Sarah Birch

"The time has come for us to reimagine everything." —Grace Lee Boggs

You can now find the replay of our live conversation with climate & health coach Sarah Birch @foxybirch via our YouTube channel. youtube.com/watch?v=eM_OXY…

"We do not create the space of clear seeing with our usual method. No questioning, no analysis, no distinctions - just bearing witness to what’s present. The less we sort, judge, categorize or distinguish, the more we see and feel." —Margaret Wheatley

Just realizing I will be supporting two groups of folks through support groups for (with @GoodGriefNetwk) climate grief going into and past #COP26 Big breath, I think extra care, rest and love will be needed. Big things lie ahead of us, humans, big things. #climateemergency

@coatofhopes @CreatingCop26 i love this, thank you for doing this.

What is the Coat of Hopes? … #coatofhopes #COP26 #COP26Glasgow coatofhopes.uk

Conversations with fellow #climate policymakers. We are too scared to say things like "extinction", "civilization end" "breakdown". We think its too "Doomy", that's because for too long we were made to feel like the outsiders, the loonies in the room. We have to be brave now.

How does climate change make you feel? We have an amazing opportunity for UK 16-24 year olds to try tools to help them process their feelings about the environment and help improve them for other young people in the future. Find out more at tinyurl.com/92zzubed

“This is an emotionally mentally healthy response,” Hickman (@Carolinehickma) said of the distress the survey revealed. “The external reality is increasingly frightening. I would worry about people not having this response.” newrepublic.com/article/163683…

@GoodGriefNetwk Thank you for sharing!

An offer to connect:

The #climatecrisis is rapidly becoming a mammoth #mentalhealthcrisis. People are either awake and terrified, or asleep and in denial. Few are in a space of acceptance with coping mechanisms in place to take action. We need guides & anchors to help navigate the emotional storm.

My next Affiliate 10 Step/10 week Online Support Group for #ecoanxiety /#climategrief / Climate Burnout based on the @GoodGriefNetwk 10 steps, Starts 30 Sept 20:00-11:30GMT+2 weekly. Sliding scale for payments, some bursary spots available! Sign up: retreats.sarahbirchcoaching.com/10week

@EcoAnxiousCa I think a big part of ecoanxiety is loss - loss of our cultural norms and behaviours. A big part of working through eco-anxiety is coming to a place of acceptance that the world we live in now is ultimately different, even with our best actions taking place. Acceptance + Action

What's one thing you want young people to know about eco-anxiety? Crowdsourcing responses from #climatepsych and everyday folks alike for an upcoming webinar with 18-30 year olds interested in sustainability. Thanks! #ecoanxiety #climateanxiety

@CharlieJGardner @XrYouth Its okay to be conflicted in this day and age. We are all complicit in the madness unravelling in our world, even those of us who have dedicated our lives to good causes. The youth should be making us feel uncomfortable, what else do they have left to do?

I'm a conservationist, I worked for WWF for several years in Madagascar and have done research for WWF UK. I’m also a member of Extinction Rebellion, so this week’s occupation of WWF UK by @XrYouth and others has me slightly conflicted. I fully support it though 🧵1/

#fynmense, my ecology and botany friends attending #fynbosforum this year, you can come join a session I am doing providing a little TLC and emotional support for #ecoanxiety #ecologicalgrief. Dare to join me for something different? fynbosforum2020.co.za/special-sessio…

@GeorgeMonbiot Perhaps they are the ultimate first climate migrants then, given that Denmark will sadly one day be 100% underwater if you look at the worst case scenario maps. Did they know something way back then. hmmm...

For those who need reminding: England is named after immigrants. It's the "land of Ængles": people who came here from what is now Schleswig-Holstein/southern Denmark. Immigrants: coming over here, giving our country its name.

Its been an up and down few weeks since the latest #IPCC reports. Surprised yet not surprised. Worried & simultaneously convinced that we do have time to still get our SH!T together as a human collective. But still all the feelings going on. Who else is #EcoEmo at the moment?

#cop26 is basically going to be the final referendum on whether humans want to exist on this planet or not anymore (so far we voted NO). The problem is only a few elites are voting, and most of the population of the world are squabbling about vaccine conspiracy theories. @UNFCCC

My @GoodGriefNetwk inspired small journaling & support group for #ecoanxiety / #climategrief / facing the #ClimateEmergency with emotional intelligence and held in community - is starting this Friday! Super excited to hold space with others & be held too. We all need support now.

@GoodGriefNetwk 100% agree! I am doing vagus nerve release techniques, and Trauma release exercises regularly. I highly recommend - might be offering classes as a co-lab with my practitioner on this soon for climate-grief and eco-anxiety.

The time to reimagine everything is upon us: our worldviews, our deeply held beliefs, what it means to be human. Know what helps us imagine? Calm nervous systems & feeling safe. What are you doing today to calm your nerves & come back into the present moment?