The climate crisis is an everything crisis. It is an environmental crisis, an infrastructure crisis, a political, social, and economic crisis. It’s a health crisis, and it has become an emotional and spiritual crisis.
There are different ways of describing what people might be experiencing, including eco-anxiety, eco-guilt, eco-dread, eco-despair, eco-depression, eco-grief, solastalgia, and biospheric concern. Climate anxiety is so prevalent that it will soon be named as a mental health disorder in the DSM. Among the impacts of this distress is a feeling of paralysis or stuckness. We can become immobilized with distress and unmotivated to act for climate justice.
There is no quick fix, and yet research shows that gathering in community to companion one another is a primary strategy for addressing this distress. Churches are perfectly situated to do this. When we metabolize our feelings together, we prevent becoming paralyzed and can commit to meaningful action together.
UU Ministry for Earth has developed resources for you so you can do just that!
Worship Service (PDF Version Here)