It is tough to face the realities of climate change these days, both for our children and ourselves. With so much focus on worries about the earth, how can we balance feeling hopeless with getting helpful?
As Dan Siegel says, “If once a day, you can do something to make somebody smile, to make the world a little better, it gives you an incredible sense of wellbeing. When you feel hopeless, get helpful.”
Kids these days are being raised amidst a flurry of scary realities about the earth. Global warming, giant seas of floating garbage, endangered wildlife, leaking plastics? It is enough for adults to have anxiety over. A survey on the impact of climate change on anxiety from 2021 revealed that almost 60% of young adults 16 to 25 felt “very worried” or “extremely worried.” And no wonder. As parents, many of us don’t feel confident in how to reassure our children about an issue that causes us our own anxiety.
#1 Make space to listen.
When your child talks about fears around climate change, or hears a scary statistic from school or the news (NOTE: research shows that the news can be harmful to children’s mental health, so use sparingly and monitor what your child ingests if possible), the first thing to do is create an outlet for them to talk about it. You can try, “tell me more about how you’re feeling after hearing this,” or, “How does this make you feel?” You can also reflect back, “I’m hearing you say all of this and I’m getting worried - how about you?”
#2 Validate the worries.
Worrying about the climate is based in reality, not fantasy. Dismissing these worries will not reassure our children that we care, but instead create a vacuum where our children feel unsupported. Try something like, “That does sound scary,” or “I understand feeling that way.” Remember that you can validate any emotion your child is experiencing, without needing to challenge them. Our feelings are our own, and all feelings are acceptable.
#3 Project confidence.
As with many aspects of development, expressing confidence in our children’s ability to manage is a key to building confidence. Try something like, “You’ve had worries like this before and gotten through it,” or, “I know this is hard, but you know how to do hard things.” Especially with children who have a history of anxiety, reminding them that they can withstand the pressure of that feeling and not be paralyzed by it, is an important way to help them learn coping strategies. Anxiety doesn’t disappear, but instead is something we learn to manage.
#4 Turn hopeless into helpful.
When we are overwhelmed by fear, it can feel hard for all of us to activate. Try involving your child in some type of activism, like sponsoring an endangered animal, building gardens in inner-city areas, composting, recycling, planting trees, garbage walks on the beach, or any number of activities that support the environment. Organizations like Climate Action Families and Parents for Future can help with new ideas, too.
#5 Get help if you need it.
As with all anxiety, if fears around climate change are getting in the way of your child’s daily functioning, reach out to your child’s healthcare provider for further discussion. There are many strategies to help treat anxiety, and help is out there.