Does thinking about the state of our planet ever get you down? "Ecological grief” and “climate-anxiety” are just a few of the terms used to describe the sometimes overwhelming sense of loss, despair, and worry that comes from bearing witness to ongoing environmental devastation and the impacts of climate change on ecosystems and human communities. In this workshop, we will explore community and nature connection practices to tend to our eco-emotions. After a short introduction to the topic of eco-emotions and nature therapy, we will engage in a community discussion that includes personal reflection and a guided group "resilience tree" craft. This will be followed by a selection of somatic practices to foster nature connection, including a short, silent awe walk or guided nature sit. Please bring a journal, if you feel inclined. We will come back together as a group to share the role of nature connection practices in coping with eco-emotions. The goal is to leave this session with increased compassion and a greater sense of community in the emotional labor that is part of caring for our Earth's ecosystems and human communities.
This workshop is facilitated by Jessica Pratt, a community ecologist and teaching professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine.
**This session will be specifically geared towards educators and include discussion on the need and approaches to center the affective dimensions (i.e., emotions, moods, attitudes) of learning to better address eco-emotions more broadly in education spaces.
