Website Resource: Unthinkable: A New Resource for These Unthinkable Times

From Britt Wray, author of Generation Dread: “Unthinkable is the name of a new climate-mental health platform I’ve built with Rae Oquirrh Dial. It provides tools, education, and media that can help us build strength and resolve as we prepare for disasters and psychologically recalibrate to our fast-changing planet with courage, creativity, and hope. This newsletter will remain the narrative heart of our work, but we’ll be adding new supports ongoingly at the new site. As a kickoff project, we’re excited to share Unthinkable’s Resource Hub with you today, which aims to become the world’s most comprehensive library of resources for supporting individuals and communities with climate-related mental health challenges.”

Website Resource: Deep Dive: Building Emotional Resilience

“Humanity has entered a time of great uncertainty and anxiety, as we find ourselves faced with the rapid unraveling of environmental and social systems. Responding effectively and meaningfully to the polycrisis will require us to accept this uncertainty and manage our grief and anxiety. There’s much work to be done in communities around the world, which is why we need everyone who understands both the challenge and opportunity ahead of us to strengthen their own emotional resilience so they can help others navigate the compounding challenges posed by climate destabilization, resource depletion, inequality, and poverty (to name a few).”

Website Resource: Mental Health and Climate Change Alliance (MHCCA)

The MHCCA lists a number of resources, including groups, books, professional associations, and a directory of climate aware therapists and counsellors in North America. It also has guides and toolkits, like “Climate Doom to Messy Hope: Climate Healing & Resilience: A Practical Handbook for Climate Educators and Community.”

Online Groups and Other Resources: The Good Grief Network

The Good Grief Network developed “10 Steps to Resilience & Empowerment in a Chaotic Climate,” a peer-to-peer support group for people overwhelmed by eco-distress and collective trauma from social and ecological injustices. They have also written a book by the same name. On their website, you can learn more about their groups, their book, and other events, workshops, and resources.

Dropping Anchor

What is ‘Dropping Anchor’ and How Does It Help? by Russ Harris
Dropping anchor is a very useful skill. You can use it for handling difficult thoughts, feelings, emotions, memories, urges and sensations more effectively; switching off auto-pilot and engaging in life; grounding and steadying yourself in difficult situations; disrupting rumination, obsessing and worrying; focusing your attention on the task or activity you are doing; developing more self-control; and as a ‘circuit-breaker’ for impulsive, compulsive, aggressive, addictive or other problematic behaviours.

Click here for a PDF from Russ Harris on dropping anchor, including links to audio recordings of “dropping anchor” exercises.