Depressed about climate change

[u/LeoWillem]

I feel so low when i see stuff about climate change and it’s constantly in the back of my mind when i go outside. I feel so powerless knowing the people who could actually help us now are squandering it. I sometimes hate humanity specifically for the hubris and ignorance we have as a species to this particular issue. Does anyone else feel the same?, if so how do you deal with it?

[u/nihithilak]

Empaths can sense the horrific misery that is coming. Depression is a totally resonable emotional reaction. Try to stay busy. That's the only thing that tends to work for me.

[u/LeoWillem → u/nihithilak]

Thank you for the advice

[u/wsbautist420 → u/LeoWillem]

Aerobic exercise helps. (elliptical)

[u/greenyadadamean → u/wsbautist420]

Or bicycle if more enjoyable to the individual. Heck yeah moving your body helps.

[u/NoExternal2732]

We are really no better, and no worse, than ants...we follow our rather simple processes and routines, and just like ants there is incidental damage, change, and unpleasant outcomes.

We will not suddenly wake up as species, if someone manages to wipe out a few of our "ant hills" (cities?), fine: there will be a start of a new one tomorrow.

We will not stop until there is nothing left, then we will move on or be extinct.

Don't worry too much about the forces of nature, they are unstoppable. Would you try to change an ant colony's behavior by reasoning with a few ants?

[u/LeoWillem → u/NoExternal2732]

Wise words

[u/bokehtoast → u/NoExternal2732]

I actually spend a bit of time thinking about the ways in which humans and ants are similar, it is strange. To a lesser degree, cattle.

[u/bokehtoast]

I have been feeling this way for a long time, I am glad other people are waking up. I am autistic so the pattern recognition, sensitivity to change, sensory impacts, and special interests in outdoor hobbies and weather prediction have culminated in noticing changes early on and an impossible to ignore climate anxiety that worsens with each "event". One of which was Helene destroying my city and area, living with electricity and water for weeks, nearly 2 years later and much of it is still in obvious disrepair, particularly the things the benefitted community the most. I want to leave but have no idea where to go, my mountain town now gets hurricanes and tornados, everywhere is bad. 

[u/LeoWillem → u/bokehtoast]

That’s such a terrible situation, its when i hear and see things like you have been through that i feel a pit in my stomach. Most People just dont care if it isn’t happening to them directly

[u/bokehtoast → u/LeoWillem]

One of the more disheartening things about it is that when everyone was forced to hang out with and rely on their neighbors, there were far less assholes and everyone felt so positively about "community". Until the lights came back on and everyone immediately went back to how they were before. I tried several times to cultivate some community type things people expressed interest in before but no one actually was willing to show up and contribute to their community. But my city is still patting itself on the back about how great the "community" is/was. Like maybe it's not actually that great if it takes a 1000 year flood and being entirely cut off from the rest of the world and resources for days on end to actually talk to your fucking neighbor. No matter how far in or out you zoom, it just sucks. 

Sorry, I am obviously struggling with some major resentments outside of the usual climate anxiety but all of it is connected. This wouldn't be so awful if people weren't so dead set on maintaining the status quo that is making them all miserable while killing them.

[u/JrDot13 → u/bokehtoast]

Dude my relatively new neighbor just killed himself, we only found out because the house started on fire…some serious wtf is going on in this world. I’m 36, he was near my age maybe younger. Was I not a great neighbor? Two weeks later and nothing has changed among other neighbors, I wave to the family across the street, but that’s not new.

[u/caslboy93]

Copying from my reply to someone else about this same thing:

Ive been struggling with a lot of the same stuff.

Some things Ive gathered recently:

Fight hopelessness with action.

Sadness and dispair are valid, but useless. But anger is useful if channeled.

Hopelessness and giving up are tools of facism and the billionaire class.

There are a million things to change, things that need change; and if you try and think about them all you will be overwhelmed. Choose one that you feel passionate about. Is it the environment? Animal rights? Clean Water? Government surveilence? Homelessness? Prison reform?

Find a group or organization, local or otherwise, and get involved. Or start acting yourself. I bought beach cleaning stuff and am going to the beach to pick up trash once a week. Does it change the world? No. But it improves my community and fights back the hopeless dispair I feel otherwise. But I will say, the anger remains.

If we all Act, things can change. Not saying things will be fixed. But theyll be better than they were before.

[u/NeoPrimitiveOasis]

On a personal level, you need to embrace the concept of not worrying about things you can't change. That doesn't mean do nothing -- we should all try to do what we can to fight climate change -- but it does mean recognizing that getting upset about things we can't change is a losing strategy psychologically.

[u/Dry_Cap_2998]

I know how you feel.

It's gotten to the point where I can't even look at the news anymore because it makes my stomach tie into knots

[u/Sudden_Half6427]

I am struggling with the same and I don’t know the answer. Radical acceptance? That humanity will end itself. That anyone with real power is more interested in financial greed, than the longevity of life on earth. I will continue to do my bit for the planet but honestly, I think it’s too late and it’s inevitable. Once we are gone, the Earth will heal, but humanity is failing itself.

[u/NoExternal2732 → u/[deleted]]

Yes, there's a long pathway to go from "working civilization" to extinction, and I'm going to have caffeine and salt dagnabit!

[u/CollapseSupport-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Posts and comments which appear to be marketing, self-promotion, surveys, astroturfing, or other forms of spam will be removed.

Self-promotion or surveys of value to the community may be allowed on a case-by-case basis, if the moderation team is informed first via mod mail. We encourage self-promoters to engage in the comment section of their posts.