Has COP26 been visiting your mind lately?

Scrolling through his social media account wasn’t as relaxing as Rakshith would have liked it to be, when most of what he had been seeing, for many weeks, were conversations around international decisions. Post after post, from trusted pages, poured out facts & numbers about literal pressures faced by the planet. Global warming, climate change, heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, floods, deforestation, air & water pollution, endangered species, outbreaks of diseases... Issues have been escalating that a call for immediate, serious decisions has become essential.

For the most part, Rakshith has personally not experienced any of these climatic shifts directly or severely, and his everyday life seems relatively undisturbed. But the more he understands the gravity of the big picture, the more he begins to be bombarded with mixed & fearful thoughts about the future.

“Mental Health Could Be the Next Casualty of Global Warming” read the headline of a fairly recent article online. Rakshith is a fictional person, but it could be any one of us (or most of us) experiencing this kind of helplessness in this non-fictional reality of climate change. As if the pandemic was not enough, we are facing further tendencies to fracture our mental health with mounting world crises at bay. Anxiety has found another reason to hit the roof.

The article previously mentioned gives more information on how climate change has been impacting the quality of mental health in uncountable ways. People are undergoing unexpected displacement & challenges with bounce-backs due to tremendous loss of life, property, livelihood, & educational opportunities resulting from floods, fires, deforestation, lack of usable water, etc. Indirectly, many are concerned about choices that would sooner or later be hazardous to all. Furthermore, changes in water, food, and other environmental elements evidently alter the brain’s functioning & genetic material. The ecology contains flora and fauna that are now endangered but that affects us too. Some of us may be suffering the consequences individually, but we are all facing the threats collectively. ‘What will it be like in the future? What can we possibly do about it, as individuals?’ would probably be the most commonly asked questions in this massive situation. For many, this has raised doubts and overwhelming worries about finances, health, livelihood, environmental safety, and so on. Well, we started it together, so we can and must resolve it together. No. This isn’t a punitive statement or a pep-talk. This is the only way to undo, or at least buffer, the effects of this sticky situation – by taking responsibility.

We know that these steps of resolution are established by governments and large organisations if we were to witness any significant improvement. However, we can certainly start by caring for our own concerns associated with that, before we take on anything greater. We don’t want to face disaster, but we all have been in a place of grief of a peaceful mind & life in our own ways. And more often than not, we continue to face daily challenges with more negative news, usage of resources, unhelpful lifestyles, and increased stress in us. Here are some guidelines that we could use to guard & build up our mental health:

1. Read up on commonly used terms related to climate change from trusted sources: The more awareness, the better is our ability to know what’s in our control and make more positive personal decisions. This will help us stay informed about better options and how we can help preserve that hope.
2. Allow yourself to address these concerns: Even if we aren’t a direct victim of these changes around us, it’s okay to weigh their effect on our overall life. If you’re specifically suffering from any symptoms of stress, anxiety, etc. because of worries about climate change, don’t hesitate to take it on with an appropriate health professional. Because we still live in the same earth space, our unsureness about our future (or present) is still to be considered. These ‘faraway problems’ are allowed to disturb everyday life indirectly.
3. Physical health and mental health are directly proportional: It’s equally important that we continue to take precautions physically in order to be well mentally. Having a good daily/weekly/monthly schedule to keep us occupied in productive and positively stimulating activities can help us keep our stress levels in check.
4. Assist vulnerable groups: If possible, we can help anyone we know that are more susceptible to threats of decline in mental wellbeing and/or livelihood (children, older people, mentally and/or physically ill individuals, etc.) find affordable & accessible resources when the winds get too rough on them amidst these storming discussions (pun unintended).
5. Switch to organic and/or environmental-friendly products: There are plenty of them produced by several brands that are becoming popular these days. If prompted and met with good alternatives, making a switch can instil a positive reinforcement in us to be more mindful of ourselves and our environment.

Lifestyle changes that are more sustainable and considerate can help restore balance both inside and out. As daunting as it may look, we needn’t lose sight of the fact that we still have the ability and space to make different choices than before.

*Citation: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-16/mental-health-could-be-the-next-global-casualty-of-climate-change