Transforming the Eco-Anxious

Overcoming the Eco-Anxieties of Youth: Can Coaches Help?
Part 1 (11:00-11:45 AM)
A Lancet study* in 2021 of 10,000 youth in 10 developed countries discovered that 56% of youth between 16 and 25 years of age believed that “humanity is doomed” because of our changed climate. Is it possible for coaches and teachers to help these youth relieve their eco-anxious distress by showing them a new way to look at living in the mid-twenty first century? How can they discover happiness in their lives amidst the new environmental conditions?
In the U.S.A., there are 50m students, 4m teachers, and almost a million retired teacher/educators. Can coaches facilitate the involvement of adults in alleviating the eco-stressors of youth?
After a discussion of possible solutions to this problem, the ideas of Pierre-Eric Sutter (a French existential therapist) will be presented. The Transform Eco-Anxiety Training Manual (written at the USA 10th-grade reading level) will be examined.
*https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(21)00278-3/fulltext

“Living Well with Your Eco-Anxiety”
Part 2 (11:45-12:30 PM)
Individuals who have become curious, informed, and aware of today’s ecological situations often experience the stress of eco-anxiety. This psychological distress (which is not a pathology) can be examined and overcome through the use of therapy, as can many mental health distresses.
Over the last six years, Sutter has developed a step-by-step process which describes how to face your eco-anxiety and then learn to shift your awareness into eco-activities which will bring fulfillment into your life. Like using a road map, you find out where you are, where to go, and how to get there. There are 11 stepping stones that can lead a confused eco-anxious individual towards realizing fulfillment through an eco-project and the lifestyle changes that it brings about. Sometimes you need to back up a stone and then move forward again. His 2023 book entitled “Living Well With Your Eco-Anxiety: Take Care of Yourself by Taking Care of the World” (“Bien vivre son eco-anxiete: Prendre soin de soi en prenant soin du monde”) carefully describes the path to take.
Part 1 and Part 2 will each include a breakout room and a short discussion. Feel free to join us for either or both of them.