The 15th- 21st of May marks the UK’s Mental Health Awareness Week, and this year the theme is ‘anxiety’. Therefore, we thought it was a fitting time to provide this workshop webinar on eco-anxiety.

This workshop provides an opportunity to begin to develop a deeper understanding about what eco-anxiety is, how you might be able to better manage the symptoms, and re-frame your anxiety into tools for climate action.

What is eco-anxiety?

• Do you have a feeling of hopelessness about the world’s willingness and ability to tackle climate change and biodiversity extinction?

• Do you feel helpless yourself in your own actions? What’s the point?

• Do you fear for future generations?

• Is this anxiety or sadness affecting other aspects of your life, your motivation to do things, to interact with friends and family?

Then you may well be suffering from eco-anxiety - a ‘chronic fear of environmental doom’. Eco-anxiety has become an umbrella term for a range of emotional responses, including climate anxiety, eco-anger, eco-sadness etc.

But as with other forms of anxiety, it is not hopeless and you are not helpless; you can re-frame the way you approach the problems of climate change and environmental degradation. It does not mean the environmental crisis doesn’t exist - it does - but you can change the way you interpret it and the way it influences the way you live now and in the future.

How will the session run?

• This 75-minute workshop will take place online via Teams.

• Participants are encouraged to share personal experiences of eco-anxiety and their own perspective of how it impacts their lives, however, if you feel more comfortable not contributing that is fine.

• Online supporting materials will be provided to participants, but given the nature of the issues it will not be recorded, to encourage engagement in discussion.

The workshop will be delivered by Bill Sheate (Imagination Therapy). Bill has over 35 years' experience working in environmental policy as well as being an experienced therapist specialising in anxiety and stress. Uniquely, he brings together both areas of expertise for workshops on eco-anxiety.

The workshop draws particularly on the techniques and disciplines of mindfulness, cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy (CBH), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and metacognitive therapy (see https://www.imaginationtherapy.co.uk/ for further information on CBH).

Reduce the Juice: Connect Eco-Anxiety