Eco Anxiety and Contemplative Practices: A Case Study in Iceland

• Main Author: Svenja Flügger 2000-
• Other Authors: Háskóli Íslands
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2024
• Subjects: Umhverfis- og auðlindafræði; Iceland
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/1946/48776

This case study explores the relationship between eco anxiety and contemplative practices in Iceland. Younger people especially are affected by eco anxiety across the globe. Contemplative practices are associ-ated with higher levels of resilience, transformation, and improved self-regulation skills. This study explores whether such practices can help ease symptoms of eco anxiety and foster more societal engagement. The study also explores how contemplative practitioners in Iceland relate to nature. Utilizing a qualitative ap-proach in the form of a holistic single case study design, participants were asked about their experience in a semi-structured interview setting. Qualitative Content Analysis was used to analyze relevant data strategi-cally. The research found that participants generally experience or have experienced eco anxiety. Their contemplative practice has the potential to both, alleviate and intensify eco anxiety. While practitioners can feel a high sense of agency and support by a community, a heightened sense of awareness promoted by a contemplative practice can relate to a higher sense of anxiety when individuals lack resources to manage difficult emotions. Resources can be community and collaboration, but also tools that are part of a contem-plative practice itself. An important element is an embodied practice or attending to the felt sense. Partici-pants do feel hopeful but express their hope as something that requires effort and active engagement in fighting for a sustainable future. In addition to eco anxiety, participants describe feeling frustration, guilt, sadness, anger, resentfulness, disgust, fear, and melancholy. Finally, participants described the importance of nurturing their relationship with nature which provides calm and relaxation. Some described a sense of trust that they find in the persistence of nature beyond themselves and the human species. The findings of this study give some preliminary insights into the connection of eco anxiety and contemplative practices in Iceland and ...