29/09/2025
In the Midst of Floods and Climate Grief, I Found Hope in Human Connection
Gilgit-Baltistan’s floods? They were not just about busted-up homes and roads turned to rivers. No, the real mess was inside people’s heads. You never know how climate change is impacting mental health. You could see it, eco-anxiety and eco-grief everywhere, parents staring at the mud where their living room used to be, kids asking questions nobody could answer. The world keeps talking about melting glaciers and rising seas, but you do not hear much about the mental wreckage climate change leaves behind.
It does not just flood valleys; it floods lives, hope, peace, and sleep. Heavy stuff. Climate change does not just reshape landscapes; it reshapes minds and hearts, leaving people anxious, fearful, and often hopeless. Under the supervision of Dr Humaira Jami I had the opportunity to conduct a series of mental health awareness sessions in flood-affected communities of Gilgit-Baltistan, sessions in places like Talidas (August 26, 2025), Moalaabad (the next day), Shishkat (September 11), HassanAbad (interviewed some of the people), and Dian; shoutout to the Umeed-e-Bashar Foundation for stepping up and finally Gulmit by mid-September.
It was a whirlwind, but honestly? Worth every second. We found peace, talked, worked on some mental health coping strategies, and for a second you could see the weight lift off people’s faces. Kids kept asking me about when I did come back, and for sure, I will visit them again.
Here is what got me: these families, even with their world upside down, still found time and courage for the hospitality. Tea, snacks, and the whole hospitality made me tear up, not going to lie. There is something wild about how, even when everything’s broken, people still remember kindness. They hang onto it like it’s a life raft. You can talk all you want about resilience, but seeing it up close? Different story. It hit me that just showing up, listening, and letting them talk about this climate sadness is sometimes enough to spark a little hope. Not just for them, for me too. It is not easy climbing out of that pit of climate dread, but when you do it together, it’s possible. If you ask me, patching up minds is just as urgent as rebuilding bridges or houses. You can’t bounce back if you are broken inside. That’s the real lesson; I am holding onto it, and I hope everyone else does too.
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