DENVER — The climate may be putting people on edge, especially on the Colorado Front Range, and who could blame them?
In just the last seven months, Denver had its first ever snowless fall, the latest first snow in history, a devastating and unprecedented urban wildfire, likely the shortest snow season in history, and the driest April in history.
That can bring on feelings of fear, guilt, helplessness, grief, and cause panic attacks and loss of sleep. It's a condition commonly referred to as climate anxiety.
"It's not a diagnosed medical condition but actually a totally rational response to the biggest existential crisis we've faced as humanity," said climate psychologist Megan Kennedy-Woodard.
She said people are seeing and feeling the impacts of climate change all around them, and it's natural to have concerns over warm and dry weather patterns because of their connection to drought and wildfire, but she also said not to let that turn you into a “nice weather” hater.
“I think it’s really important to dispel the myth that individuals enjoying a beautiful day are not causing climate change,” said Kennedy-Woodard.
The 9NEWS weather department has received several comments and emails since the Marshall fire centered around that very topic. Saying that it seems contradictory to refer to warm dry weather as beautiful, in the same segment that we report about how the growing drought is leading to high fire danger.
Read the 'nice' weather hatred in emails to the 9NEWS weather team
Kennedy-Woodard said she has also noticed a rise in climate anxiety which is concerning since it can have negative impacts on the mind and body.
The good news is that one of the best treatments for climate anxiety is to embrace the weather instead of fearing it.
“People that want to go outside on a beautiful day, we want to encourage that," she said. "And while they’re out there they can be taking action to protect it and preserve. Ultimately you protect what you love so we don’t want people to drive away from it.”
She also said that simple climate-friendly actions like recycling a piece of plastic, biking to work, or picking up a piece of trash can be very relieving to someone that is feeling the stress of climate anxiety.
Kennedy-Woodward is the founder of Climate Psychologists and co-author of a new book called Turn the Tide on Climate Anxiety that offers solutions and suggestions on how to cope with climate anxiety.
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