We all have stress and anxiety. It’s part of being human.
hen 2020 happened. There is nothing like a pandemic to change your life and dial up the anxiety levels — working or taking classes from home, social distancing, health issues, not seeing friends/family in person, and it all happened in an election year. Holidays can be stressful anytime, and we’ve never experienced them in a pandemic.
LiveGreen recently starting hearing more people talk about eco-anxiety. Eco-anxiety generally describes chronic/severe anxiety related to humans’ relationship with the environment. In 2017, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) described eco-anxiety as “chronic fear of environmental doom.”
We have talked about the physical health effects and continuing impacts of climate change. The APA noted that it takes a toll on mental health, too, saying in a report that “Climate change-induced severe weather and other natural disasters have the most immediate effects on mental health in the form of the trauma and shock due to personal injuries, loss of a loved one, damage to or loss of personal property or even the loss of livelihood.” These changes and the fear that they will happen, understandably wear on people.
There’s lots of talk about taking care of your physical health, but everyone needs to take care of their mental health too. To help, LiveGreen’s December webinar will feature Steven Wengel, MD, assistant vice chancellor for campus wellness for UNMC and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He will discuss practical tips for managing stress and anxiety, now and as we head into the holidays.
Dr. Wengel originally is from Omaha and attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and UNMC. He completed his psychiatry residency and geriatric psychiatry fellowship training at Creighton University and UNMC. He has been practicing geriatric psychiatry since 1991, and is an active and enthusiastic teacher of students and residents. Dr. Wengel also has served UNMC in several administrative roles, including clerkship director and department chair.
In his campus wellness role, he is developing strategies to reduce stress and burnout in students, staff, faculty and health care professionals. His vision is to improve the physical, psychological and social well-being of all who work and learn in the health care world, the academic environment and the community at large.
The webinar will be held virtually on Wednesday, Dec. 2 from 10-10:30 a.m. and is open to the public. If you can’t attend, a recording will be posted on the LiveGreen website.
Join the webinar here. The passcode is 517371.