Anxiety. No doubt you have heard of this unpleasant feeling, or better said fear or apprehension. Every one of us has feelings of anxiety. But what is it like to have climate anxiety? 

On 3 January, our young ambassadors met with Miroslava Šudila Žilinská, psychologist and researcher at the Institute of Social Communication Research of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. The aim of the meeting was to discuss and introduce climate anxiety, its symptoms and methods of coping with it. It was not just a presentation, but we stood out of our comfort zone and created a safe and open space for discussion.

In addition, we played several games and activities, one of which was a warm-up activity called line. We stood in the middle of the room and imagined a line. The line represented a scale of our feelings from 0 to 10, with 0 being very positive and 10 being super scary or very negative. Miroslava made statements like, "What is your motivation when it comes to fighting climate change in Slovakia at the moment?" or "Are you hopeful about the future and climate?". Our task was to express our feelings by moving on the scale so that we could literally imagine how we feel and how others react to the same topic. 

The meeting showed us that discussion in general is very necessary. When it comes to climate change, we need a young generation to stand up for the right decisions, but at the same time, we need to take care of this generation and not let it burn out. The climate crisis is undoubtedly a difficult subject. One can reach a level of burnout, fear for the next generation and a feeling of helplessness.

This meeting brought some tips for dealing with a crisis that we want to share with you: 

Cooperation with others is important! Better said: Sharing is caring! Talk to your friends about your feelings, stress or lack of motivation. 

Accept it. It's easy to say, but it's very important not to fight it, all the more to talk to your anxiety. Writing to yourself or about what you are feeling is a great method on the road to acceptance. 

No room for shame. If you feel that your current condition is beyond your control, take advantage of therapy and book a session. There is one inexhaustible rule - you can't be helpful until you help yourself. Help yourself first!