By Amanda S. Norris
“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”
This year my young family decided we were ready for some new adventures here in the Chicagoland area. With strong recommendations from friends, we decided to visit the Museum of Science + Industry Chicago last month. Although my husband had enjoyed many school trips to the museum as a child, this was my first time venturing to the historic landmark. As we made our way past the coal mine elevator and space travel exhibits, we saw signs for The Blue Paradox exhibit. “What will this be about?” I wondered to myself.
“Come this way, don’t delay.”
As we made our way down the vast, dimly lit corridor, the entry to the exhibit began coming to life with pockets of aquamarine light. In the distance, we heard the sounds of ocean waves crashing into the shore. I glanced up and noticed a school of fish swimming above my head. As I peered closer I realized the hanging fish were cut out of artistically crafted recycled plastic bottles with little eyes drawn on them. Although my walking pace was nearly crawling at my 4-year old’s speed, I suddenly stopped dead in my tracks as I was confronted by huge, breathtaking, back-lit earth scape photographs. However, the “breathtaking” you might be imagining…white sand beaches with over-the-water luxury cabins and majestic sturdy mountains with forests of pine trees surrounding them…is not what I saw.
“There is no wait, you won’t be late.”
These were not awe-inspiring scenes, but rather, gut-wrenching, throat-tightening, sweat-provoking photos. The white sand beach was replaced with a canal-side town where residents waded through and walked over piles of garbage along rotting wood plank boardwalks. The tree-lined mountain was replaced with a mother and her child (no older than my own small children) sifting through kettles and moraines of plastic bottles in hopes of finding some they could recycle for resale. As the pit grew in my stomach while I slowly attempted to empathize with the real humans in these pictures, I suddenly remembered I was not alone. I noticed my 7-year-old attempting to walk past the photos briskly, despite my trying to explain what was happening in the scenes. It was then I realized their goal in bypassing the photos was not out of disinterest for the content, but rather, in an attempt to avoid feelings of discomfort. “It’s too much, Mom, I don’t want to look,” they told me.
“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”
As a mental health provider and educator for over 15 years, anxiety symptoms and management have been commonplace in my daily workplace jargon. Research, client sessions, and personal experience have confirmed that anxiety symptoms can be triggered by a variety of situations and experiences. Oftentimes, I have encountered even the “healthiest” or “highest functioning” of clients or students who still struggle with maintaining a mindset that will support them in a positive way. This is where anxiety can sometimes creep in.
The reality is that anxiety comes down to fear, and fear can be attributed to so many real and possible situations, as well as unlikely or even untrue events. However, if people are living in a frequent state of fear, their positive and healthy mental wellness will no longer be sustainable and will eventually break down into dysfunction. When I saw those beautifully displayed back-lit photos of human suffering on account of uncontrolled plastic waste, at that moment I felt helpless and in shock. I wondered, “If these people live this way today, will I ever have to traverse a mountain of plastic bottles? Will my children?” You can imagine had I let the train of thought continue uncontrollably I could have found myself in a climate anxiety panic attack. Luckily for me, The Blue Paradox exhibit didn’t leave me hanging and I sat with the discomfort, without letting it take over.
“Don’t miss the show, it’s in your control.”
I finally caught up with my family in the ticketing area as they attempted to choose our timed entry. At that moment, we heard a beautiful voice singing to us a familiar melody (the melody from Disney’s Finding Nemo famous character, Dory the fish). In a masterful sing-song effort to corral patrons to the entrance, we learned there was no wait for entry and suddenly found ourselves in line for the first room of the exhibit. Now, I don’t want to give away the whole experience, but I will say, the first room in the exhibit set the stage for the beauty, majesty, power, and life-giving force that the water on planet Earth offers all living creatures in the most interactive, theatrical way. The several exhibit rooms that followed then exposed the paradox that although plastics are “helpful” tools and resources for humans, the effects of old, misplaced, or unneeded plastics are having catastrophic consequences on our waterways and way of life for all types of ecosystems.
“Stay in line, you’re on time.”
Needless to say, the exhibit had a huge impact on me. From a climate anxiety standpoint, I came face to face with uncomfortable images of human suffering on account of tons and tons (literal tons) of garbage in once-habitable communities. You see, part of the key to maintaining hope and finding clarity in our next steps is sometimes taking action before we have a full plan for execution. Now, don’t misunderstand me. I am not suggesting that people ignore these uncomfortable feelings of anxiety, whether they are rooted in climate change or otherwise. I’m also not suggesting that people act a fool without making some type of plan. Rather, what I AM saying is that one antidote to anxiety is action. In order for a helpful action to take root, we need to take an initial step and build the pieces as we go.
When experiencing anxiety symptoms, individuals can get stuck in an unhelpful cycle if they are thinking about (or catastrophizing about) the future. So what does this mean for people experiencing climate anxiety and how do they counteract these symptoms? Well, the first step is to choose an activity that aligns with your intention, followed by individually carrying it out. We can’t control anyone else but ourselves, so taking personal action, even if our mind isn’t on board yet, can be empowering. At my house, the latest sustainable practice implemented has been collecting plastic bags and taking them to proper recycling drop-off sites. Even though I question, “Am I really making a difference by recycling these few bags?” I will continue my efforts. Why, you ask? Well, the motivation I have (being ready, willing, and able to do the task) coupled with the feeling of relief I feel, along with the reality that there is no harm being done by completing the task, make it worth my time and effort. The second step to counteracting climate anxiety is to find other people who are also passionate about the same intentions and actions. In fact, the plastic bag recycling practice that I have been doing at home recently came up in conversation with a colleague and now our organization is exploring making a community-wide effort to educate others on proper plastic bag recycling and provide receptacles at various locations.
A drop can turn into a ripple, and eventually turn into a wave of positive momentum. Once you have successfully supported a local effort, consider also choosing one global effort to bring awareness to. As research and photo evidence of human and other living beings suffering continues to surface in structured settings like museums to unfiltered settings like social media, we have a responsibility to ourselves to take action for our own mental wellness. No one person, or organization, can be the solution for every person or situation. Choose one topic you are passionate about and start there. After seeing The Blue Paradox exhibit, my next intention is to learn about ways to actively support water conservation and clean water initiatives globally.
Once your intentions and actions are in place, it's time to make sure your mindset follows suit. Evidence-based cognitive research shows that if we think a thought enough times, we may eventually believe it. If we have a choice over our thoughts, especially if those thoughts are unintentionally causing us to suffer, wouldn’t it be worth the effort to rewrite the story to counteract unhelpful symptoms of anxiety? Now, if you’re not sure where to start and you need some inspiration…in the famous melodic words of Dory the Fish, let’s remember as we transition into 2025:
“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.” (I will keep finding reasons to hope for tomorrow.)
“Come this way, don’t delay.” (I will pay attention to my intention, I have no time to waste!)
“There is no wait, you won’t be late.” (There is no time like the present for me to take action!)
“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.” (I will repeat local efforts on a global scale.)
“Don’t miss the show, it's in your control.” (I will show up now and take ownership of my actions.)
“Stay in line, you’re on time.” (I will lead by example starting today!)
Whether rooted in climate change or another challenging situation, anxiety symptoms can get the better of you if left unchecked. Support your sustainable mental wellness today by setting an intention, taking action, and connecting with others, both locally and globally. You got this, and I got your back!