My journey from an angry activist to the climate optimist I am today has taught me a lot of things. (So much in fact, that I wrote an entire book on it, which I can’t wait to share with you!)
The most profound thing I’ve learned is that joy is actually an essential part of the work we’re doing in climate (or any other activism for that matter.)
Without joy, frustration, despair, and overwhelm can easily take over, with the desire to give up soon to follow. For obvious reasons, we can’t afford that — giving up is not an option! Therefore, we should get serious as climate activists and environmental advocates in our quest to find, nurture, and create joy.
However, to anyone who’s aware of our looming disasters, this is not an easy task. How do you find joy in a world that seems to be so… joyless?
You recognize that the world is filled with whatever we create, so if something is lacking, we must simply try harder to create it! I hope this newsletter can provide some thoughts and ideas on how to spark joy in your work, community, and everyday life. Because we should not forget that
with joy comes curiosity and excitement as well as creativity and ideas for a new world. All things we desperately need for creating a climate optimistic future!
(If you’re interested in introducing a climate-optimistic company culture to your workforce, I offer virtual and in-person workshops — Click here to learn more.)
Joy + Your Body
This section is inspired by an article in Grist.
Research shows that joy can make us more resilient and effective in a time of climate change.
For you who have been following my work for a time now, you know I get very nerdy about science backing reasons for things that feel so obvious. Joy is no exception! This article explains the importance of joy and what it does to our bodies. It also highlights what I talk so much about in my climate optimist workshops — the Happiness Hormones.
Happiness Hormones
Dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins make up your body’s reward system and are the foundational hormones for a healthy and happy life. They serve your body in different ways and get released from various activities, like listening to good music, spending time in nature, and actively using your body, as well as when you get things done (productivity is also key for feeling happy.) In other words — these four hormones: “Generate feelings of joy, which happens when we get in touch with what we love.” (Grist)
Understanding the significance of our happiness hormones is important for three reasons.
You recognize that they create a feeling of joy, which further broadens our minds, enhances our creativity, and makes us more optimistic — very needed in our climate work!
You understand that we create happiness hormones (hence joy) by seeking out activities we love. Understanding the link between seeking joy and our efficiency and resilience in climate work is paramount!
Here’s to the best part — you learn that climate work in itself fuels all four! That’s right, choose to become the change you wish to see and your body will step in to reward you! I call it the optimism cycle, or what it takes to be an Optimist In Action
The question you ought to ask yourself is — how good are you at connecting with things that bring you joy? Are you taking this part of your life seriously enough in your work for a healthy, happy, and climate just world? Remember that you can’t heal the world until you heal yourself, so don’t for a second think your well-being is not important!
An Act of Resilience
But joy is not only a way to feel better in the midst of difficult times, it’s actually a true act of resilience. Here’s from another article in Grist:
“Laughter can lead to a rush of serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin, and that in turn can lead to stress reduction and an increase in immune cells.”
The article also says that a study led by Barbara Frederickson, a pioneer in the field of positive psychology, found that participants who viewed films that sparked feelings of contentment and amusement recovered from anxiety-induced cardiovascular activity faster than those who watched sad or neutral content.
Climate Optimism
Waves of optimism are finally spreading through American politics — the "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022" could lower US greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 2005 levels by the end of the decade!
Australia’s new Prime Minister seems to be a climate optimist — WOOP!
Climate targets: Collaboration and optimism are essential for energy transition
Facebook’s former CTO Mike Schroepfer decides to use his newly available extra time and energy focusing on addressing the climate crisis
Finally — A scientist that is optimistic about climate change
“I feel like having a diversity of optimists and pessimists is important. Optimism gives us hope and audacity to go out and make change,” he says. “But pessimists help us expose the gaps in preparedness.”
- Dick Co
This Week’s Climate Book Tip
…goes to the best storyteller of all — Mother Nature herself! I’m still in Germany and forgot to bring a book to highlight this week, but I figured we should all take a second to marvel at how magical our beautiful Earth is, and how the stories she tells continue to inspire and move us!
check out some photos I’ve gathered over the years in this post.
Thank you for reading my newsletter! If you liked it, please click the heart below!
Congratulations on the upcoming release of your book! I look forward to reading it. I invite you to read my optimistic climate fiction novel, "The Change Agents: Whispers in the Wind," which was released late last year. It's an epic adventure in which humans and nature form an extraordinary partnership and race together against the climate crisis to save their shared world. Let me know if I can send you a copy.