Psychology for Sustainable Future
The Overwhelming Reality: Facing Environmental Challenges and Overcoming Helplessness
It’s hard to deny the painful truth of what’s happening on our planet right now. Forests are ablaze, our oceans are drowning in plastic, and countless species are disappearing before our eyes. It’s a daily struggle, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, helpless, and even angry. Sometimes, it feels like we’re on the brink of a crisis, and it’s hard to know where to begin.
I vividly remember my time as a college freshman, taking environmental studies. It was a semester filled with heartbreaking news about the profound damage humans have inflicted on our beautiful Earth. I found myself plunged into a dark tunnel, lacking the tools to cope, yet expected to carry on with my everyday life as if nothing had changed. The weight of the information I had learned made it impossible for things to feel normal anymore. Anxiety and fear consumed me to the point where dropping out of school seemed like a viable option.
However, instead of giving up, I made a decision that changed everything. I enrolled in a field study program in California, embarking on a two-month backpacking journey with a small group of fellow students. It may sound intense, and it was, but it became a turning point in my perspective. During those months, we engaged in countless conversations, openly sharing our feelings about the state of the world. Not once did anyone tell me to be more positive or hopeful. Surprisingly, these honest discussions made me feel better, more capable of confronting the seemingly insurmountable challenges ahead.
In that pivotal moment, I had an epiphany. What if understanding ourselves and each other could be the key to navigating this crisis in a new and profound way? Could psychology, often overlooked in discussions of the environment and climate, hold the missing ingredient to unlock action on the greatest challenges we face today?
Driven by this newfound realization, I shifted my focus to clinical psychology. I delved into researching the relationships between trauma, grief, and creativity. It became clear to me that the heart of the matter lies in our ability to stay present in the face of pain, to remain connected when things feel threatening and overwhelming.
Interestingly, psychology has much to offer in this regard. It has equipped us with invaluable insights into the human mind and emotions. However, I couldn’t help but notice the absence of these psychological perspectives in my environmental studies class, climate action meetings, and international conferences. Everyone was asking, “Why aren’t we acting faster, and what will it take?”
This realization became my personal mission. I sought to bridge the gap between the worlds of environment, climate, and psychology, translating psychological insights into practical resources and tools for those working on the frontlines of change. The truth is, we are all on the frontlines now, each with a role to play in reversing the damage.
Years of straddling these two realms have reinforced my belief that psychology holds the power to exponentially enhance our creativity, toughness, and courage. It is the missing ingredient that can accelerate our capacity to face the pressing challenges of our time head-on.
In the next section, I will share with you three game-changing concepts that have shaped my understanding of this critical moment for humanity. These concepts have the potential to transform how we perceive and approach the environmental crisis. Together, we can grow the conditions necessary to release our brilliance and confront the challenges that lie ahead. So take a deep breath, and let’s embark on this transformative journey together. The world is waiting for us, and we are capable of making a difference.
The Missing Ingredient: Psychology’s Role in Addressing Global Crisis
When we look at the state of our world today, it’s clear that we are facing a global crisis. The forests are burning, our oceans are suffocating in plastic, and countless species are disappearing every single day. It’s enough to make anyone feel overwhelmed and helpless, trapped in a whirlwind of emotions. We find ourselves swinging between anger, numbness, and a deep sense of disconnection. It’s a messy and complicated journey, but it’s important to remember that these feelings are entirely valid.
Reflecting on my own experience, I recall a time when I was a college freshman, studying environmental studies. This semester was filled with the harsh reality of how humans have profoundly damaged our beautiful Earth. It felt as if I had been dropped into a dark tunnel with no tools to find my way out. I was expected to continue with my everyday life as if everything was normal. But once you’re exposed to such information, nothing feels normal anymore. Anxiety and fear took hold of me, and I even thought dropping out of school.
Instead of giving in to despair, I decided to join a field study program in California. For two months, our small group embarked on an intense backpacking journey together. During that time, we had countless conversations about how we were feeling about the state of the world. Surprisingly, no one ever told us to be more positive or hopeful. Instead, we were encouraged to express ourselves openly and honestly. To my amazement, these conversations made me feel better. I gained the strength to confront the seemingly insurmountable challenges that lay before us.
This experience sparked a profound realization within me: What if psychology held the missing key to unlocking action on the greatest challenges facing our planet right now? What if understanding ourselves and one another could guide us through this crisis in a new and different way? This thought led me to shift my focus to clinical psychology, where I began researching the connections between trauma, grief, and creativity.
What I discovered was a paradox at the heart of it all. How do we stay present with the pain and challenges we face? How do we remain connected in the face of overwhelming threats? It turns out that psychology has a wealth of knowledge about these very questions. Surprisingly, I noticed that this knowledge was often absent from discussions in my environmental studies class, climate action meetings, and international conferences. Everyone was asking, “Why aren’t we acting faster, and what will it take?”
Driven by this realization, I made it my mission to bridge the gap between psychology and the environmental and climate sectors. I sought to translate psychological insights into practical resources and tools that could support those working tirelessly on the frontlines of change. The truth is, we are all on the frontlines now, facing the urgent need for transformation.
Years of straddling these two worlds have reinforced my belief that psychology is the missing ingredient in our work. It has the power to exponentially accelerate our capacities to be creative, resilient, and courageous in the face of adversity. It is through understanding our own internal landscapes and fostering connection with one another that we can find the strength to confront these immense challenges head-on.
In the next section, I will share with you three game-changing concepts that have profoundly shaped my understanding of this moment in history. These concepts provide us with a new lens through which we can make sense of the environmental crisis and unlock our collective potential for change. So let’s embark on this journey together, armed with the tools psychology offers us. The world is waiting for us to take action, and together, we can create a brighter future.
The Double Bind: Feeling Stuck and Apathetic in the Face of Change
In the midst of our efforts to tackle the environmental crisis, many of us find ourselves caught in a double bind. We genuinely care about what’s happening to our planet, and we’re deeply concerned about the state of our local environments, our water, our soil, and the broader picture. Yet, despite this caring, we feel an overwhelming sense of powerlessness and insignificance. We wonder, “Where do I even begin? Will my actions make any difference?”
This double bind is an excruciating and challenging experience. It leaves us feeling trapped, caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. It becomes so intolerable that we do everything in our power to push it away and escape its grip. As a result, our care and concern seem to vanish, replaced by what appears to be apathy.
This paradox can be perplexing for those who recognize the urgency of the situation. They attempt to motivate us, acting as cheerleaders for solutions or bombarding us with facts and figures, hoping to wake us up. These actions are not inherently wrong, as we do need solutions and a clear understanding of the facts. However, unintentionally, this approach can backfire, leading to further numbness and inaction. It’s as if the message isn’t reaching the core of what’s truly going on within us.
Let’s imagine visiting a therapist in such a double bind. We feel stuck, knowing we need to change, and the therapist begins shouting, urging us to see the terrifying consequences if we don’t act immediately. They question our care and dedication, leaving us feeling judged and inadequate. Alternatively, we seek support for our sadness and grief, but the therapist brushes it off, offering simple and superficial actions to distract us from the pain. In both cases, we would quickly realize that this therapist is not attuned to our needs, failing to create a safe and understanding space for us to explore our emotions.
Attunement, a concept I’ve come to cherish, is vital in such moments. It involves truly listening and understanding, tuning in to the experiences and emotions of others without trying to change or shame them. Attunement is a skill that can be challenging to practice, especially in the face of urgent threats. However, the paradox lies in the fact that when we achieve a state of attunement, when we feel understood and accepted, our nervous systems calm down, and our capacity for problem-solving, creativity, and toughness expands.
Now, you might be wondering, how can we bring attunement into our work on the environment and climate? The answer lies in starting with ourselves. Self-attunement is the foundation. We need to tune in and acknowledge our own emotions and experiences. It’s essential to grow self-compassion, recognizing that these are challenging issues, and we are not bad people for feeling overwhelmed. Curiosity becomes our ally as we explore our own inner landscape.
But attunement doesn’t stop with ourselves; it extends to our interactions with others. In small groups, one-on-one conversations, campaigns, classrooms, and even public spaces like movie theaters and parks, we can create spaces where we give each other permission to be authentic and vulnerable. By offering understanding and support, we create the conditions for deeper connections and, consequently, higher-level functioning.
Leaders and influencers have a critical role to play as well. By showing up as authentic, vulnerable humans, they set the tone for attunement within their spheres of influence. Instead of pretending to have all the answers, they acknowledge their fears and uncertainties. They foster a sense of togetherness, emphasizing that we are all needed and that we face the challenges as a united front.
It’s important to recognize that this work of attunement is not separate from the urgency of our environmental efforts. Attunement can be integrated into every aspect of our work, from personal reflections to collective action. It starts with self-attunement, expands to social attunement, and leads to leading with attunement. By creating these conditions, we can tap into our collective brilliance, creativity, and courage.
Believe me when I say that all the tools we need for this journey already exist. We have the capacity, as humans, to meet these challenges with toughness, ingenuity, and bravery. However, we must grow the conditions together. We need each other’s support to truly face and process the painful truths and difficult realities of our time.
So, let’s take a deep breath and approach this moment in history with compassion—for ourselves and for one another. Together, we can navigate this journey, collectively harnessing our brilliance to create a sustainable and thriving world. The world is ready for us, and we are more than capable of rising to the occasion.
Attunement and Toughness: Unlocking our Capacity to Create a Sustainable Future
Amidst the urgent need to address the environmental crisis, one powerful concept stands out: attunement. It holds the key to unlocking our capacity to create a sustainable future. Attunement, derived from the word “to tune,” is the practice of being in sync, feeling understood, and accepted for exactly where we are. It’s about being in relationship with the world in a way that makes sense, free from judgment or attempts to change us.
Attunement may sound simple, but in reality, it requires skill and effort—especially when the stakes are high. Our instinct during moments of urgency is often to dismiss attunement in favor of quick action. However, the paradox lies in the fact that when we prioritize attunement, when we are in tune within our window of tolerance, we unlock higher-level functioning.
Dr. Dan Siegel introduced the concept of the “window of tolerance,” describing it as the threshold of stress we can handle while remaining connected and integrated. Beyond this window, we tend to veer towards collapse or rigidity. Collapse manifests as depression, despair, and shutting down, while rigidity appears as denial, anger, and inflexibility. In these states, we lose our capacity for integration, toughness, and adaptability.
In the face of the environmental crisis, we can find ourselves collectively pushed beyond our window of tolerance. Each new scientific report, documentary, or connection we make between our actions and their impact can push us further to the edges. It’s important to recognize that this response is entirely normal. We are all navigating a range of emotions and feelings in this complex web of challenges.
Through countless interviews, spanning various backgrounds and political affiliations, one common thread emerged. People deeply care about what’s happening to our planet. They express immense fear and concern for their local environments, the land they love, and the precious life within it. However, there’s an underlying feeling of powerlessness and a fear of change. It’s as if their actions are inconsequential, and the thought of hugging change feels unimaginable.
This phenomenon is known as the double bind. It leaves us feeling stuck, damned if we do and damned if we don’t. The experience is intolerable, and our care and concern are buried beneath the weight of it all. From the outside, it may appear as apathy, further perplexing those who understand the urgency of the situation. The response, often, is to push us towards action, urging us to wake up and get motivated. But inadvertently, this approach can reinforce numbness and inaction.
What we truly need is attunement, both within ourselves and in our interactions with others. It starts with tuning in to our own emotions, growing self-compassion, and hugging curiosity about our own experiences. This self-attunement is the foundation for attuning socially, creating spaces where we give each other permission to be authentic and vulnerable.
Furthermore, leaders and influencers have a crucial role in leading with attunement. By showing up as human, acknowledging their own fears and uncertainties, they create a safe and accepting space. Instead of projecting an image of having all the answers, they convey the message that we’re in this together, acknowledging the collective fear and vulnerability we share.
The integration of attunement into our work is not a luxury we can’t afford. It is essential and possible in every aspect of our efforts to address the environmental crisis. Attunement begins with ourselves, extends to our interactions with others, and permeates through our leadership and influence. When we hug attunement, we tap into our true potential for problem-solving, creativity, and toughness.
It’s crucial to remember that these tools and concepts already exist within our grasp. We have the ability to meet the challenges we face with the brilliance, bravery, and ingenuity inherent in us as humans. What we need now is to grow the conditions together, supporting and understanding one another as we collectively process the painful truths and realities before us.
So, let’s take a deep breath and approach this moment in history with compassion and curiosity. Together, we can harness our brilliance and face the environmental crisis head-on. The world is ready for us, and we have the power to make a significant impact.
Conclusion
As we reach the end of this exploration, it becomes evident that addressing the environmental crisis requires more than scientific knowledge and policy changes. It demands a deep understanding of our own emotions, the ability to attune with others, and the cultivation of toughness. Psychology offers valuable insights and tools that can guide us in this journey.
By acknowledging the overwhelming reality we face, we can validate our complex feelings and experiences. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed, helpless, and even angry. Through attunement, we can create spaces where we feel understood and accepted, allowing us to move beyond the limits of collapse and rigidity.
The double bind, a state of feeling stuck and apathetic, often arises in the face of urgent challenges. By hugging attunement, both within ourselves and in our interactions with others, we can break free from this bind. Attunement provides the foundation for toughness, creativity, and problem-solving abilities, allowing us to navigate the complexities of the environmental crisis with clarity and determination.
Leaders and influencers play a vital role in modeling attunement, showing vulnerability and emphasizing our collective efforts. By creating a safe space for open dialogue, they foster a sense of togetherness and enable individuals to take meaningful action.
In the end, the missing ingredient in our work to address the environmental crisis is not a magic solution or groundbreaking technology. It is our ability to be present with ourselves and one another, to attune to the realities we face, and to harness our collective brilliance and toughness. Together, we can create a sustainable future for ourselves and generations to come.
So let’s embark on this transformative journey, growing compassion, curiosity, and attunement. We have the capacity to make a significant impact. The world is ready, and it’s time for us to rise to the challenge. Let’s hug our role as change-makers and create a future where the beauty and vitality of our planet can thrive once again.