How To Deal With Negative Climate News

Before we dive in today I want to quickly say “Hi and welcome!” to all new readers. The Climate Optimist is growing each week and it warms my heart every time a new subscriber rolls in. Thank you for being here — what a powerful community we’re building!

On that note — I’m kicking off something exciting next week that will go on till the end of March. Hint: it has to do with flexing internal muscles and going beyond what we believe is possible — yes, you’re allowed to get excited!! ??

Psst… if you’re a brand, author, or artist with something to contribute to a raffle gift basket, send me a note!

Lastly, my baby and I are dealing with a stubborn cold, so I’ve been spending a lot of time resting and catching up lately. (Interestingly, given next month’s challenge, it’s served me pretty well. But more on that soon…) I haven’t had a chance to write much, so this morning, I decided to close my eyes and flip open a page in my book to see what chapter could be useful for sharing.

Quite timely, it landed on chapter 43: Dealing with Negative Climate News ??

Enjoy and please take this message to heart! It might be a tough news world to navigate right now but that doesn’t mean we can’t (and must) seek ways for radical optimism too!

As always, remember, we create our tomorrow today — you and your actions matter!

The following is an excerpt from?The Climate Optimist Handbook. The book is available in print worldwide. Search online for the best option to purchase one where you live. You can also access it as an audiobook or Kindle.?Check out my website?for options.

Chapter 43: Dealing with Negative Climate News

You just learned about the importance of raising your fear mark. A huge part of that work comes from learning how to consume negative news. If you lack this skill, it’s easy to lose yourself to either despair or denial. Either you become so consumed by the negative you lose all hope, or you simply shut the awareness door and dive into things (distractions) that are easier to handle. Both outcomes could turn out to be deadly. (Excuse the drama, but it’s true.)

If we lose ourselves to denial or despair, we miss the opportunity to participate in the changes. Lost without direction or hope, it is incredibly hard to take action or even think that it matters if we do. This is why the brilliant thought leader and author Yuval Noah Harari said:

“Climate despair is as dangerous as climate denial.”

They both keep us stuck right where we are. Therefore, learning how to be smart and kind to ourselves about our news intake is critical, both for our mental health and for the world.

Four Tips for Dealing with Negative Climate News:

One—Get Mindful and Filter Out

You don’t have to read every article or watch every video on climate change. If you find yourself overwhelmed by climate news and feel like you can’t get a break, start by simply cutting down. If it gets to be too much, it’s hard to process any at all, so try finding a healthy balance that works for you. Consider signing up for a weekly newsletter or a news platform that gives you daily tidbits. That way you can stay informed, but not get overwhelmed.

Also, if you come across a video on social media or an article that catches your attention, but you don’t feel like you’re in a good place (physically or mentally) to take it in, make a note and come back to it later. Nature is circular, and so are you. There will be times when you’re more vulnerable and not up to handling “attacks” from the outside world. Honor this. Be kind to yourself and know your limits.

Two—Follow Up with Positive News

Try to follow up negative news with some positive stories. We don’t hear about them often, but there are some remarkable climate stories out there worth keeping an eye on. Reading good climate news to balance the negative is essential for keeping optimism alive. It makes you more resilient in your work for climate justice, and it also helps you recognize and celebrate all the incredible solutions already underway.

It might seem like we have a mountain to climb to figure this out, and we do, but by recognizing we’ve already begun the climb, it’s much easier to find the hope and optimism to keep going.

Three—Healthy Denial

Know that it’s perfectly fine to apply a bit of healthy denial. We all live with denial to one degree or another. It would be quite impossible to function in our everyday lives if we didn’t, especially given how easy it is to access information.

As you know, awareness overload is a real thing, and it can easily lead to suppressed feelings, anxiety, and most likely, inaction. Therefore, it’s actually part of your mission as a climate optimist to be mindful of how much you can consume while staying optimistic and motivated to act.

How you apply this denial is up to you, but make sure to take breaks during your day when you don’t think about climate change. Go for a walk, play with your kids, go have a date with your friend. There is so much to rejoice about, so much beauty to appreciate, so make sure you allow yourself to do so. Find time to simply live to keep your strength (and sanity) moving forward.

Four—Community

Any burden is easier carried if shared, so the best way to deal with climate anxiety and overload is by finding support from others. Start having conversations and share how you feel, even if you don’t quite know how to put words to those feelings. Who knows? Maybe your friend, parent, or colleague feels the same.

It’s okay to be worried about climate change, and it’s important we openly share that we are. That way, we allow others to feel the same way, and we can come together to enact powerful changes.

I also highly recommend joining a community of like-minded people. Then you get to share your fears with people who understand you but also take positive action. Find a community physically close to you or join one online. Many resources are available to support groups and positive climate change action groups, so don’t for a second feel like you’re in this alone. Look for any community where you get to share your fears but also participate in the positive action.

These were just a few tips for getting better at consuming climate news, but of course, find what works best for you. Just understand that more knowledge does not necessarily lead to more action. Being balanced and grounded is key if you want to be an empowered ally, so keep that in mind.

You don’t have to know everything that’s going on. You can also start easy and slowly build up to a higher tolerance. As you practice the steps above, you will learn it’s much easier to be informed while not losing hope, since the mindful practice and the action itself will keep you balanced.

And if you don’t find a healthy balance right away, go easy on yourself. Maybe start by taking a media break altogether and build up some new strength. Once you feel more balanced, start adding a few news snippets into your daily routine again. Follow the tips above, with limited consumption followed by good news, and remind yourself that a bit of healthy denial is totally okay.