Dearest Friends,

Thank you for the gift of your presences and your participation in our most recent gathering!

In our last session, we explored our experiences of ecological anxiety, focusing especially on how we can work with our anxiety in the face of ecological threats that are vast, systemic and ongoing. As always, the first step is remembering that anxiety is an uncomfortable energy whose aversiveness compels us to take action to avert or minimize future threats. The second step is to channel our anxiety into meaningful yet bounded actions that honor individual agency while also recognizing the limits of said agency. In this way, we can alchemize anxiety and transform our fear for the planet into fuel for change.

SUGGESTED PRACTICE:

Sit quietly and take a few moments to attend to your breath. Then silently work with the following prompts:

• What’s a specific ecological thread that’s causing you some anxiety? (Naming the threat precisely prevents the anxiety from devolving into amorphous dread. For example, instead of saying “I’m anxious about global warming,” you can say “I’m worried about what a 40°C summer will look like.”)
• What concrete, manageable and meaningful actions can you take to address the threat? (Maybe you can plant trees in your neighborhood to provide additional shade or make donations to tree planting organizations.)
• What resources can you draw upon as you take these actions? What communities can you join? (Reflecting on the resources you already have available can reduce feelings of helplessness and powerlessness while thinking of communities you can join can transform ecological anxiety into collective resilience.)
• What might you need to accept as unresolvable for now? (Accepting that not every threat can be addressed can reduce feelings of overwhelm and can serve as a doorway to compassion.)
• Finally, what restful and restorative actions can you take after you engage in the efforts you identified? (Deliberately engaging in restorative practices can prevent burnout and keep our ecological anxiety constructive rather than debilitating.)

To conclude, offer gratitude to your anxiety for its vigilant care. End the meditation with these words: May my anxiety serve life. May it protect this precious planet and its equally precious inhabitants. 

REFLECTION PROMPTS:

1. When you think about the state of our planet today, what specific threats make your chest tighten or your stomach drop? How does naming the precise threat shift the way you relate to the experience of anxiety?
2. Can you recall a time when your ecological anxiety pushed you to take action? How did that feel compared to moments when the anxiety left you paralyzed, helpless or hopeless?
3. What practices or places help you restore yourself when your ecological worries feel too heavy? How do these support you in returning to the work of caring for the planet without burning out?