In years gone by, the month of August was known as ‘silly season’ by the media. ‘Silly’ because, with parliament and the high courts on summer recess, there was often little ‘hard news’ to report, so daft stories about acrobatic geese and noisy ice cream vans would normally have to suffice.
But in the last few years, with Brexit chaos and the global Covid-19 pandemic impacting on health, jobs and livelihoods, there has felt little to laugh about.
With a ‘Code Red for humanity’ recently declared by the United Nations with regards to climate change, and this week’s shock insurgency in Afghanistan, many are feeling overwhelmed with a sense of fear and powerlessness.
So what can we do?
Though it may feel current events are too large for us to have any impact on, there are things we can do to regain a sense of our own power and control, and to help make the world we in which we live a better place.
Climate informed therapy believes part of the problem is that as humans, we feel separate from nature, rather than a part of it. Reconnecting with nature – whether that’s going for walks in the countryside, planting flowers in your back garden or simply listening to the birds singing from your window has multiple physical and mental health benefits.
When next in nature, tune into yourself and notice – how are you feeling? What’s happening in your body? By connecting with nature and the feelings it evokes, it reminds us we are part of it. And if we feel part of a community, of nature itself, we’re more likely to respect it.
So far so hippy you might think. How is this going to help anything? By forming that connection with nature, you can start reframing how you think. Rather than ‘I’m powerless, I can’t change the world’, the old adage ‘Think global, act local’ could become your mantra.
That might take the form of joining a local environmental group, taking part in climate activism, or writing to your MP. Or, with regard to the Afghan crisis, you might look to find ways to show support for refugees in your area. When world events seem out of our control, we can feel utterly powerless. But while we can’t all be the next Greta Thunberg, we can certainly be inspired by her example. She’s proof of the change one person can make, especially when that one becomes united both with nature and the communities around them.