I’ve been reading mixed reviews of the outcomes of COP 26, the climate conference that took place in Glasgow recently. Some experts have said it was a total let-down, failing to galvanise the urgency that’s needed. Others have said it was another step forward and without the COP events, we would be much further into runaway climate change.
Image: Lina Trochez, unsplash
Whatever these experts say, the one huge benefit I’ve seen as a result of COP 26 is greater awareness and communication around climate, sustainability and the change that’s needed at individual, organisation, local and national levels. With that awareness, comes a greater desire in people to take action. But, it can also bringing overwhelm with it.
From everything I’m seeing and hearing, this overwhelm is showing up in two ways:
What’s happening with the climate. Questions can pop up like, “How can I get more hopeful when it feels like the change that’s needed feels too big? I feel guilty and a bit ashamed that I’m not doing as much as [insert name of someone you’re comparing yourself to]. How on earth can I keep going?”
Knowing what action to take – “what’s the best thing I can do? Is recycling enough? Do I need to know more? What about the science – should I understand more about it? What’s going to make the biggest difference? Why should I bother doing [insert the action you decide to take] if no-one else is doing enough?”
So, sometimes, it’s easier just to keep doing what you’ve been doing to avoid the overwhelm – which I’ve done and seen others do too in the past.
1. It’s not just you
This is the same as any change we face - whatever you’re going through, I can pretty much guarantee that someone else will have had those same feelings or thoughts. Talking to others who are thinking in a similar way and sharing your experiences and thoughts can be helpful. It can be a relief to say things out loud to an empathetic ear and could help someone else too.
Try to avoid judgement – including of yourself and comparing yourself to others. It’s a futile exercise and a complete waste of energy.
2. This is a marathon, not a sprint
Although we need greater urgency to drive change – whatever that change might be - we’re not going to do it overnight. We need to maintain a steady pace if we’re going to introduce and maintain shifts that are needed.
As with any change, we need to look after our wellbeing and so our resilience. We can’t continuously firefight or we’ll just run out of steam and that will help no-one. You can use this same principle with organisation change too – you just can’t do everything at once.
3. There’s loads of expertise out there
There are a multitude of folk with oodles of knowledge, expertise and advice who have been operating in the world of change, climate and sustainability for a long time. There are coaches, communication and change specialists, naturalists, scientists and financial experts to name a few. They’ve shared some really useful content to draw on.
But alongside developing the intellectual aspects of change, don’t forget to take care of the emotional responses that change can bring too - talking and listening can make all the difference with this. (see point 1).
4. Find your own balance around knowledge
There’s a shedload of science around climate change. I know the basic difference between the impact that methane has on the environment versus carbon, but for me, I absolutely don’t need to know how molecules work. Find your own balance of what you feel comfortable in knowing but be assured you don’t need to know everything. There are others who can help fill the gaps – see point 3.
5. You can’t do everything
Back to point 2 – you can’t do everything. If you need it, ask for support in prioritising what will work best for you and where you feel you can make the biggest difference. That could be supporting a local group in your area, choosing to buy fewer goods in plastic, litter-picking, writing to your MP, joining a political party or protesting. The list goes on. There is no right or wrong. Do what works for you.
6. Community wins
One of the four aims for COP 26 was ‘Work together to deliver’. I’ve found and heard from others that seeking out folk who want to make a difference and having a space to share ideas and talk about feelings in those spaces can really help. Whether that’s a local green group, a networking organisation or online forums. Community always helps in any change – there’s strength in numbers.
I used a phrase last week which has become a bit of a mantra for me – whatever thoughts I have and whatever action I take is about helping me to balance hope and fear. And hope is the best thing we all have, to create any change we want to see.
If you want to chat about how to build your wellbeing and resilience in change or communicate better to create and drive change or share ideas about action around the climate crisis, I’d love to chat.