All the Feelings Under the Sun: How to Deal With Climate Change
Feeling sadness can sometimes help us see that we need to let go of something Maybe there’s a situation that no longer works for us and it’s time to make room for something new Or we’ve lost something we love like our pet But feeling sad all the time might make it hard to concentrate in school or hang out with friends a Pause For Feelings Take five minutes and write in your journal or on a sheet of paper about some times you felt anger fear and sadness As you remember those feelings write about how they made sense with what was happening at the time Feelings are like the weather They come and go and they’re always changing There are days full of fun that feel like a bright sunny day and on other days our feelings feelings are dark and stormy We often only pay attention 4 Introduction
to the big feelings being mad scared excited or sad But there are subtle feelings too feeling calm a little nervous relieved bored or silly The more you pay attention to all your feelings name them and learn how to express them the more they’ll flow and change like the weather They’ll help you understand yourself and move confidently through your life Your internal Weather rePort In a journal or on a separate sheet of paper describe your feelings in this moment like you’re giving a weather report You can use some of the terms from the list below or come up with your own Sunny with a few clouds Chance of rain Hazy Stormy Chance of snow Blustery wind Clear skies Unpredictable weather Warm and breezy Describe your internal weather three times a day for one week to see if there’s a weather pattern You can use the following chart as a model or create your own design Introduction 5
YOUR INTERNAL WEATHER REPORT MORNING AFTERNOON EVENING
global Warming Climate Change and Weather In this book you’ll learn many terms that will be helpful for understanding climate change Some of these ideas come from science and others come from psychology to describe the feelings that are part of facing a world that’s heating up It’s important that the facts and the feelings move forward hand in hand so that we find ways to feel strong as we discover how to create a healthier world Let’s start by defining some of the basic scientific terms and sort out the difference between global warming climate change and weather Global warming is the term used to describe the increasing temperature of the Earth’s surface including including the oceans Some climate scientists like the term global weirding to describe the hot and cold weather related extremes you’ll be learning more about Climate change refers to all the ways these rising temperatures are affecting plants animals people and the environment Because changes are happening so quickly many scientists are sounding the alarm and refer to our current times as a climate crisis It’s easy to confuse climate and weather Weather describes what’s happening over the next few hours days or weeks For example you might say The weather has been hot and humid this week The weather might start out sunny and warm and then there are several rainy foggy days in a row Climate on the other hand Introduction 7
