 "Flood of June 2006" by marnanel is licensed under CC BY 2.0. First published on LinkedIn March 2023 New Zealand recently experienced some of the toughest weather events – EVER. Parts of the country are destroyed beyond belief. Older people found themselves alone as floodwaters rose in their homes. Retirement village residents were forced to evacuate as torrents of water engulfed their villas. Experiencing change, disruption, and loss of possessions is bad enough when you’re young but as you age these catastrophes are even harder to bounce back from.
In the past, the ease of globalisation has encouraged many to follow their dreams of living somewhere else - following adventure, love, career advancement, education or just because they could. The pandemic shattered the back-of-their mind, comforting thoughts of, “we’re only 24 hours away from home”. Global warming weather bombs have become another globalisation disruptor. As explained by James Shaw, New Zealand’s Minister of Climate Change, “Climate change defines the reality we live in today.” Furthermore, global mobility expert, Barry Morris, notes that more than half of international assignees (migrants and expats) “are at a higher risk for anxiety and depression” due to the world’s new realities. Whether you are the ‘left behind family’ or the away expat or migrant, how does it feel when weather bombs affect one or other and you aren’t handy to help? The pain is immense. Psychologist, psychotherapist, and digital nomad, Dr. Sonia Jaeger offers five tips to navigate this space. 1. Avoid media overload 2. Deliberately search out positive news 3. Connect with family near and far 4. Channel your emotions into active protest and spread awareness of global warming 5. Take care of yourself Globalisation and its previous ease of mobility have lost their sparkle for some as all generations grapple with some tough questions and a changing world. Bibliography Jaeger, Sonia Dr (2023) ‘Caring for your mental health in the face of climate change’, https://www.sonia-jaeger.com/en/caring-for-your-mental-health-in-the-face-of-climate-change/ Morris, Barry (2023) ‘The New Definition of Duty of Care’, https://www.caprelo.com/insights-resources/technology/the-new-definition-of-duty-of-care/ Shaw, James (2023) ‘Auckland floods: James Shaw – Now is the time to provide answers to climate disaster’, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland-floods-james-shaw-now-is-the-time-to-provide-answers-to-climate-disaster/Y5WVQFCA2NC2VCGJ77BWT3SRT4/ Overseas many countries are traversing devastating floods, earthquakes, fire storms, extreme snowstorms and droughts. Comments are closed.
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