In this issue
Welcome to HeretoHelp Within Reach! HeretoHelp Within Reach is a quarterly newsletter that highlights resources from HeretoHelp and the BC Partners for Mental Health and Substance Use Information.
Eco-anxiety describes the fear, dread, powerlessness, or hopelessness people feel when they experience think about the future of a sustainable planet. Climate anxiety is often used to describe anxieties around climate change specifically, but some people use the terms interchangeably.
The physical world and climate impact mental health and well-being, so it's only natural that a changing world also changes mental health and well-being. This is magnified when political leaders and companies fail to act—or even acknowledge a problem in the first place.
Young people have the most to lose, and they are the most likely to report eco- or climate anxiety. In a Canadian study, 78% of young people surveyed reported that climate change impacted their mental health and 37% of participants reported that anxieties around climate change affected their day-to-day functioning. For more on this research, see Climate emotions and anxiety among young people in Canada: A national survey and call to action in the the Journal of Climate Change and Health at www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278223000032.
Solastalgia
RISE Vancouver
https://issuu.com/solastalgia/docs/solastalgia_climate_change_zine
Solastalgia is a zine that showcases art, poetry, stories, and experiences from young people in the Vancouver area dealing with climate change. This zine also has a great list of BC resources.
Addressing and Coping with Climate Grief: A toolkit for Group and Individual Use
sustain.ubc.ca/sites/default/files/2020-077b_Climate%20Grief%20Toolkit%20_Wu_0.pdf
This toolkit was developed by Judy Wu at the University of BC. It's a complete guide for facilitators holding a support space for climate grief, from choosing a physical space to structuring a meeting to non-verbal activities for folks who prefer to participate through art or writing. The activities can also be used by individuals working through difficult feelings.
An Existential Toolkit for Climate Justice Educators
This toolkit was developed by US researchers and educators. The themes of Reflection, Resiliency, and Justice offer resources that empower students to navigate complicated emotions and fears around climate change and learn how systems of colonialism and racism harm people and environments.
Eco-Anxiety & How to Cope
Anxiety Canada
www.anxietycanada.com/articles/coping-with-eco-anxiety
Tips to take care of your mental health (and avoid doomscrolling), and resources to help you find a mental health care provider if you need it.
New at HeretoHelp: Intergenerational Trauma issue of Visions Journal
ww.heretohelp.bc.ca/visions/intergenerational-trauma-vol18
The latest issue of Visions Journal highlights the way traumas move through generations and impact communities. Writers share not just how trauma affects them but how they work to understand their experiences, dismantle the shame and pain that keeps people isolated, and find healing.
