Mental Health
Climate change can be stressful, but nature can be restorative.
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, or need urgent mental health help, please click the link below:
Does Climate Change Affect Mental Health?
The impact of the climate and ecological emergency on our mental health and well-being is increasingly recognised. In 2021, the Royal College of Psychiatrists declared a climate and ecological emergency, and the then president of the college, Adrian James, stated “the climate emergency is a mental health emergency. Our mental health is entwined with the health of our natural world.”
How Might My Mental Health Be Affected?
Climate change affects mental health in many ways.
Extreme weather events, such as floods and storms, can be very traumatic to experience, especially if your property or loved ones are affected.
Heatwaves and poor air quality also affect mental health. This may be because sleep is more disrupted, or for other reasons that we don't fully understand yet.
Commonly, people can experience a range of emotions when thinking about climate change. They may feel grief at the loss of the natural world around them. They may feel anxious and stressed about the future and how the world may change, as well as sadness at their isolation from the natural world.
What Can I Do to Support My Mental Health?
Spending time in the natural world, can also be beneficial for our mental health and well-being. The natural world nourishes all of our senses and soothes our autonomic nervous system (responsible for our “fight or flight” response).
Time in nature can help us to feel calmer, and more joyful. It also fills us with a greater sense of appreciation for the natural world that we are in, leading us to want to do more to try to protect it and inspiring our climate action.
Taking climate action can also help us to manage any feelings of distress that we might experience when thinking about the climate and ecological emergency. You can read more about eco-distress (also known as eco-anxiety) below:
5 Steps to Mental Wellbeing
1) Connect with others.
2) Get Active. Green spaces such as parks are great to get connect with nature whilst exercising
3) Take Notice. Learn to understand your feelings
4) Learn. This might involve learning more about our amazing natural world
5) Give. Volunteering activities such as litter picks or helping at nature reserves are a great way to connect with nature and give back to the planet