It's Getting Hot in Here: Navigating Climate Anxiety Through Personal Transformation and Awareness

\ “We will start in the easy pose, and from there, begin sitting on the mat with your legs stretched in front of you. If you would like to sit on a blanket, you can. Cross the right shin in front of the left so that the knees stack over the feet. You can place blocks under the knees if needed. Be directly on top of the sitting bones with both sit bones level on the floor. Clasp the knees with the hands and use the arms to pull the length of the spine forward and up. Draw the belly button toward the spine and extend the spine long, raising the crown of the head to the ceiling. Lift and open the chest. Maintain a soft and steady gaze…”

\ During a dark dream that makes no sense, I imagine I am teaching a yoga class for a group of anxious hostages. We are in a small fitness room in a run-down hotel, and it's just the 6 of us. As we move through the asanas in a hot room, I can see the others breathing rapidly and shallowly. The summer light burns through cracks in the curtains to reveal signs of weariness. Sweating, their skin glistens. I notice them slightly trembling. They are feeling weak and tired because they have not eaten. It's evidenced by their trouble concentrating. Worry covers their faces.

\ I catch a vision of my face in the mirrors around the room and I notice all those signs in my body too. I realize I am a hostage, too. My eyes burn through my image in the mirrors, and I begin panicking, which causes me to wake up.

\ Then, In the dark, I suddenly twist to sitting and notice I am really awake, and this was a nightmare.

\ I have been having trouble sleeping because of worry.

\ I throw water on my sweaty skin as I remember the parable of the frog that sat in a pot of cold water but was cooked when the water slowly increased.

\ The world is changing so fast.

Are the changes permanent?

\ A few weeks ago, I got this book at the library: 500 Great Ways to Save by the Experts at AARP. I know that I feel the pinch with so many necessities costing more than before. The book, published recently and catering to the elderly, offers tips on how to save on groceries and gas. The truth is that these are personal stopgaps for the real problems of global change and inequality. It's almost like we are human ostriches, our heads buried in our personal problems to avoid the larger issues that are holding us hostage.

\ I have taken a class from a group called Terra.do, and during the class, I was exposed to a game called Climate Fresk that helped me learn about the multifactorial nature of climate change. Climate Fresk is an interactive workshop that uses a card game to teach people about climate change. It’s based on scientific facts from the Nobel Prize-winning IPCC climate report and aims to raise awareness and encourage action on climate change. I learned to become a facilitator for Climate Fresk through classmates at Terra.do and I have been planning a peaceful, educational Climate Fresk event at a local library.

\ As I was preparing all the materials for the demonstration, I came across this quote, “Conquer yourself and not the world,” which was attributed to René Descartes. This quote helped me realize that the point of creating this climate change demonstration isn’t to change the world at all. It’s to help people see things differently on an individual level. This awareness might help them change their perspectives and answer questions about what’s happening in the world. I think it’s especially important to do this because it can help with climate anxiety. The Climate Fresk activity is a complex discussion but can bring clarity to those who participate in it as an educational experience.

The idea of conquering yourself initially was confusing to me, but I am interpreting it this way: Conquering oneself is a way of working on yourself to manage and reduce your many difficult qualities. These can include anxiety, fear, worry, greed, envy, and regrets. The consequences of these faults have long-lasting repercussions, but by working to counteract them – the process of conquering ourselves – we will be able to make an indelible impression on others in our circles and, ultimately, the world. Some of the outcomes of climate change are the challenges of growing inequality, natural disasters, armed conflicts, and human health challenges. For this reason, internal change on an individual level to support more peaceful and equitable practices might make a tremendous difference in the future.

\ There are so many complex factors that are causing this difficult life situation we are all facing at this time. The mixed emotions that many people have about the phenomenon cause distress, worry, and disaster-related financial problems. Targeting anxiety through education and greater awareness is what this upcoming Climate Fresk presentation we have been planning is intended for.

\ I remember that at a previous job, I heard someone say, “It's a systems issue.” They used the phrase to indicate that there isn’t anyone to blame, but the overarching systems are not working properly. It’s the systems that create the problem.

Fighting and shifting blame won’t help. We are all hostages here.

\ When I was a child, my mother used to tell me not to point. “Don’t do that!” she said. She especially referred to when it came to shifting blame.  She said that when you point at someone, the other fingers curl under to gesture with your index finger pointing back at you. When you shift blame at another, your own hand gives the blame back to you.  There is something in the idea.

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\ Where can we go from here? We are all trapped in this room, and it's heating up.

\ I imagine a supermachine Transformer that can shapeshift and fly through the sky or a superhero with special skills far beyond the capacity of a mere mortal. Could they do anything against a broken system?

\ No.

It starts with peaceful and nonviolent understanding.

The hero looks like you and me.

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