"I thought… that if the world was going to end we were meant to lie down or put a paper bag over our head or something.”

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Alarming news headlines, the increased frequency of natural disasters, and politicians’ failure to promote genuine solutions may lead some to believe in an inevitable future in which extreme temperatures and weather events are constant and currently populated parts of the globe are uninhabitable.

When we catastrophize — or think of the worst-case outcome — our body internalizes our stressful thoughts, whether they’re based in reality or not, says Thomas Doherty, a licensed psychologist who specializes in environmental approaches to mental health.

To help you walk this line between staying in touch with reality and not succumbing to despair, climate-aware therapists offer their advice, from accepting nuance to finding strength in community.

“Action that’s individualist,” says licensed clinical social worker Rebecca Weston, co-president of the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America, “I don’t think it necessarily makes anyone feel better.” (More on how to find a community later.)

Organizations and groups of neighbors in the South, for example, have created spaces for residents to find water and shelter during extreme weather events and collectively fought against environmental racism in their community.

While you shouldn’t cut yourself off from staying informed altogether, balance the media that worries you with stories of people, scientists, or organizations who are making positive strides toward climate change, Kiley says.

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