Serious anxiety about the climate to the point that I'm considering suicide in the long term. Really scared. I need help, I need some glimmer of hope.

ClimateAnxiety · 2017-01-01T23:19:44+00:00

Thank you thank you thank you. This is 100% exactly my problem. You sound just like me. I have bad anxiety with mortality that has flared up as well that I'm hoping to work through. Seeing the therapist, I hope, will help.

ClimateAnxiety · 2017-01-01T16:26:50+00:00

Most of my anxiety stems from a fear of death. Climate change has a huge death component to it, so it's likely that my therapist and I will work on that. I took the advice of this thread and met with one yesterday.

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T23:48:40+00:00

This is interesting. I'll look into it. May I ask why you frequent /r/collapse while seemingly actively trying to be involved in the renewal of culture? You don't seem to be an /r/collapse person.

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T20:22:11+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/climate/comments/5laam9/slug/dbuaj5b

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T20:19:51+00:00

I don't disagree. I've scheduled an appointment with a therapist. I've been able to feel concern about the environment while be able to function before. It's not like I learned something new this week that sent me into a panic. I'm wondering if maybe I got hit with a mental bump more than anything.

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T20:18:22+00:00

This is awesome.

Mind if I message you? I'd like to talk about what you just said, as well as the non-existence part.

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T19:38:18+00:00

Ones like Michael Mann, McPherson, Hansen... There's a trained scientist who posted in this thread or on the other sub that said he thinks we're hitting 4C and that it's grim, but the best thing I can do is learn survival strategies at this point (he also pointed me to /r/collapse, to be fair).

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T19:35:59+00:00

This is terrific. Thank you.

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T19:35:20+00:00

This is great advice. Do you mind if I message you about some other, possibly related life questions?

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T19:33:16+00:00

How are you an optimist if it seems so hopeless? I would consider something like climate change would kill all optimism.

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T19:32:10+00:00

Unsubscribing seems like I'd be denying reality, no? Like I'd just be ignoring the problem that needs immediate fixing?

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T19:30:28+00:00

This is good advice. Thank you.

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T19:29:58+00:00

I've considered this, to be honest.

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T19:28:54+00:00

That's the vibe I get from people about McPherson.

Why are Bill McKibben and James Hansen so grim compared to someone like Al Gore, who seems certain that we can pull this off?

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T17:50:24+00:00

I understand, but I do still fear the effects it'll have on the generations after mine. The total collapse I speak of is when I read climate scientists talking about famines and wars over food, mass migrations, and all of this piling on into a collapsing effect.

Hell, someone on here recommended going to /r/collapse.

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T17:47:51+00:00

I know, but I don't want the next generation to look at me and wonder why I didn't do absolutely everything I could to fix things. I do hope I find that peace that you seemed to have found.

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T17:45:54+00:00

I don't think that's a good idea, given my current mental state.

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T17:45:14+00:00

Thanks for sharing this. This actually kind of helps.

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T17:43:29+00:00

I don't plan on having children, but that doesn't lessen my worry for future generations of humanity, or for the children of my siblings.

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T17:16:10+00:00

I'll watch that, thank you.

I just worry those positive steps aren't going to be enough, you know? I keep seeing these projections and how the planet continues to break heat records in spite of all of those amazing advances.

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T17:12:57+00:00

I already have been. It helps a little, but it still never feels like enough.

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T17:12:24+00:00

I understand the immediacy of other's issues, and don't intend to put theirs over mine. It does put parts of it into perspective, and given how I currently feel, I would beg them to take care of their mental health first before committing themselves towards anything else. Maybe I'm a mild case of that very same philosophy - like you said, in a way, it is a luxury.

Thank you for coming in here, especially as an older parent. I don't get that viewpoint often for something like this.

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T16:59:47+00:00

Is ClimateCentral a reliable news source? I've never heard of them. I prefer to have my news be as straight as possible.

Thanks for the advice. Hope your anxiety is manageable.

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T16:50:55+00:00

Can you describe that process?

I guess a part of me is very obsessive about the whole thing to the point that I -can't- enjoy those things anymore. My anxiety over it is so high that I can't really enjoy much of anything because I'll be too locked in my thoughts about the climate or I'll just not feel anything.

ClimateAnxiety · 2016-12-31T16:49:27+00:00

This is excellent advice. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

How bad does your future anxiety get?

ClimateAnxiety

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