in your chest, shoulders lifted by your ears, tightness in your jaw?
Thich Nhat Hanh famously said, “If you’re feeling pain, allow yourself the space to feel this. Feeling the pain of the Earth is the first step in creating space for healing.”
But while feeling this pain is an important part of the process, if you get stuck here and feel overwhelmingly angry, shut down, unable to slow down, afraid of your feelings, trying to manage other people’s emotions while ignoring your own needs, or having difficulty setting boundaries, you might be caught in a trauma response.
Trauma responses happen when our body identifies a threat and gets stuck in a fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response.
Yes, it is totally possible (and happens all.the.time) to have a trauma response as a result of the climate crisis. Whether you have firsthand experience of a natural disaster (such as flooding, drought, wildfires, etc.), or are feeling devastated by the state of the planet, or are terrified for your own and your children’s future, it is highly likely that all of us will experience a trauma(s) related to the ecological crisis at some point in our lives.
Our body’s natural reaction to a trauma is a wise and important way that our body and nervous system copes and keeps us alive. However, when we get stuck in a trauma response (because the trauma is ongoing or we never learned how to feel safe or we didn’t complete the stress response cycle), it is counterproductive and harmful to our bodies.
You have likely experienced at least one (if not more, or if not in combination) of the following threat responses in your life. If you’re in one now, have no fear - we’re going to learn a few simple steps to work through it.
A fight response might show up as anger or rage, trying to control, the urge to hit something, tension in your body, wanting to yell at other people, etc.
A flight response might show up as constant movement, being unable to sit still or slow down, overcommitment (including burning yourself out through activism), or being unable to sit with your feelings.
If you notice yourself in a fight or flight response, there is an excess amount of energy in your body that needs to be moved through (some ideas include running, sweating in a sauna or steam room, shaking your body, high-intensity workout, etc.). Only after you’ve allowed the energy to move can you focus on soothing and calming, perhaps by drinking a cold glass of water, cuddling with a pet, hugging a loved one, or sitting with a weighted blanket.
A freeze response might show up as shutting down, feeling overwhelming hopelessness, or isolating from other people. If you find yourself in a freeze response, it may be useful to slowly increase your energy by taking one small step to soothe yourself (again, maybe drinking a cold glass of water, lightly stretching, calling a friend), and then finding gentle movement (perhaps completing one simple chore, brushing your teeth, going for a short walk, or rocking in a rocking chair).
A fawn response might show up as ignoring your own needs, trying to manage other peoples’ feelings, or having a hard time setting boundaries. If you notice yourself in a fawn response, it’s important to, first, take time to soothe yourself (see any of the suggestions above, or explore your own ideas!), and then take effective action that is independent and self-respecting, such as engaging in an activity of your choosing, setting boundaries around how much news you take in, journaling about your emotions, or spending (a potentially very small) amount of time alone.
If you have people in your life who deny the climate crisis…
as is unfortunately the case in many high-control religious groups, it’s okay to set boundaries around how much time you spend with these people or which topics you’re willing to discuss with them.
If you have the mental capacity & emotional space, this can also be an opportunity to educate others about the current ecological crisis.
Okay, now what? Our planet is still suffering!
I hear you! Our work towards healing the planet can’t end here. If you feel sufficiently resourced after exploring some of the steps above, it can be helpful to commit to taking action (and then feeling/resourcing…and then taking action…and then feeling/resourcing…and then taking action…and so on). This might look like:
Engaging in activism (check out what’s happening in your area!)
Clean up your local beach
Examine your carbon footprint and make changes where you can (turn off lights when you’re not in the room, use rainwater for gardening, etc.)
Commit to thrifting instead of buying fast fashion
Decrease your meat intake
Support local, organic farmers
Compost your food scraps
Reach out to your local politicians
This is just the beginning. Where will your action take you?
Remember that yes, while each of our individual actions are small, they are meaningful. Yes, big corporations are the ones that need to adjust. Policy needs to change. But doing a thing (anything!) instead of doing nothing is not just good for the planet, it’s good for your mental health. If you’re feeling hopeless, that’s okay. Allow yourself to feel it, and then do something…anything. See what happens to the hopelessness…did it shift at all? It might not be gone, but it might have softened. (Or it might not have, and that’s okay, too! Remember, feeling the Earth’s pain is part of the healing process.)
Audre Lorde once said, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation and that is an act of political warfare."
Your action and activism needs to be balanced with taking care of yourself and allowing yourself to feel the pain of the Earth. This is how we begin to heal, together.
