We have to give ourselves permission to not show up perfectly.
Showing up consistently for the climate crisis is hard. In a time full of unprecedented floods, wildfires, hurricanes and droughts it is hard to know how much you personally can handle looking at. If we don't care for ourselves it is hard to stay present and consistently show up for the fight.
~~~ A good place to start is by addressing the anxiety ~~~
- If we stay stuck in the overwhelm we can't move past to action. It's important to feel your emotions and acknowledge where you are at.
2. Remove judgement and expectation from yourself and others. Find a way to honour where your at.
3. Look honestly at your unique circumstances and decide what responsibility you can take on. A lot of people give up because they feel like they must show up for every protest, sign every petition, become vegan instantly, become a zero plastic consumer instantly etc... This is still being stuck in the overwhelm. No one person can save the world so pick a few things that matter to you, make time for them and be consistent !
4. Develop a relationship with nature and sustainability that is unique to YOU. This is how we can move through the overwhelm. We can move our eco goals from feeling like chores to things that make sense with who we are and feed our passions.
5. Connect with people who are supportive of your goals. It could be as simple as mentioning it to a friend and seeing if they share your view. Finding ways to feel like you're not alone in the crisis is crucial to our ability to show up long term.
From here we can root ourselves in long term goals that we want to make room for. It could be fundraising annually through your tattoo shop, finding eco responsible shops to guest spot in, activism around local policy or organizing a book club on sustainability. Allowing yourself the room to discover who you are in this context is key! And it feels good.