One of the most important things I’ve learnt these past few years is the importance of finding community. It is a lonely experience to sit with the weight of climate predictions on your shoulders, wondering whether you have misunderstood something as those around you carry on as if nothing is wrong.

It is easy to start feeling like you are the only one who cares, and that the burden of saving the earth rests entirely on your shoulders. That’s a burden that no solo human can possibly bear.

We can choose to ignore our feelings, let them overwhelm us, or use them as fuel to face complex challenges head-on.

Low emotional intelligence can mean that people can’t manage even small amounts of stress, are more prone to anxiety and depression, and are more at the mercy of sudden changes to their mood. When we’re in “fight or flight mode”, we are far more prone to binary thinking, meaning that everything is good or bad, black or white, us or them — not exactly what we need the most right now, when we are being called to solve complex problems and work together toward solutions.

The practice of sharing emotions in a circle is nothing new, yet few of us feel as if we can safely express our deepest emotions even to our closest friends. So when I took part in a collective ritual of sharing our grief, fear and anger over what is happening to the planet, I was surprised by the results…

For years, I allowed my Inner Critic to tell me that I wasn’t talented, attractive, intelligent or knowledgable to become a coach, a writer, or - in fact - to do anything other than take low-paying, easy jobs and allow myself to be treated like dirt. The same thing happened with relationships - I put up with behaviour that I wasn’t happy with because the Inner Critic convinced me that I should be grateful that somebody nice wanted to be with me… and that I could never do better.

So what is an Inner Critic? Well, it’s that part of you that stops you from taking the next step - applying for that job, publishing that article, speaking your mind - because it’s whispering to you: “Who are you? You’re not good enough

You know that feeling in your gut that tells you something is wrong?⁣ ⁣ What if, instead of trying to numb it and ignore it, you were to listen to it?

What if you invite that emotion in and ask "what are you trying to tell me?"⁣ ⁣

So many people think they are broken because they can't stop feeling the pain and anxiety of the world. ⁣ ⁣

You are not broken, my dear. You are sensitive. And that's not a bad thing, despite the many ways you may have been told over the years that you're "too sensitive".⁣ ⁣

I don’t know about you, but the first thing that pops into mine is an image of a woman in a bath full of bubbles up to her neck, candles precariously balanced around the side, a glass of red wine in her hand.

“You can’t take a break,” my Inner Critic reminds me, “You haven’t saved the world yet. Look at it - there’s still so much work to do. How can you just sit around reading a magazine and enjoying yourself? Besides - the things that give you pleasure are bad for the environment.”

Sound familiar?

The problem with “Business as Usual” and coaches who promise you six figures… is it really sustainable to promote a model of infinite growth on a finite planet?

I’m drowning right now in people saying “when things get back to normal after the Corona virus”, as if a global pandemic that has seen stockmarkets plunge and unemployment benefit claims skyrocket beyond anything we’ve seen in our lives, the jobs that have been lost, the industries irrevocably changed - is just a minor hiccup on the road of ‘Business as Usual’.

What’s wrong with “Business as Usual”? Well, to put things simply, it is completely illogical, short-sighted, and destructive to life…

Life can be overwhelming. The news is full of horror stories, the environment seems to be falling apart, and every day you hear something else that makes you want to curl up under your covers and hide…. Sometimes it just feels completely hopeless. You think what can I do about any of that? It all just feels too much..