Tag: anxiety

Counting on … Lent 26

9th April 2025 

“Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!” Luke 12:24

Anxiety and especially being anxious about things we can’t influence, feels increasingly common in our busy technological world. We often over-analyse, over-complicate our lives and become more and more stressed. Yet acknowledging that we are as much a part of nature as the birds – and as beloved by God – can give us a calmer, more balanced take on life. If we can let go of more of our worries and accept that God has created a natural world which can more than satisfy our needs, then we will find greater  happiness.

“Research shows that people who are more connected with nature are usually happier in life and more likely to report feeling their lives are worthwhile. Nature can generate many positive emotions, such as calmness, joy, and creativity and can facilitate concentration. Nature connectedness is also associated with lower levels of poor mental health, particularly lower depression and anxiety.” (1)

  1. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/research/nature-how-connecting-nature-benefits-our-mental-health

Counting on … day 262

31st July 2022

Talking about the climate crisis doesn’t have to be always upbeat and optimistic. There are times when that is not how we feel. Times when we feel anxious, overwhelmed and out of our depth. There may be times when we feel that no one else understands how we feel, that we are alone carrying these worries. Don’t bottle these feelings up but share them with someone you trust, someone who you know will be sympathetic. You might find a locally run climate cafés – https://climatecafes.org/ – or may be form an informal local group. You might talk with your spiritual director (where I live we have https://spidir.org.uk/). You might want to write down your thoughts. You might try or find out more about, the Deep Waters course run by Green Christian – https://greenchristian.org.uk/deep-waters-a-project-of-borrowed-time/