The mind is a mysterious organ. Not flesh and blood, it simply resides in the cyberspace of brain and the universal energy fields (our environment) that surround us all. Mind is nothing but the thoughts and feelings that reside in the brain, but still, irrevocably connected to our physical brain and body. Physical in-body sensations create fuzzy warm thoughts, physical harm causes sensations of fear, anxiety and pain in our mind and body. Our physical body also responds to mere thoughts; negative thoughts of past events, or even potential ones or scary imagined creatures can cause stress and anxiety manifested through increased pulse or altered blood pressure, sweating, or shaking, even fainting. Mind is fragile and seemingly inconsequential events can push us into it's murkiest depths. Both body and mind also respond to positive thoughts and actions as well as outside stimuli, and we can calm, relax and overcome anxiety and fear through simple techniques of thoughts and breaths, immersion in water or listening to birdsong[1].
Just like the brain is connected to the body, we are connected to our environment. We ARE nature. We have to breathe oxygen. We eat plants, or animals that eat plants. Plants produce oxygen. (About a quarter by terrestrial plants, the rest by marine plants, phytoplankton and microalgae)[2]. They also treat or soak up our waste, and produce most of the items we use and consume, plus they use carbon, and we have heard a lot of about that lately. And everything we do, affects the lives of the non-human beings around us. Sometimes for better, mostly for worse.
But we can’t easily see these links – between our mind and our body (our health) or those between us and our environment (planetary health). Right now, are minds are being bombarded by frightening scenarios or future, of governments and corporation reluctant to implement novel policies to combat climate change, of ordinary people reluctant to change their ways. As some people are combatting with the frightening and unsettling thoughts of futures shaded by the climate and ecological crises, some are facing the reality of climate crisis and ecological catastrophes on the ground. Both of these are affecting our mental health, our levels of stress, anxiety and ability to cope with future changes. Mental health conditions already affect a billion people and cost trillions of dollars a year. [3]
We need an urgent re-think of our approach to health, mental health and our approach to climate and ecological crisis. We need people on the streets, beaches, fields and forests to help clean up and restore our environment. To do this, we need time. I strongly believe in a 4-day week, job shares, part time working and universal basic income as steps to create a world where we can all afford to look after ourselves, our planet and the generations to come. (Organic veg boxes should not be a luxury item!) We need to mitigate against climate change, but we also need to adapt. The change is coming. We need to be prepared. But we can’t do this if we don’t tackle the mental health crisis. Luckily, restoring mental and physical health can go hand in hand with restoring our wild spaces and nature in cities as well as in the country-side. The nature needs us and we need exposure to nature and meaningful ways to tackle the crises to stay resilient and strong[4]. A national, monthly day of conservation, restoration, gardening and sustainable farming for all adults and school children alike could generate much needed resources for the battle against environmental degradation. Creating the link between mental, physical and planetary health at workplaces, schools and hospitals could allow us to tackle all three simultaneously. We have ended up here because we lost our connection to the non-human beings of this planet, and how we are all interconnected. Just saying that aloud sounds like a hippy festival’s meditation tent to most of us, but in fact is the most crucial project we have ever undertaken. Every project in every field we undertake from now one should include consideration for the health of ecosystem and for our mental and physical wellbeing. We need strong individuals in resilient communities connected to healthy environment with total respect to our fellow non-human beings. The trees, the rivers, the animals, the plankton. The air we breathe.
[1] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-knowledge/201112/what-is-the-mind [2] https://www.nationalgeographic.org/activity/save-the-plankton-breathe-freely/ [3]https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/26/climate-crisis-inflicting-huge-hidden-costs-mental-health [4] https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate2814/