Climate activists share their top five coping strategies to deal with the health impacts of climate activism.
Introduction
Climate activists are used to fighting against extractivism and the myriad other causes of climate change. Living sustainably and within the limits of the natural world are central values for many activists in the movement. But we can often turn a blind eye to these values when it comes to our own mental and physical health. When faced with the urgency of the climate crisis, taking the time to care for our bodies and minds can feel like a luxury. But care is also a central value in the climate movement: we care and advocate for natural ecosystems, future generations, and frontline communities every day. Extending that care to ourselves, our bodies and our minds, is also crucial.
This is not only about practising self-care, but ensuring our movements and organisations are building intentional cultures of collective care.
While many activists are very aware of the challenges of maintaining mental and physical good health while engaging in climate activism, there is very little empirical evidence pointing to the most effective strategies for achieving this goal.
In 2023 a group of researchers began a project to help build our evidence base on the connections between climate activism and health. This project was a collaboration between The Commons Social Change Library, The University of Queensland, The University of New South Wales and The Sunrise Project. The first part of the project involved reviewing the research on climate activism and health: findings are explained in the article ‘Health and Climate Activism’.
The second part of the project involved interviewing 29 climate activists to learn about their physical and mental health experiences and how they connected these to their participation in climate activism. During the interviews activists were asked to describe their experiences of climate activism and health. This article describes their responses to two particular questions relating to this: 1) how the climate movement could support activists with diverse health needs, and 2) their personal coping strategies for managing their health.
The top five suggestions for how the climate movement itself could support activists with diverse health needs were:
- Talk about it / check in more
- Ensure a diversity of participation options
- Create support networks
- Improve onboarding / welcoming processes
- Value people more
You can read more about these suggestions in the article ‘10 Tips for how the Climate Movement can Improve Experiences for Activists with Diverse Health Needs’.
This article focuses on the the top five strategies activists used to care for their mental and physical health, which were:
- Social connection / support
- Boundaries
- Physical movement
- Mindfulness practices
- Time in nature.
The rest of the article describes each of these suggestions in turn.
1. Social Connection / Support
I am aware that reflecting with another person, or a small group of people is invigorating, and reassuring, and definitely contributes to a sense of well-being. When you’re feeling well, it’s easy to exercise, and you sleep better, and you eat better. So that magnifies itself. (Participant A042)
Maintaining strong social connections can provide vital support for activists facing health challenges. For 15 (65%) activists interviewed, social connection and support were fundamental for physical and mental health. This relationship has been shown in research in other fields that demonstrates how social isolation has been associated with a range of mental and physical health problems (e.g. see this article on the risks of social isolation). Strong social bonds may therefore play an essential role in improving our wellbeing.
Social connection can also bring other benefits. Many activists said that finding solidarity with others who share similar health journeys was a validating experience. For example, one activist emphasised that connecting with peers who also experienced chronic health issues helped to affirm the connection they saw between their health and activism. This then in turn helped to dispel feelings of isolation.
Connecting with other people in the climate movement with chronic health issues and with the same story as me, just to [say], ‘you’re not crazy’, [and] ‘It’s not just an unrelated health issue’ – that has been helpful. (Participant A039)
However, maintaining social connection was difficult for some activists. For example, one activist spoke directly about wanting more opportunities for friendships and connection:
I probably could do with more general social connection [as] that would make me happier. (Participant A001)
On the whole, activists highlighted how maintaining social connection wasn’t just a matter of self-care for them, but also a way of caring for the broader community. As described in the article ‘10 Tips for how the Climate Movement can Improve Experiences for Activists with Diverse Health Needs’, 80% of participants interviewed felt that overall, the climate movement could improve experiences for activists by providing more opportunities to talk about health issues and check-in with each other. A third of the activists interviewed called for the creation of dedicated support networks for climate activists, as well as the importance of creating space to experience joy, music, dance, and pleasure collectively. Prioritising opportunities for support, connection, socialising and even play can be revitalising for those in the movement.
2. Boundaries
Knowing what I know about myself these days, it’s a bit more empowering to assert boundaries when I feel a bit more sure of myself and not second guessing so much. (Participant A086)
Activists noted how setting boundaries was essential for safeguarding both their physical and mental wellbeing. This strategy of boundary setting came up as an important coping strategy for 10 (44%) interview participants, while others noted how their ability to recognise the signs of burnout and prioritising self-care helped to sustain their participation in activism over time. For some this was about recognising the signs of ill health and stepping back sooner, for others it was a matter of creating clear limitations on their work and activism across their daily routines and providing intentional space to switch off. However while some participants felt their boundary setting strategy empowered them, one participant expressed a sadness at the need to assert such strong boundaries:
[I just have to ] say ‘no’ to everything until I actually feel like I can say ‘yes’ again. I’m feeling very emotional just saying that. I think it makes me sad, that that’s where my life’s at. And that’s where so many other activists, community workers, people who are doing stuff out there to try and make the world better [are also at]. (Participant A008)
Activists highlighted how setting boundaries as an individual was not easy. Several participants articulated that where organisations had unrealistic expectations and cultures of overwork, setting boundaries could come with interpersonal and professional costs. As a result, they often felt like the minority in their organisations, experiencing “constant pushback” around their work boundaries. One participant anticipated their career would suffer because they had made the choice to prioritise their health:
I have actively made decisions to put boundaries around that. So, when I sign out of work, I sign out of work. Mentally, it’s probably still there a little bit, but I’m not checking my emails out of work hours, and things like that. And I know that a large part of that is health reasons, energy reasons, and that sort of thing. And I know that that will become more and more limiting as I go on, particularly as a woman of colour… I’ll probably end up just staying at some particular role, and not being able to progress beyond that because I wasn’t able to get more energy to it. And I have chosen not to give more energy to it, because yeah, I think my health is more important. (Participant A009)
While setting boundaries is a valuable coping strategy at the individual level, it is also essential that activists are supported to take these steps by the wider movement. Creating organisational and group cultures that respect down-time and encourage both staff and volunteers to prioritise their health is vital. Many activists interviewed felt that the climate movement needs to have options for participation that cater to different capacities and abilities. One participant felt that campaigning roles didn’t allow activists to be “a whole person”.
It’s very much shaped around this idea that you’re a climate activist, you’re a climate movement person and no other things. (Participant A020)
This can create unrealistic expectations, where activists are required to prioritise the climate movement before everything else in their life. In particular, it can make roles within the movement inaccessible to people with disabilities or caring responsibilities, for example. Providing activists the space to set boundaries may then help them to create and sustain their own personal boundaries. Together, these strategies may support activists as individuals and members of the broader climate movement, as well as sustain their efforts over the long term.
3. Physical Movement
I’d started to do some more physical exercise, and again, that’s been really helpful for my feelings of wellbeing over the last couple of years. (Participant A013)
Many activists (10, 44%) said that engaging in physical exercise not only benefited their overall health but also aids in managing stress and improving their moods. There was no ideal form of exercise, with different activists taking part in activities as diverse as running, swimming and yoga. The important factor appeared to be carving out time to prioritise and engage in physical activities. Engaging in physical activities had a positive flow-on effect for some of the activists: some noted improved sleep and general wellbeing, while others said that it provided a much-needed reset amid the demands of their activism. In practice, this was difficult for many activists to do, however. Some interview participants found that since joining the climate movement, they were neglecting physical activity and exercise.
I don’t exercise as much as I could, because I feel this sort of frantic need to do as much as I can all the time so that’s not good. (Participant A001)
The culture of urgency within the climate movement can make it difficult for activists to take the time to care for their physical and mental health. Another participant talked about neglecting their body since becoming involved in activism, but they also described how their partner helped to support and encourage them to exercise. These comments suggest that an individual’s priorities, values and practices aren’t developed in isolation, but through their communities and the norms that are enacted in those communities. Having supportive networks may help to reinforce cultures of care, which we can then extend to our own bodies and minds.
4. Mindfulness Practices
Mindfulness meditation as a life skill is so valuable, but of course, it does actually more immediately help reduce stress when you’re practising it. (Participant A040)
Mindfulness practices, such as meditation, offered invaluable tools for managing stress and cultivating resilience for nine activists (39%) interviewed. They recounted how their meditation practices helped them navigate the emotional toll of activism and allowed them to foster a deeper connection with themselves and the natural world. Different activists had different approaches to mindfulness. Some had a consistent daily meditation practice, and others saw mindfulness practices as tools they could use to alleviate stress when they needed. Even during periods of mental health struggle, mindfulness and meditation practices proved helpful in alleviating symptoms for some activists.
My sleep probably hasn’t been as great as it could have been in the last couple of years. But again, I’m glad that I have a well-established meditation practice. Because if I hadn’t had that, I think my mental health would have certainly been more affected. (Participant A013)
Those activists who used mediation, said that it allowed them to connect both with their own internal state, but also with the world around them. One participant found particularly that their meditation practice allowed them to tap into feelings of gratitude and appreciation. They talked about experiencing feelings of “awe and wonder for the beauty and the magnificence of the world”. Creating space for these practices can have a supportive impact on mental health outcomes.
5. Time in Nature
There’s something about spending time in nature …. that time in nature is connecting to something deeper. (Participant A028)
Spending time in nature serves as a grounding force for five of the activists interviewed (22%). These interviewees described the therapeutic value of being in green spaces, as well as how this time reinforced their connection to the environment they were striving to protect. Activists noted the many different forms this time in nature could take, from bush walking to gardening to going to the beach. In each of these cases, spending time outdoors tapped into a reciprocal relationship between their wellbeing and the natural world.
At a broader level, there is growing research into the benefits of spending time in nature on mental and physical health. This research demonstrates how connecting with nature can have multiple benefits, including better sleep, stress reduction, improved mood and increased physical activity. It’s also a great way to build on a meditation or mindfulness practice, taking the time to tap into your senses while you’re outside.
I think I mentioned getting outside in the garden, getting to green spaces. Like, I don’t think I’d be the only person saying that but the most helpful thing is, is making sure that I reconnect and stay connected to nature, because that’s what we’re fighting for and so that, that helps heaps, especially if you can find places where it is sort of a bit more native bush or something like that is really nice. (Participant A001)
Conclusion
Social connection, boundaries, physical movement, mindfulness and time in nature are all valuable coping strategies that activists described employing to support their physical and mental health. But supporting climate activists with diverse health needs requires a multifaceted approach that encompasses both personal coping strategies and collective movement support. By checking in more, offering diverse participation options, creating support networks, improving onboarding processes, and valuing people more, the climate movement can cultivate resilience and solidarity among activists.
For more ways the climate movement can support activists with diverse health needs, see our recent article in the Commons Library.
Explore further
- Health and Climate Activism
- 10 Tips for how the Climate Movement can Improve Experiences for Activists with Diverse Health Needs
- Resources to Cope with Climate Anxiety and Grief
- We Need a Climate Movement that Addresses the Trauma of Fighting for a Burning Planet
- There’s No Place for Burnout in a Burning World
