Beautifully and sensitively written, thank you. It is hard to feel uncomfortable feelings, but so true that we need to give those feelings space, lest they consume us and shut us down. Namaste.
Thank you, Caroline Hickman, for this brilliant, thorough, kind, and patient insight <3
It’s been a looong climate mental health journey for me, to actively pivot away from business as usual in development. I admittedly took the long road… but we don’t have to do that anymore. Thank you for this amazing resource: “The Climate Therapist”.
Thank you all so much for being here.
Gen Dread is always with me.
PS Not a day goes by without me considering giving up… but like, it started 4 years ago… “I can’t do that”… “No one really cares”… “I’m not big enough for this”… I am not alone.
I don't see you as suppressing any feelings. I appreciate your critical thinking about it all, and I share your opinion that there's an emptiness in much public conversation about the climate. Follow both your heart & your mind. Technofixes have been oversold, mis-sold, and some should be sold more, especially when they are basically forms of dropping whole categories of resource-use. Do dedicate yourself to what you think will or seriously could make a difference, or would set an example that you'd be pleased to see many people learning from & following. I know that you're not about to enter a really wasteful career, even if you find something highly paid for a while. It's ok to just live on our planet for a while, especially for what could be an interim chapter in life, or one that leads to exciting new social connections, & professional possibilities. It frankly heartens me to hear you re-assessing & pivoting, wherever you pivot to next.
Your voice, your story, your expertise, your exploration, will surely add weight in helping other people pivot and come together in new ways. We're all facing the fact that a lot has changed in the last 10+ years, in the wrong direction, "on our watch" & while we were trying to make it go differently. I'm happy to discuss all the socio-technical angles the world is now dealing with (and could be dealing with better); the above is my general-approach advice. You are so valuable especially because you are questioning, not only because you care & work hard. Big hugs!
Thank you for sharing your such a deeply personal experience of your time in the climate space. Burnout is so very common, particularly when our work is connected to our identity and larger societal values and your concerns resonated with challenges that I have seen in many others.
If you would permit me a few small suggestions to build on Caroline Hickman’s advice, I would encourage you not to be to hard on yourself for your initial career choice. There are a lot of unhelpful societal beliefs that we should pick a field and stick with it despite the fact that we grow and change throughout our lifespan. I find it wild that we assume young adults should know what they will be do for the decades ahead and have found myself asking overbearing parents if they were the same people as they were when they were 18. While your burnout is certainly present, I want you to know it is also okay to have a had a career that was good at one point in your life and not in another. As our values shift and our understanding of the climate crisis grows, it makes sense that what you may wish to shift what you work on. You have a right to grow and to experience more than one job or area of work.
It may also be encouraging to know that most jobs have a great amount of transferable skills, regardless of if it is policy analysis, administration, management, the trades, etc. There are many ways to use your career knowledge in another area of the climate space and it doesn’t necessarily mean starting over. That said, whether you decide to change organization, climate problem areas, take a break, or changing your job type all together, I have found that some of the most effective career transitions I have seen come from starting conversations with others. I feel you have done that today with the courageous step of asking for reaching today and I wish you all the best in your career journey!
Beautifully and sensitively written, thank you. It is hard to feel uncomfortable feelings, but so true that we need to give those feelings space, lest they consume us and shut us down. Namaste.
Thank you, Caroline Hickman, for this brilliant, thorough, kind, and patient insight <3
It’s been a looong climate mental health journey for me, to actively pivot away from business as usual in development. I admittedly took the long road… but we don’t have to do that anymore. Thank you for this amazing resource: “The Climate Therapist”.
Thank you all so much for being here.
Gen Dread is always with me.
PS Not a day goes by without me considering giving up… but like, it started 4 years ago… “I can’t do that”… “No one really cares”… “I’m not big enough for this”… I am not alone.
thank you for sharing Sidney! You are so not alone :)
:D <3
Dear At-a-Pivot-Point,
I don't see you as suppressing any feelings. I appreciate your critical thinking about it all, and I share your opinion that there's an emptiness in much public conversation about the climate. Follow both your heart & your mind. Technofixes have been oversold, mis-sold, and some should be sold more, especially when they are basically forms of dropping whole categories of resource-use. Do dedicate yourself to what you think will or seriously could make a difference, or would set an example that you'd be pleased to see many people learning from & following. I know that you're not about to enter a really wasteful career, even if you find something highly paid for a while. It's ok to just live on our planet for a while, especially for what could be an interim chapter in life, or one that leads to exciting new social connections, & professional possibilities. It frankly heartens me to hear you re-assessing & pivoting, wherever you pivot to next.
Your voice, your story, your expertise, your exploration, will surely add weight in helping other people pivot and come together in new ways. We're all facing the fact that a lot has changed in the last 10+ years, in the wrong direction, "on our watch" & while we were trying to make it go differently. I'm happy to discuss all the socio-technical angles the world is now dealing with (and could be dealing with better); the above is my general-approach advice. You are so valuable especially because you are questioning, not only because you care & work hard. Big hugs!
Thank you for sharing your such a deeply personal experience of your time in the climate space. Burnout is so very common, particularly when our work is connected to our identity and larger societal values and your concerns resonated with challenges that I have seen in many others.
If you would permit me a few small suggestions to build on Caroline Hickman’s advice, I would encourage you not to be to hard on yourself for your initial career choice. There are a lot of unhelpful societal beliefs that we should pick a field and stick with it despite the fact that we grow and change throughout our lifespan. I find it wild that we assume young adults should know what they will be do for the decades ahead and have found myself asking overbearing parents if they were the same people as they were when they were 18. While your burnout is certainly present, I want you to know it is also okay to have a had a career that was good at one point in your life and not in another. As our values shift and our understanding of the climate crisis grows, it makes sense that what you may wish to shift what you work on. You have a right to grow and to experience more than one job or area of work.
It may also be encouraging to know that most jobs have a great amount of transferable skills, regardless of if it is policy analysis, administration, management, the trades, etc. There are many ways to use your career knowledge in another area of the climate space and it doesn’t necessarily mean starting over. That said, whether you decide to change organization, climate problem areas, take a break, or changing your job type all together, I have found that some of the most effective career transitions I have seen come from starting conversations with others. I feel you have done that today with the courageous step of asking for reaching today and I wish you all the best in your career journey!