As I’m writing this (a few weeks in advance of publication), I’m in a remote area of our amazing country, feeling very soggy, cut off by impassable flooded roads, and contemplating another week of predicted rain in this already saturated part of the country. Clinics have had to be cancelled, supplies are low in shops, mould is starting to sprout, and concerns around melioidosis and other floodwater-related disease risks are plastered all over social media. Health workers experiencing climate change may be concerned about global warming whilst also witnessing firsthand its health impacts on our communities, from individuals presenting with flood-related diseases to the impacts of evacuating hospitals. As health workers we can experience a particular form of grief from witnessing this environmental change firsthand, as climate change isn’t an event only read about in the news; we live and work with its devastating reality. This exposure can lead to eco-anxiety, a chronic sense of worry and helplessness about the state of the natural world.
The irony of working in rural and remote areas is that we are often surrounded by nature in all its glory and power, yet it can be difficult to pause and positively connect with it due to constraints such as time, staffing, and resourcing. However, the best thing we can do to address our concerns is turn towards nature and do so more intentionally. Research has found that even brief, mindful contact with the natural environment reduces cortisol levels, lowers heart rate and improves mood. For rural and remote workers already surrounded by the natural landscape, small shifts in awareness can unlock powerful resources that are already at their doorstep.
Below are six eco-mindfulness habits that can fit into a rural or remote clinical workday and are brief, flexible, and grounded in what’s already around you.
- Two-minute sky check. Before you start the car, enter the clinic or pick up the phone, step outside and look up. What does the sky look like today? Is there wind? Are there clouds? What’s the quality of the light? Naming what you observe activates the prefrontal cortex and helps to gently draw the nervous system out of a stress response. Think of it as an intentional reset.
- Sensory grounding. Between consults or tasks, put down your phone and do a brief scan of your surroundings. What can you hear – birdsong, the creak of the building, voices outside? What can you smell – rain, dry earth, fresh air through a window? What can you feel underfoot? This is adapted from the 5-senses grounding technique and practising for under sixty seconds has been shown to interrupt anxious thought cycles and restore that sense of presence.
- Mindful eating with local awareness. Many of us tend to eat a hurried lunch at our desk, but try bringing your awareness to where your food comes from when you do eat it. Is there anything that is local or seasonal? What growing conditions produced it? How might it have reached you? This is not about trying to achieve dietary perfection, but about fostering a sense of gratitude for the food systems that sustain us. Mindful eating helps reduce stress and improve digestion, which are especially relevant for those who routinely skip proper breaks!
- The drive or flight as a mindful practice. For many, flights or long drives between communities are an unavoidable part of the job. Rather than filling it entirely with radio, music or podcasts, try driving or flying in intentional silence for even 10 minutes. Pay attention to the landscape moving past, noticing changes in vegetation, land colour, sky and light. Think of this as an unscheduled moving mindfulness session that your metro-based colleagues rarely get to experience.
- Water awareness as a daily ritual. In often water-conscious rural and remote communities, water carries a particular meaning. Whether you’re washing your hands, filling a glass or stepping out into the rain, pause for a mindful breath and acknowledge the role of water in the ecosystem you inhabit. This practice can help you develop a broader awareness of environmental sustainability, as well as support your personal self-care (hygiene and hydration).
- End of day nature gratitude. At the end of your day, in a notebook or on your phone, write one sentence about something in the natural environment you noticed or take a daily nature photo. It could be a bird you saw, the smell of petrichor, or the colour of the afternoon light. Gratitude practices are widely supported in the wellbeing literature and connecting them to nature can help slowly counteract eco-anxiety by training your awareness towards the beauty that still exists.
All of these small practices can be easily incorporated into your busy schedule and just require a willingness for you to pay attention differently. Pick one or two and try them for a week. Notice any shifts in not just how you feel, but how you experience where you live and work.
This Wednesday, 22nd April, is World Earth Day, with the theme being “Our Power, Our Planet”. It’s a day that reminds us that the health of the planet and its people are deeply and inseparably linked. Whilst climate change can seem like an insurmountable systemic issue that we have no control over, it begins with those small practices that can help change the world.
Be kind,
Dr Nicole Jeffery-Dawes (she/her)
Senior Psychologist, Mental Health and Wellbeing Service
