Eric Holthaus@EricHolthausI'm starting my 11th year working on climate change, including the last 4 in daily journalism. Today I went to see a counselor about it. 1/Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:51:30ReplyRetweetFavoritehttps://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817503888500633600— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus)Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:51:30
https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817503888500633600
Eric Holthaus@EricHolthausI'm saying this b/c I know many ppl feel deep despair about climate, especially post-election. I struggle every day. You are not alone. 2/Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:53:03ReplyRetweetFavoritehttps://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817504281955745793— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus)Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:53:03
https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817504281955745793
Eric Holthaus@EricHolthausThere are days where I literally can't work. I'll read a story & shut down for rest of the day. Not much helps besides exercise & time. 3/Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:53:49ReplyRetweetFavoritehttps://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817504472683266048— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus)Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:53:49
https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817504472683266048
Eric Holthaus@EricHolthausThe counselor said: "Do what you can", which I think is simple & powerful advice. I'm going to start working a lot more on mindfulness. 4/Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:54:16ReplyRetweetFavoritehttps://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817504584465682432— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus)Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:54:16
https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817504584465682432
Eric Holthaus@EricHolthausDespair is natural when there's objective evidence of a shared existential problem we're not addressing adequately. You feel alone. 5/Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:55:16ReplyRetweetFavoritehttps://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817504838065922048— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus)Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:55:16
https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817504838065922048
Eric Holthaus@EricHolthausYou feel powerless. You feel like nothing matters. Your relationships suffer. You feel guilty for "not doing more" 6/Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:55:59ReplyRetweetFavoritehttps://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817505019809255424— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus)Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:55:59
https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817505019809255424
Eric Holthaus@EricHolthausBut what the hell am I supposed to do? Write another blog post? Our secretary of state is the fucking Exxon CEO. 7/Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:56:31ReplyRetweetFavoritehttps://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817505151720169472— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus)Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:56:31
https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817505151720169472
Eric Holthaus@EricHolthausLast year we lost a huge chunk of the Great Barrier Reef. We are literally ending existence of animals that were here for millions of yrs 8/Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:57:45ReplyRetweetFavoritehttps://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817505461935087616— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus)Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:57:45
https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817505461935087616
Eric Holthaus@EricHolthausWe don't deserve this planet. There are (many) days when I think it would be better off without us. <cue climate denier trolls> 9/Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:58:10ReplyRetweetFavoritehttps://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817505567463743488— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus)Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:58:10
https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817505567463743488
Eric Holthaus@EricHolthausHow am I supposed to do my job—literally to chronicle planetary suicide—w/o experiencing deep existential despair myself? Impossible 10/Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:59:23ReplyRetweetFavoritehttps://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817505874646220800— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus)Fri, Jan 06 2017 22:59:23
https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817505874646220800
Eric Holthaus@EricHolthausTo me, our emotional/psychological response is *the* story on climate change. It defines how (and if) we will solve the problem. 11/Fri, Jan 06 2017 23:00:42ReplyRetweetFavoritehttps://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817506206201716736— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus)Fri, Jan 06 2017 23:00:42
https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817506206201716736
Eric Holthaus@EricHolthausThe number one comment I get is "we're fucked". That's not totally true. In order to "save the planet" we have to confront this despair. 12/Fri, Jan 06 2017 23:01:31ReplyRetweetFavoritehttps://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817506410724401154— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus)Fri, Jan 06 2017 23:01:31
https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817506410724401154
Eric Holthaus@EricHolthausClimate despair, on its own, isn't bad. It's a sign you care. It's just hard to function when you feel weight of the world crashing down.13/Fri, Jan 06 2017 23:02:33ReplyRetweetFavoritehttps://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817506670041411584— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus)Fri, Jan 06 2017 23:02:33
https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817506670041411584
Eric Holthaus@EricHolthausThe more I talk about my despair, the more I realize other ppl feel same thing. That makes me hopeful—we are more powerful than we think.14/Fri, Jan 06 2017 23:03:32ReplyRetweetFavoritehttps://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817506918709149697— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus)Fri, Jan 06 2017 23:03:32
https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817506918709149697
Eric Holthaus@EricHolthausI don't have an answer for where to go from here. That's why I'm in counseling. But part of the answer is: don't be afraid to talk. 15/15Fri, Jan 06 2017 23:04:59ReplyRetweetFavoritehttps://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817507282321670145— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus)Fri, Jan 06 2017 23:04:59
https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/817507282321670145
