ECO-ANXIETY SUPPORT GROUP
Climate change, super storms, rising sea levels, large-scale pollution—do these problems seem large, looming, intractable? If you’re feeling vulnerable, dis-empowered, or burnt-out, you’re not alone: eco-anxiety is a real phenomenon that is beginning to be recognized and named by psychologists. Addressing these heavy feelings in a community can be a way of generating the personal resilience needed to cope with an uncertain future.
Waterspirit hosts eco-anxiety peer support groups using the Good Grief Network’s “10 Steps to Personal Resilience and Empowerment in a Chaotic Climate” method as a program that is open to the public worldwide. The Good Grief Network offers multi-modal techniques that help facilitate the metabolizing of heavy feelings that can distract us from our work in the world. This methodology provides the missing piece that helps prevent activism fatigue and burn out. These tools are necessary for those of us looking to sustain ourselves for the long haul.
Waterspirit’s Spring 2025 introductory session has been scheduled for Thursday Feb 20 at 7pm. Register to attend this introductory, informational session that will introduce the group's methodology, giving you an opportunity to meet the facilitators and ask any questions prior to committing to the 10 weeks.
More information about the Good Grief Network and the 10 steps is available on their website.
See Waterspirit featured in this video from Reuters, “Mental Health Experts See Spike in Eco-Anxiety” (October 2019), view Waterspirit’s Executive Director Blair Nelsen’s talk “Understanding Eco-Anxiety” (October 2020), given at the Red Bank Public Library, New Jersey and check out Waterspirit’s Public Policy & Justice Organizer leading a talk for the Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education (ANJEE) Eco-Anxiety: Feeling Our Feelings Into Meaningful Action (January 2022).
Executive Director Blair Nelsen recently shared an article about how spiritual communities can address heavy climate feelings like climate grief and eco-anxiety. Read her article in Earth and Altar magazine HERE.
Testimonials
“If you are looking for a group that is willing to hold space for you to share your deepest feelings without fear of judgment then this is for you. I came to realize that although I am a minister who works with others along these lines when it came to expressing my own feelings I had some difficulty in doing so. Through this program I came to understand that you cannot effectively be there for others until you heal yourself.”
“This is a great program to help you come to terms with the terrifying impacts of climate change by speaking freely and listening to kindred spirits. Beyond that, it can help you understand yourself better and to identify the small ways that you can make a difference in the face of a seemingly intractable problem.”
“The 10-Step program was an excellent way to connect with others and remind myself that I’m not alone in my eco-grief. It was very helpful to have constructive steps to work through each week!”
“I’m a sustainability professional and have dedicated my career to climate work, but often experience overwhelming thoughts of climate related anxiety and guilt about my personal carbon footprint and lack of power. Going through the Waterspirit 10-Step program provided me a dedicated space each week to explore and discuss these feelings with others around the country going through similar situations. It was a comforting space for connection amidst a chaotic world, and I will think about many of the inspirational stories and soothing tactics often for the foreseeable future.”
“I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in the 10-Step Eco-Anxiety Support Group. Our group was intergenerational and the opportunity to share our concerns in an open, authentic and meaningful conversation meant a great deal. It truly was a privilege to spend ten weeks with interesting people and talk about things that really matter. ”
“The ten step program was exactly what I had hoped for...a place to grieve the destruction of our home as well as a place to encourage one another in finding meaning in the midst of the climate emergency. I feel empowered to live the life I have been afraid to for so many years. In a way, my life will be segmented into 2 parts: pre- and post- Waterspirit.”
“Eco-Grief was the term I needed to see and say out loud to recognize the deep and heavy emotions I have been experiencing for some time now. From my community leadership experiences, I know peer-to-peer support results in significant benefits for the individuals and the collective. This 10 step group helped me explore my own emotional fortitude in a calm, safe space, with others-not alone. We didn’t foresee the COVID-19 breakout in January 2019, but I am so beyond utterly grateful I was already connected to this term, my fellow participants and the growing 10-Steps group resources. I look forward to participating again and I encourage other community leaders and activists to check it out.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed the Waterspirit 10-Step Eco-Anxiety group. I felt relaxed and was able to express many feelings I have regarding our current environmental crisis. The facilitator, Abbey, provided a well-structured, safe environment and went above and beyond in providing resources each week. Although I work in the mental health field, I was looking for a place where I could relieve some of my own thoughts among friends. I found it in this group. Thank you Abbey and Waterspirit! I would do it again!”
