Caring for the planet shouldn't cost you your health
If you're exhausted, wired, or quietly wondering how much longer you can keep going, it doesn't mean you're not cut out for climate work. It usually means your nervous system has been carrying too much for too long.
My work starts from a simple belief: your body is not broken. Given the right conditions, your system knows how to move back towards balance. The problem is that climate work rarely gives it the chance.
Creating conditions so your system can heal
Instead of trying to override your biology, we work with it. The focus is on removing unnecessary load, widening your sense of safety, and letting your natural capacity for repair come back online — without stepping away from the work you care about.
Human Ecology Personal Assessment
A short assessment combining a survey with a personal written response. It maps your current nervous system state and ecological load in the context of climate work and offers clear, grounded next steps.
Start the assessment →Writing & public work
If you want to get a feel for the approach, you can read the writing or follow along in public. Same tone, same biology-first lens — just delivered in places you already use.
You were wired to care for a small tribe, not a whole planet
Human nervous systems evolved to keep a village safe. They're excellent at noticing local danger and bringing you back to balance once the threat has passed. They did not evolve for 24/7 exposure to global climate data, political failure and images of loss from every continent.
When your work keeps you close to that stream of threat, your body responds exactly as it was designed to: it stays on guard. Heart rate up, digestion down, sleep lighter, muscles ready. Helpful in the short term, costly over months and years.
None of that means your system is broken. It means it's taking your work seriously. Our job is to adjust the conditions so it can still protect you without burning you out.
The Human Ecology Personal Assessment helps you see where your system is on that spectrum right now — and you'll receive a personal written response with sensible next steps.
Start the assessmentWhen I look at your situation, I’m asking:
- What kinds of climate signals is your body trying to respond to every day?
- Where has it had to override your natural need for rest, play and connection?
- What small changes would give your biology more room to do what it already knows how to do?
The aim is not to make you feel less, but to help your body feel safe enough that your care becomes sustainable.
Who's behind this work?
I'm Peter Bennett, a chiropractor and burnout coach based in Cumbria. I began in molecular biology, moved into postgraduate research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and have spent more than 25 years working with people whose bodies are sending signals they don't yet understand.
The thread through all of that work is simple: trust nature, and trust the body. When we reduce interference and give your system even a little more safety, it has a powerful tendency to move towards healing and balance by itself.
Over time I found more and more of the people sitting in front of me were working in climate and social impact roles. Their nervous systems weren't “malfunctioning”; they were straining to respond to crises that no single human was designed to hold alone.
My job isn't to fix you or tell you to care less. It's to help create the conditions where your biology can do what it already knows how to do, so you can stay in the work you love without losing yourself in the process.
If any of this feels uncomfortably familiar, that's your body asking to be heard. The Human Ecology Personal Assessment is a quiet, private first step — with a personal written response.
Start the assessmentFrequently asked questions
Some gentle clarity for climate professionals who want to understand what's happening in their bodies.
What is climate burnout?
Climate burnout is what happens when your nervous system has been exposed to chronic stress, threat signals and responsibility for too long without enough time to recover. It's not a psychological flaw — it's a biological overload response.
Why are climate professionals more susceptible?
Because your work keeps you close to global-scale challenges your biology was never designed to track. Your nervous system evolved to protect a small tribe, not a whole planet. When your body treats climate information as “threat,” long-term exhaustion becomes a natural outcome.
Is burnout a sign of weakness?
Absolutely not. Burnout is a sign that your system has been working exceptionally hard for a long time. Your body is trying to protect you — not failing you. When we create the right conditions, your natural resilience begins to return.
How does my nervous system affect my ability to do climate work?
Your nervous system determines your energy, clarity, emotional steadiness and capacity to connect with others. When it's overloaded, everything feels harder. When it's supported, you regain clarity, creativity and your natural drive to contribute.
What is the Human Ecology Personal Assessment?
It's a short assessment combining a survey with a personal written response. It maps your nervous system state and ecological load, then provides clear next steps within 2–3 working days.
What if I already feel too exhausted to make changes?
That's exactly why the approach is gentle and biology-first. You won't be asked to push harder. Instead, we support your system in small ways that it can accept — because your body already knows how to move toward recovery when given the chance.
Do I need to step away from climate work to heal?
No. The goal isn't to withdraw from the work you love. It's to help your nervous system feel safe and supported enough that you can stay in the movement sustainably, without sacrificing your health or your future.
If these questions resonate, your body may already be asking for support. You can start gently with the Human Ecology Personal Assessment.
Start the assessmentCopyrights 2025 | Climate Burnout™
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