I mean, if a teacher says to young people, “Oh, don’t worry about climate change; there are emerging technologies,” that would likely raise skepticism. People know that it’s too easy to react; they know the problem is not a problem there is an easy solution. Although people want to quickly turn to hope, psychology shows that it is very important to face difficult emotions, name them, and discuss them.
Why is it important to name them?
Talking about feelings with others – putting words to them and asking others what they mean to them – can help us not only deal with our emotions, but create shared meaning. One person may experience anxiety in a completely different way than another, or have a different set of concerns. Perhaps someone could be worried about their children; Others may worry about the importance of biodiversity. By starting to talk about our worries, we get to grips with the problem, we can better understand what’s at stake, and we start to feel a sense of control, so it doesn’t go away. into a kind of free-floating anxiety that can be very difficult to deal with. That’s the first step to dealing with these emotions.
Once we’re clear about our feelings, what’s the next step?
The next step is to look at the coping strategies we use and ask ourselves why we use them and if there are other ways we can cope. Problem-focused coping, for example, is a very good strategy to use for specific problems over which you have more or less complete control. You begin to focus on the problem and can clearly understand what you can do.
What does that look and sound like in the context of climate change?
You might say to yourself, “So here I am, worried about climate change. What can I control? I can read and learn more about the subject matter, start talking to friends about what we can do, ride a bike or take a bus rather than drive,” and also do other things that we can focus on. focus on problem solving.
Then there’s the meaning-focused deal. It’s considered the most constructive coping strategy from a happiness and engagement standpoint. It’s more about promoting positive emotions to buffer negative emotions that you find too hard to bear.
Put a positive spin on the challenges we face?
No, it’s about switching your perspective between worry and hope, so you can see, “Yes, this is a really, really serious problem and I’m really worried,” and at the same time also find that it is good that more and more people are aware of the issue and the media is reporting more. Or remember that this is difficult, but we have faced difficult problems before.
Faced with the challenge of the scale of climate change, we need to stay active even when we don’t have full control. So just focusing on the problem is not enough. You can see what you can do—save energy in the house or stop eating meat or become part of climate organization—But you also need something else. Meaning-focused coping can help us deal with our worries, so we can become focus on the problem. The best thing to do is to combine both coping strategies.
