How to deal with burnout on a burning planet

In this month's Ask a Climate Therapist column, two questions are addressed – both exploring similar themes of burnout and paralysis that arise from two distinct viewpoints. Regardless of where you find yourself on your climate engagement journey, the advice is intended to resonate.

Dear Leslie, a sustainability professional with over 24 years of experience, feels tired and demoralized. Despite following the motto that one only fails when they stop, they feel close to giving up. Should one surrender and declare they tried, or continue trying in a world where influence and control are limited?

The column's respondent, a 31-year-old who knows more about climate change than their peers, has twice declined attending neighborhood canvassing events. The sensation of believing their actions couldn't make a difference in the vastness of the planetary crisis is described as either clarity or fear disguised as reasoning.

Leslie Davenport, the therapist addressing these concerns, recognizes the struggle of feeling equal to the scale of the crisis. She acknowledges the pain of tracking worsening climate impacts and the burden of assuming failure. Davenport proposes that the belief in the need to match the problem's magnitude leads to burnout.

Davenport suggests that cultural shifts come from collective efforts and can be challenging to detect from an individual perspective. She encourages viewing slow progress in one's area of work as a group effort rather than an individual one. This shift in mindset reduces feelings of overwhelm and fosters a sense of belonging to a larger mission.

The "Even As" exercise introduced by Davenport helps hold the tension between the painful truth and the need to stay in the work without letting it flatten one's spirit. This exercise involves stating the harder truth first, followed by another truth that coexists with it. By naming both realities and accepting them, individuals can alleviate the pressure of choosing between pushing harder or giving up.

This practice also opens up a broader view that includes collective effort, allowing individuals to reconnect with the mission and reduce the exhausting weight of individual responsibility.

In conclusion, burnout is a result of feeling responsible for a problem beyond one's control. Recognizing the collective nature of climate change and practicing the "Even As" exercise can help individuals find sustainable ways to engage in the work while maintaining their mental well-being.