Welcome to day nine.
On day eight,
We explored finding strength with others.
Today our focus is living with knowledge and intention.
Before we begin,
Let's take a few deep grounding breaths here in our safe and supportive space.
Relax your body wherever you are and take in a few breaths,
Breathing in through the nose,
Holding the breath,
Bringing it up,
And then releasing through the mouth.
Do this a couple more times.
The climate crisis is not going to go away,
And it asks a lot of everyone who is woken up to its seriousness.
As you respond more deeply to the earth's damage,
You need to plan for the long term.
The earth is asking you to change in ways that may be difficult for you.
How will you maintain the changes you are going to make?
How will you keep motivated?
How will you find the strength to carry on when you are tired,
Meet opposition,
Or attempted to give up?
Accept that change is a process which takes time.
The distress you feel is real and it has a serious cause,
But if you can find support to stay with the dark feelings,
To talk about them,
And reflect on what they mean,
Then you will slowly realize that they are pointing you towards the need to change.
As you make those changes,
You'll gradually become able to leave the dark feelings behind.
Their intensity will lessen,
And you'll recover your sense of joy and purpose in life.
You'll have days when the dark feelings return,
Times when you feel full of bleakness of the climate crisis again.
But for most people,
The acute feelings ease.
When they do recur,
Most people find that if they look for support and use the practices that they know are restorative for them,
Such as meditation or time in nature,
They emerge a little stronger each time.
Motivation and strength don't always come from within side yourself alone.
Because of this,
You'll need to involve yourself in a web of people who can provide mutual support and encouragement.
Again,
It could take time to find this web,
To build the connections and to trust the people you have found.
Allow yourself the time to do this.
Put your roots down firmly into the new soil you find yourself in.
Gradually let yourself root in bed into the new world of caring deeply about the world we all share.
And you'll almost certainly find that you're stronger and more resilient than you thought.
Occasionally,
People find that the support of others,
The determination to make changes,
And the restorative practices we've spoken about aren't enough to help them make the transition out of anxiety and depression.
If this is the case for you,
Then don't be afraid to look for professional help.
Some sessions with a climate-aware psychotherapist or counselor may help you find the perspective and understanding that you need and gently move you towards finding your place more comfortably in the web of people who are concerned and active.
Before I practice today,
We'll write a list.
I'll give you some space here to find a pen and paper or perhaps a device to type on.
Today,
We'll be creating a support list.
Write down the areas you are needing support and community in and why.
Think of all the areas you're needing support and community in and why.
Spend a few moments in reflective writing practice here,
And I'll return soon.
Good.
Over the next days and beyond,
Take this practice with you.
Reflect on it and begin filling in this list with the names of people or organizations that could help support you in these areas.
Reach out to them.
Reach out for support.
Now,
Send gratitude for yourself for this practice.
Thank your mind for supporting you in this practice.
Our action step for day nine is to set long-term goals for yourself.
Some people like to set aside an amount of time each week for community or political activity on the climate.
Some people like to plan for how they will reduce their personal carbon footprint by 50%.
Others like to choose a few specific actions that they can do regularly.
Make a plan that is ambitious,
Sustainable,
And enjoyable for you and those you love and care about.
Cheers to completing day nine.
Tomorrow on day 10,
We reflect on where you are now and how you plan your future.
You plant your third tree to help fight climate change.
I look
