Don’t give up on eco-goals just because of Gulf of Mexico disaster, says psychologist

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It is an environmental disaster, with livelihoods lost, oceans and shores at risk. Every day, we are being bombarded with brutal headlines from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and it can take a toll on how we feel here, on the other side of the continent.

Registered psychologist Derek Swain says for those of us so far away, there can be a sense of hopelessness and pessimism.  But giving up will only hasten the demise of the world ecology. We need to be more attentive to what’s going on, as the magnitude of the disaster sinks in.

Limiting how much coverage we listen to and watch can help too. He says we should watch enough to keep us informed, but like most disasters, that are very captivating, we can spend too much time watching the same scenes over and over and that just increases the sense of powerlessness.

Swain says we need to look at taking steps to feel pro-active, that we are doing something that is making a contribution — to making the world a less harmed place in the future.  Consider having a general awareness of what we do with litter or look at how we can reduce our footprint on the world.

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