Mental health awareness is frequently overlooked in my country. Reading inspiring posts like this motivates me to initiate a movement that centers on the mental health of young people in the face of climate anxiety.
When I heard about the meteorologist who broke down on air… I honestly wanted to die right there and then. But here I stand. And I don’t know why I don’t have the courage to off myself in protest of what’s going on.
I previously wrote to the climate therapist about the horror movie my life had become thanks to climate anxiety and dread. They told me apocalyptic thinking wasn’t doing me any favors. Well, the apocalypse is officially here and there’s literally no other way my neurodivergent mind can think.
What frustrates me to no end and has me considering ending my own life is my inability to fight due to my neurodivergent mind. I can’t advocate for myself, let alone the planet. I have no spine and that’s why I’m pretty much institutionalized. I try to confront people and I end up running the other way. I back down in the face of others’ anger.
If I can’t fight for the future, then I am truly worthless. And I can’t fight because of literally how my brain is wired.
And yet I’m still alive anyway. Why? Why must I witness everything falling apart and become even more powerless as everything does? Am I really living in Hell? I have to be. There’s no other explanation.
I don’t know what I need at this point. All I can think of is that life isn’t worth it.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: I’m in no physical danger. I have, with some help, managed to suppress the desire for unaliving, for now, anyway. However, I still would like a response to this. I’m still at the end of my rope and still need help.
We offer the climate therapist column that you have written into before in the hope that it can be some help to people in distress, but we also know it is not enough on its own. No one is worthless here.
Firstly: it’s hard to process emotional turmoil when you don’t feel physically safe. And we can hear that you do not feel safe. So, that has to be the priority for you now. You will benefit from regular in person support from an appropriate mental health climate aware therapist. Check in with your body’s needs frequently during periods of distress and ensure you’re getting the rest, nourishing food, hydration, and supportive social connection you need.
Please contact these groups and request urgent support from a therapist. The most important thing to do first is to arrange safety for yourself.
Know that there are so many people all over the world working really hard, creatively, and thoughtfully on climate problems every day. It can help to seek out stories of people stepping up, volunteering, and uniting in community, and learn about the massive swell of work being done to address the climate crisis. Even though we aren’t winning fast enough, good things are happening, and perhaps the most healing thing here is that there are others like you who get it, who care, and who are doing their most radical life protecting work to slow the harm. What’s great about this? This crisis is happening to all of us, unequally of course, but you are never alone. This is a collective trauma that we are shouldering together.
Mental health awareness is frequently overlooked in my country. Reading inspiring posts like this motivates me to initiate a movement that centers on the mental health of young people in the face of climate anxiety.
That's really wonderful to hear, thank you for sharing Abbey
When I heard about the meteorologist who broke down on air… I honestly wanted to die right there and then. But here I stand. And I don’t know why I don’t have the courage to off myself in protest of what’s going on.
I previously wrote to the climate therapist about the horror movie my life had become thanks to climate anxiety and dread. They told me apocalyptic thinking wasn’t doing me any favors. Well, the apocalypse is officially here and there’s literally no other way my neurodivergent mind can think.
What frustrates me to no end and has me considering ending my own life is my inability to fight due to my neurodivergent mind. I can’t advocate for myself, let alone the planet. I have no spine and that’s why I’m pretty much institutionalized. I try to confront people and I end up running the other way. I back down in the face of others’ anger.
If I can’t fight for the future, then I am truly worthless. And I can’t fight because of literally how my brain is wired.
And yet I’m still alive anyway. Why? Why must I witness everything falling apart and become even more powerless as everything does? Am I really living in Hell? I have to be. There’s no other explanation.
I don’t know what I need at this point. All I can think of is that life isn’t worth it.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: I’m in no physical danger. I have, with some help, managed to suppress the desire for unaliving, for now, anyway. However, I still would like a response to this. I’m still at the end of my rope and still need help.
We offer the climate therapist column that you have written into before in the hope that it can be some help to people in distress, but we also know it is not enough on its own. No one is worthless here.
Firstly: it’s hard to process emotional turmoil when you don’t feel physically safe. And we can hear that you do not feel safe. So, that has to be the priority for you now. You will benefit from regular in person support from an appropriate mental health climate aware therapist. Check in with your body’s needs frequently during periods of distress and ensure you’re getting the rest, nourishing food, hydration, and supportive social connection you need.
Please contact these groups and request urgent support from a therapist. The most important thing to do first is to arrange safety for yourself.
Climate-aware therapist directory https://www.climatepsychology.us/climate-therapists
Climate Psychology Alliance United Kingdom https://www.climatepsychologyalliance.org/
Climate Psychology Alliance North America https://www.climatepsychology.us/
Climate Psychiatry Alliance https://www.climatepsychiatry.org/
Over on Gen Dread, we have this roundup of resources for working with climate emotions. https://gendread.substack.com/p/resources-for-working-with-climate
Know that there are so many people all over the world working really hard, creatively, and thoughtfully on climate problems every day. It can help to seek out stories of people stepping up, volunteering, and uniting in community, and learn about the massive swell of work being done to address the climate crisis. Even though we aren’t winning fast enough, good things are happening, and perhaps the most healing thing here is that there are others like you who get it, who care, and who are doing their most radical life protecting work to slow the harm. What’s great about this? This crisis is happening to all of us, unequally of course, but you are never alone. This is a collective trauma that we are shouldering together.
FYI: https://www.academia.edu/117701875/Apocalyptic_Anxiety_and_the_Fragilification_of_Time