Climate Anxiety - A sense of worry, fear, or unease about climate change or the future. You might notice this if you feel tense when reading climate news, worry about what lies ahead, or feel stuck in “what if” thinking. This makes sense, anxiety often shows up when we care deeply but feel uncertain or out of control.

Climate Grief - Sadness, loss, or mourning related to environmental damage or anticipated loss. This can include grief for ecosystems, species, places you love, or futures that feel threatened. Grief reflects attachment, it shows what matters to you.

Solastalgia - Distress linked to changes in places that once felt familiar, safe, or comforting. You might feel this when a local environment changes, when seasons feel unfamiliar, or when home doesn’t feel the same anymore. Solastalgia speaks to the deep emotional bonds we form with place.

Anger or Frustration - Feelings of outrage, resentment, or impatience related to inaction, injustice, or responsibility. Anger often arises when values are violated or when harm feels preventable. It can be protective, though it can also be exhausting if held alone.

Helplessness or Powerlessness - A sense that individual actions don’t matter or that the problem feels too big to influence. You might feel stuck, shut down, or unsure where to begin. These feelings are common when facing large, systemic challenges.

Numbness or Avoidance - Emotional shutdown, detachment, or intentionally turning away from climate topics. This can look like disengaging from news, feeling “blank,” or not wanting to think about it at all. Numbness is often a nervous system response, a way of protecting yourself from overwhelm

Feeling Overwhelmed - A sense of emotional overload, confusion, or having “too much” to process at once. Overwhelm can arise when information, emotions, and responsibility collide. It’s not a failure, it’s a signal that support, pacing, or rest may be needed.

Hope or Motivation - Feelings of care, possibility, or commitment to change, even alongside difficult emotions. Hope doesn’t mean ignoring reality. It can coexist with grief and fear, and often grows through connection and collective effort.

Climate emotions are not problems to fix, they are signals.

They tell us:

• What we care about

• What feels threatened

• Where support or connection may be needed

When climate emotions are ignored or pushed away, they often become louder. When they’re named and shared, they can feel more manageable.

Making space for these emotions, gently, at your own pace, can be grounding.

If it feels okay, you might pause and reflect on one of these questions:

• Which of the emotions above feel most familiar to me right now?

• Do these feelings show up more in my thoughts, my body, or both?

• When do I notice myself leaning toward climate topics, and when do I pull away?

There’s no need to answer or analyze. Simply noticing is enough.

If you’d like, you can explore at your own pace:

• Learning more about coping with climate emotions

• Joining a Nest Circle or Climate Café

• Exploring grounding or reflective practices

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278223000032

https://mhcca.ca/connecting-on-climate/supporting-others-through-their-climate-emotions

https://climateatlas.ca/taking-action-our-climate-emotions

https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/climate-change-impact

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE_TMzLCI_Y

https://mentalhealthcommission.ca/public-resources/research/understanding-and-coping-with-eco-anxiety/

https://researchcentres.wlu.ca/teaching-and-learning/teaching-together/2024-

2025/Winter%202025/understanding-and-addressing-eco-anxiety.html