International never give up day - an opportunity to celebrate the work being done to tackle our changing climate
Sunday, 18 August will mark this year's International Never Give Up Day. This day gives us an opportunity to pause and celebrate the resilience and unwavering determination of those who dare to dream. It is a time to recognise the people with the spirit and persistence to get through the challenges that life throws at them, and to highlight their victories.
Resilience and persistence are both required when doing your best to reduce your impact on the environment. While you may know that reducing pollution at home and work will protect your community and wildlife, it can be challenging to make the change that we would want to see. And it can be hard to keep resilient when repeatedly faced with barriers to making these changes.
In addition, it is perfectly natural to feel worry and stress around the climate, because we care about the world. Eco-anxiety and eco-despair can make it feel as though the challenge is too big.
If you are feeling less resilient and need a chance to refresh, you can:
- Join up with others – Connecting with like-minded people can be really helpful in giving you a space to talk about the environment, and to encourage one another to make change. There is real power in collective action. Your organisation or local community may have a climate action group you can join. If you work for Sussex Community, Sussex Partnership or First Community, you can become an Envoy.
- Practice self-care – Do something that supports your physical and mental wellbeing, whether that's taking the time cook a nutritious, healthy meal, getting out in nature for a walk, mindfulness, resting and sleeping, or simply by marking out time to do something purely for pleasure.
- Practice ‘radical hope' – This enables you to transform eco-anxiety into action by working with your emotional responses rather than resisting them. It makes hope into an active thing that we do and practise. You can read more about this on the Greenpeace
This year's International Never Give Up Day is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the victories we have made in the NHS in Sussex. Our Ideas Hub and Zero Heroes give inspiring examples of healthcare workers in Sussex doing their part. If you know someone or a project that you think should be celebrate, nominate them and we will get in touch to help promote their good work.