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Explainer: When emergencies hit, how do you cope with weather stress and anxiety?

Explainer - When emergencies hit, how do you cope with weather stress and anxiety?

This story is a republished version from February 2026.

Explainer - If the weather lately is stressing you out, you’re not alone.

Repeated weather events and the wider spectre of concerns about climate change can all add up to a lot of stress and anxiety, said Dr Jackie Feather, a clinical psychologist and co-convener of the New Zealand Psychological Society's climate taskforce.

“We've got to take mental health seriously when it comes to people's experiences, absolutely,” she said.

The term ‘eco-anxiety’ has become more and more common in recent years.

But what can you do if you feel completely powerless in the face of floods, landslides and disasters? Here’s some tips.

Floods and landslides trigger a primal emotional reaction, Feather said.

“We’re programmed as human beings to respond to threat - we commonly call it the fight, flight, freeze response.”

Chris Brandolino, principal scientist for forecasting at Earth Sciences New Zealand (formerly NIWA), said weather agencies are seeing people becoming more and more anxious.

“We … do get occasional feedback in person about being ‘triggered’ from the prospect of big weather events (heavy rain, etc.)”

“On our social media channels there are comments that are congruent with anxiety and (severe weather) fatigue when we go through spells or periods of active weather.”

Brandolino said that when it comes to weather forecasting, a certain amount of empathy is required so people don’t panic.

“I think a bit of care is required during times of elevated anxiety - say, coming off a big weather event and another one is lurking down the pike, for example - as to not unnecessarily inflame the situation or worsen their concern when it’s not needed.”

MetService meteorologist John Law also said constant warnings can wear people down.

“One of our concerns is about warning fatigue and how we make sure that the most important information reaches the people it needs to without over-warning or adding to anxiety.”

Planning ahead can help - the government’s Get Ready website offers a wide range of tips.

Feather said preparation could include having an emergency “grab and go” bag and disaster plan organised with your family, and being sure you know your neighbours in case a flood hits your area.

“If you've already got to know your neighbours, and you have ways to communicate with them, then you've got a plan, and I think that helps allay the anxiety.”

Feather offers three primary tools that can help you cope with severe weather events, taken from Acceptance and Commitment therapy.

Ground yourself and be aware of what’s going on. “Look around you, use all your five senses together,” she said. “Are you actually safe in this moment?”

Feel the feelings you need to and express them, rather than be overwhelmed.

“This is where hope comes in, and it starts with our values,” Feather has written. Take action in a meaningful way - and if you’re in a situation where there is nothing you can do such as a power cut, perhaps take time to do something fulfilling with family, be it a board game with candles or singing together.

“It's kind of a three-step plan, if you like, for good mental health or resilience in any situation,” she said.

People can make bad decisions in the middle of disasters, such as trying to drive through dangerous floodwaters or refusing to leave their homes. Being present can help, she said.

“If you can, bring yourself back to the present moment and assess the situations, reflect. … It's difficult to stay calm, because of course, you're going to feel anxious in those moments, but make decisions together with other people.”

Simple breathing exercises in the moment can help, too.

“Just breathe slowly and deeply and make your out breath longer than your in breath, and that actually relaxes your system.”

And while weather disasters can make us all feel very alone, that only underscores the importance of turning to family or friends, even if you live by yourself.

“I live on Waiheke, and we have a WhatsApp group in our community,” Feather said.

“I'm sure if we had a serious weather event come through, everyone would be on the WhatsApp group, and we would be communicating with each other. So even those who live alone can be part of a community, you know. And then, of course, if WhatsApp goes down, the internet goes down, then we'd be door knocking.”

The flurry of weather events around Aotearoa affect many of us, but there’s also a lot of worries over the wider global threat of climate change.

Governments around the world have started to back away from climate change management, including New Zealand, which has been described as “backsliding” on climate policies by international analysts.

“Let's be honest here that that things aren't as they were,” Feather said.

“There are more severe weather events. They're coming more frequently. The climate is changing, and there's a big component of human-induced climate change.

“So there's also that eco grief, there's eco trauma. There's a whole range of emotions that are related to what's been happening on the planet.”

Research shows that up to 10 percent of young people experience eco-anxiety, she said.

One possible solution is to carefully curate your news diet and avoid falling into a spiral of doomscrolling.

“We need to take charge of our own exposure to news about weather events,” Feather said.

“My husband and I actually, few months ago, we deleted the news and weather apps off our phones, and now we have to turn on TV or go to the website.”

Going back to “doing what matters", find something that aligns to your values and makes you feel better, she said.

“It might include lobbying your local MP, it might include having a look at what the political parties are offering in terms of climate change mitigation and adaptation.”

Multiple academic studies have also looked at the impact of climate anxiety on the young, and there are programmes such as the Climate Action Campus Ōtautahi, which aims to teach young people tools to deal with the issue.

Weather events have cost New Zealand millions in recent years and left a huge physical impact.

But the mental impacts, while less obviously visible, can also leave their own kind of scars.

“I think it's also very important to acknowledge that there are communities that have long-term effects from weather events,” Feather said. “It takes months and years for communities to recover. So I think we do have to acknowledge that can impact on mental health too.”

When things start to become too much to bear, it’s important to ask for help.

“If you're not sleeping, you're constantly anxious, you're being woken at night with nightmares or re-experiencing flashbacks, that sort of thing, or even loss of hope and low mood… it could fall in the categories of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress… and this is when you need professional help and to go and talk to your GP, call one of the help lines, call Lifeline.”

And finally, while it may seem difficult sometimes in the midst of seemingly endless weather events, it’s important to look at the big picture, Feather said.

“99 percent of the time in New Zealand, we're actually perfectly safe.

“You know, it's a beautiful, sunny day here on Waiheke (today), and so just making the most of our lives while we're here on Earth, we're allowed to be in our lives experiencing joy, spending time with friends and family enjoying the present moment, and not getting hooked on fearing the natural world.

“...There's a lot of joy to be had in the natural world.”

There are several resources online dedicated exclusively to mental health around weather and other emergencies.

Get Ready: Looking after your mental wellbeing

Anxiety NZ on Eco-anxiety

Climate Mental Health NZ resources

Health NZ on mental health in an emergency