Mindfulness and Self-Care Help Me Cope with the Climate Crisis

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by

James Walters
in
Mindfulness and Self-Care Help Me Cope with the Climate Crisis

Here we look at; How I Got Back into Mindfulness; My Daily Routine; and If Mindfulness Actually Helps Me. This is one of over 40 ideas in our Sustainability Roadmap with Solutions to Climate Change, and part of our series on Living Sustainably.

If you already know it’s important to take time for yourself, here are the options to get some mindfulness in your life:

  1. #1 Free Meditation App for Sleep, Relax & More
  2. Headspace: Meditation and Sleep Made Simple
  3. Counselling Directory – Find a Counsellor Near You

If you want some more facts before making any decisions, let’s get into the details:

For this piece, I don’t have any stats.

As we’re talking about our wellbeing, I just wanted to do this one from my perspective, in the hope that it can help others.

I’ve been on a huge journey in just the last 12-months.

I Started My Journey in the First Lockdown

Having more time to get back into living in a more sustainable way, I took on an allotment to grow my own food. I had an allotment some years ago, but work consumed my life (and my brain). Work has been like that for a lot of my life.

This time I decided to stop letting work take over.

I started a Biodynamic gardening course in October, 2021. I’d never heard about Biodynamics before. My only expectation of the course was to learn how to grow food like nature; without artificial fertilisers or dangerous chemicals. I also learnt that Biodynamics was about connecting with nature, such as the influences of the sun and moon.

I was blown away by the course, right from the start. I loved it.

During one of the sessions I heard about Kiss The Ground, an organisation in the USA that is championing Regenerative Agriculture as one way to reverse climate change and improve the nutritional quality of food.

I watched the amazing Kiss The Ground documentary with Woody Harrelson on Netflix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iknWWKZOUs

From there, at the same time as continuing the year long Biodynamic Gardening course, I signed up to the Kiss The Ground Soil Advocate training course. The course is 8 modules long and after completing just the first module, I felt like I’d been given all this secret information about the climate crisis.

Into the Rabbit Hole of the Climate Crisis

I learnt how conventional farming and its use of dangerous chemicals is one reason for the growth of so-called modern diseases, like diabetes and cancer.

I learnt that the use of artificial fertilisers and heavy ploughing is destroying topsoil, and if this type of farming carries on there will be no more top soil, no way to grow food, within my son’s lifetime!

I learnt that it’s not about feeding the plants but feeding the soil; feeding the amazing microscopic world beneath our feet, where bacteria and fungi work together with plants, exchanging carbon (absorbed through plants leaves) with nutrients and water (from the ‘healthy’ soil, made healthy by living plants working with bacteria and fungi).

After just that first module of the KTG Soil Advocate course, I decided that I had to get off my back side, get out of a job that I didn’t enjoy, a job that I was only doing for the money, and to get involved with the climate crisis; to use my skills and experience with sales and marketing to reach as many people as possible, to let them know that we all have the power to fix the climate crisis at the same time as improving our lives and the lives of others.

Since then I left my job and started Nafford Junction.

I Got Back into Mindfulness

I spend every day creating content that I hope will help others on their journey with climate change.

That means that I’m exposed to all the information about how bad the climate crisis is; and it is bad (we have to halve global emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050)!

It also means that I’m constantly inspired by amazing people. People that are dedicating themselves to fixing the climate crisis, which is one reason I wanted to do what I’m doing; put all the best information in one place to give everybody a central resource to know how to grow, eat, and live sustainably and help the climate crisis.

I listen to LOADS of podcasts. I read LOADS of articles and books. It’s great to be able to learn so much. It also means I have to deal with a lot, mentally. Without having a way to unwind, to give my brain a rest, I would find this too overwhelming.

I do find it overwhelming, but I’m able to cope because of mindfulness.

I Have a Solid Daily Routine That Includes Mindfulness

I get up, ideally at 5am.

I get some writing or research done first thing, before the world is awake (at least, that’s how it feels to me, super early in the morning, sitting in my office with a cup of green tea and some nice music on).

I give Arthur the Daddy alarm at about 6.30 (to see if he’s awake, if not I wait until 7am).

We get dressed, have breakfast, do our teeth at 8am, play for a bit more then off to school at 8.25am.

If there’s time we play in the park on the way to school.

I get back home at about 8.50 then go for a run.

My run lasts for about 30-minutes and takes me through some woods and along a river (I’m always happier in nature so I need my fix, away from technology, buildings, people, I never listen to music when I run because I love hearing what’s happening in nature)

When I come back, I sit outside, take off my shoes and socks, stand on the grass (I’ve been trying grounding to help ‘ground’ my body with the earth as a way to get ride of some of the energy that builds up in my body from being around electricity, mobile phone signals, wifi, etc…).

I’ll then take a seat, still with my bare feet on the earth, and do 10-minutes of mindfulness using the InsightTimer app.

Then I jump in a cold shower then get back to writing or doing something with my website or social media.

I’ve been doing that since the start of July 2021, and I notice it. It’s certainly helping me.

With something so big, so existential, I’m able to handle the climate crisis.

It doesn’t stop me feeling overwhelmed.

It doesn’t stop me feeling emotional; sometimes brought to tears at the destruction and greed of the people that are happy to destroy our home, our planet, just for profit…

It doesn’t stop me feeling anger.

It doesn’t stop me feeling guilt, for my part in it.

It doesn’t stop me feeling worried that I gave up a well paid job and I only have enough money to try and inspire others to help climate change without income for the next few months.

What mindfulness does is to help me to channel those emotions.

It helps me use all of what I know in a positive way. Instead of burying my head in the sand, although I do feel like that sometimes, I feel inspired by others and motivated to do something to help.

I Can Feel Mindfulness Helping Me

I’m far from perfect. I make mistakes all of the time.

I’ve always been impatient and competitive, but then again it’s only recently that I’ve started to give my brain and emotions any attention.

So the point of this is to say, the climate crisis is huge. The only way we fix it and become the heroes of our own story is to change the way we live.

Not just recycling more and doing nothing else.

Not just putting our money into an ethical bank or transferring to an ethical pension and doing nothing else.

But, doing all those things and more, by changing our lifestyle.

By living in a way that gives back more than we take, and in a way that could be sustained forever.

Taking a holistic approach to life where those of us that can don’t just think of ourselves—getting a bigger house, buying a bigger car, taking a more expensive holiday, earning more profit just for the sake of it—and instead starting to live in a way where we know we’re part of the human race, and for us to thrive individually we need to support and care for each other so that we thrive together.

That’s a lot to take in and one way to start that journey, that journey of kindness and consideration to ourselves and others, could be helped by mindfulness.

Here Is What You Can Do

Want to Continue Your Journey?

Where Next?

There is so much inspiring information to give you ideas of how to help climate change by growing, eating, and living sustainably, you can:

  1. Read Our Articles
  2. Sign-Up to Our Free Email Newsletter
  3. Get Started and Vote with Your Money
  4. Try the Sustainability Roadmap
  5. Use the Company Directory
  6. Support Nafford Junction

Help Us Inspire Others

If you are passionate about helping climate change, please consider supporting Nafford Junction, you can:

  1. Become a Patron to Give Regular Contributions
  2. Buy Me a Coffee to Make a One-Off Contribution
  3. Create for Us and Publish Thought Provoking Content
  4. Become an Inspiring Leader and Advertise with Us
  5. Go to NaffordJunction.co.uk/support

Sources Used to Create This

  1. #1 Free Meditation App for Sleep, Relax & More
  2. Headspace: Meditation and Sleep Made Simple
  3. Counselling Directory – Find a Counsellor Near You
  4. Kiss the Ground
  5. Kiss the Ground – Official Movie Trailer (2020)
  6. Kiss the Ground Soil Advocate
  7. Detail | 2015 International Year of Soils
  8. Save Bottles and Jars for Homemade Things
  9. How to Switch Bank Accounts to an Ethical Bank
  10. How to Transfer to an Ethical Pension

Production Notes

This was produced by me, James Walters, as a personal project to help stop climate change by inspiring others to grow, eat, and live sustainably.

Any advice given is the opinion of those involved and does not constitute medical, financial, or legal advice.

* We include links we think you will find useful. If you buy through those links, we may earn a small commission. It’s one way to support our work and to inspire as many people as possible.