8. How to Deal With Climate Change as a Mom
How to Deal with Climate Change as a Mom
Hey Everyone,
I know we would probably prefer to not talk about climate change, because it’s intense, but I feel like it will be better for our mental health and the future if we do.
What does climate change have to do with Yoga, you might ask? Well, Yoga makes us more responsive to change, and keeps our bodies and minds fit enough to deal with unforeseen challenges, like those brought on by the kinds of loss we see during hurricane and wildfire seasons, which are going off right now.
And without breathable air, drinkable water, and a stable food supply, we won’t do much of anything, but try to survive.
And survival is something Moms know really well. We live in that mode, some of us for years. Maybe that’s why we tend to be good at preparing what is needed for our family’s well-being, whether that’s during a weekly grocery run, or packing up before an outing.
I’m willing to bet that by allow ourselves to really feel what’s going down on planet Earth, our Mom-superpowers will kick in, and we will carry our loved ones and communities out of harm's way, like the heroines we are. We are, as we know, capable of extraordinary feats.
But, if you’re thinking about bailing on this episode because you’re just trying to get through this day, and I feel you, I promise to make you feel better about this than you would by ignoring it.
Kinda like a certain three year-old who says he doesn't have to pee, even though he squirms around while trying to build train tracks…
By the end of this episode, we will get to a place where we can acknowledge what’s happening, and move forward with less anxiety and more energy to create the future we want for our kids.
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Welcome to Yoga for Mom-Life. I’m Susana Jones, and I’m here to help you not just survive early motherhood, but to make it kinder on our bodies, our minds, and our hearts. With minimalist yoga and sage wisdom at their fingertips, Moms know exactly how to use their free time, and live a more centered, vibrant life.
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Whether we consider ourselves environmentalists or not, we suffer when our environment is unwell. Kind of like feeling uneasy when our kids aren’t OK.
But because life is so full and our responsibilities don’t let up, it’s easy to forget, or swiftly move on after a natural catastrophe that didn’t upend your life no longer dominates the headlines.
And no, we really can’t pour our whole hearts into every thing happening everywhere at the same time, but I would imagine that below the surface, we’re holding onto some vague, unease, or like me, full-blown anxiety. I get it the most when I have throw stuff away. Yikes.
As I learned in an iRest Yoga Nidra training with Richard Miller, it can really help to name what it is we’re feeling. For reasons I can’t totally explain, but know from experience, it helps us move forwar d, rather than getting owned by that emotion.
So. Here are 3 steps for processing climate change as a Mom:
Let yourself feel what is going on with Mother Earth
Soothe your Self in Nature
Treat Nature like family
Now, In a culture that’s big on quick-fixes, it’s easy for someone like me to urge people in my hometown to use the new organic waste recycling the city started offering, for example.
Again with my climate anxiety about throwing stuff away. The struggle is real for me, but municipal composting is freaking rad, and I feel a little better every time I empty out my stainless steel kitchen bucket of coffee grinds and veggie stems into my green bin outside to be carried away by a guy in a truck on Fridays. It’s the best, and it keeps a huge amount of methane from wafting off our local landfill.
But! Without addressing those vague, disquieting emotions, which drain our life-force, our efforts to be more green at home may fizzle out. Processing things at the emotional level can boost the effects of your actions on behalf of the Earth.
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Feeling our feelings can happen in layers, like picking rose petals. Mmm.
Behind our hesitation to go there may be fear, and the fear may be of pain, and the pain may really come from our absolute love for this world. This was stated very heartfully by Buddhist scholar and environmental activist Joanna Macy in an Ecopsychology course I took earlier this year. She says that it is love that will pull us through this ecological crisis.
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After letting yourself feel your feelings, it would be good to soothe yourself in Nature. This could look like stepping outside at dusk, and noting the transition from day into restful night. It could look like a Sun-salutation on a patio come daylight. Or my personal favorite, bare feet in the green, summer grass.
These are just a few ways we can calm, or energize, or balance ourselves out with elements of Nature that work within the time and energy constraints of your life as a Mom.
As an example, I let myself be mesmerized by the view from my co-working office window, which looks out to dense greenery beside the San Diego River. The fractalesque movement and sway of foliage drew me into a calm, alert state. It reset my nervous system from getting overwhelmed, and helped me feel more connected to a vital ecosystem that I hardly ever think about.
Now that this body of water and the little yellow butterflies that live there are back on my radar, I care about them more. I think I’ll take my boys there for a walk, quack at the ducks, and probably pick up some plastic nearby.
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After being moved at the heart level, and bringing ourselves back into physical connection with the natural world, we can begin to treat Nature as family. To consider Mother Nature when preparing for our trips, our playdates, and our children’s birthday parties, is to consider our well-being, and that of the planet our kids will inherit.
In the First Five Years of our children’s lives, they are so teachable. While they’re learning about relationships from us, with their friends and their teachers, let’s foster their relationship with Nature, too. We can develop a kinship, much like the oneness with Nature that is upheld by Indigenous communities around the world, who, by the way, do 90% of the conservation work happening on our planet. Think about that.
What’s good for the Earth is good for us, and while our culture slowly comes to that conclusion,and others have known it for millennia, we are, thankfully, very busy as a species innovating more planet-friendly, equitable ways to meet our needs. And those endeavors deserve our time, money, and attention more than other stuff we look at every day. Again, where our attention goes, energy flows. Energize what matters here.
As we continue to evolve as a technical species, let us not forget that we are made of the Earth. Even though we’ve come too far to do like the early hunter-gatherers did, keep Nature in your life, and the life of your kids, ‘cause if we stop communing with Nature, our motivation to preserve it will dry up. And our souls are very thirsty for what Nature alone can offer.
As the environmentalist Julia Butterfly Hill stated, “if your hope is committed in action, then hope is alive in the world.” Mine is, and I hope yours is, too.
To keep your body, mind, and soul afloat in turbulent times, join my on-demand membership of time-efficient, mom-centered yoga, breath work, and guided relaxation at yogaformomlife.com. Thanks for tuning in, and sharing this show with the Moms you love.
Until next Suzday, it’s Yoga for Mom-Life, and it’s about time.
