Love, Safety, and Connection in Times of Climate Distress
Free Meditation
Climate Loving-Kindness Meditation
A soothing metta practice to send love and support to those impacted by climate disasters. Transform grief into compassion and find hope as we navigate 2025 together.- Written and recorded by Lindsay Nunez.
With each hurricane's deafening roar and every forest fire's relentless blaze, my heart breaks a litte more. Anxiety and dread creep in, sometimes leaving me paralyzed with grief and overwhelmed by helplessness. Despite the protests, petitions, and rallies for change, it’s hard not to feel despair when so many lives remain touched by the climate crises we’re already living through.
During the devastating hurricane season of 2021—a particularly brutal one for the Gulf South—my therapist introduced me to metta meditations, or loving-kindness meditations. Much like a prayer, this practice involves sending heartfelt well-wishes to those in need. Over the past few years, this simple yet profound tool has become a lifeline, giving me a way to channel my sorrow into compassion and reclaim a sense of agency. On some days, I like to believe that—on a metaphysical level—these well-wishes might actually reach and comfort those who need them most.
As we step into 2025, I want to share this practice with you. I’ve recorded and shared with you above a loving kindness meditation specifically for moments of climate distress. To our friends and family enduring the fires tearing through Los Angeles, we are holding you in our hearts. May you feel surrounded by love, safety, and support in this unimaginable time. We stand with you—not only in spirit but in action—fighting the climate fight so that we might one day stem these disasters and protect our shared home.
Loving Kindness Meditation for the Climate Crisis
When to Listen:
After the onset of a climate disaster: wildfires, hurricanes, floods, etc.
When a community or person you care for is affected by a natural disaster.
In times of uncertainty, loss, or grief, inorder to foster a sense of inner safety and hope.
When ruminating on the existing and impending destruction caused by climate change.
When looking to cultivate a sense of connection to the planet and the natural world.
Benefits:
Obtain a sense of agency in stressful times. While you may not control external events, you can send love and healing energy to those affected, providing emotional relief.
Counters feelings of despair with hope.
Support eco-consciousness by sending love to the planet, thus inspiring actions to care for the environment.
Foster a sense of connection to animals, plants, and the Earth while strengthening a sense of interconnection and shared responsibility.
Decrease rumination.
Cultivate compassion.
Reduces tension and stress.
What to do next:
Share this meditation with anyone who might be feeling stressed about climate disaster.
Follow along with the Happy Place Newsletter for tips and actions to contribute to a healthier future for our planet.
Happy Place is your guide to aligning mindset, intentions, and actions to combat climate change. Learn simple, impactful steps to create lasting change, embrace optimism, and maintain “personal sustainability”, written by Lindsay Nunez.
That is a great idea.
I love this. I send out the metta prayer when I got overwhelmed by the things I cannot control. It’s such a blessing.