(upbeat dramatic music) - I'm Starla Sampaco in the Crosscut KCTS9 newsroom.

(gentle music begins) As temperatures and sea levels rise, some Seattle residents are already feeling a new kind of anxiety in response to flooding, air pollution, and other ecological events linked to climate change.

While the household poll survey showed a steady downward trend in reported anxiety and depression symptoms from March through July in 2021, the numbers shot back up in August when heat and wildfire smoke covered the region.

Between Seattle's traditionally gloomy, winter weather and the smoke season, many are spending more time indoors.

For some, that means canceled plans and isolation from family and friends.

In addition to a sense of loss for their own experiences, people can also feel saddened by the disappearance of a natural world they once knew.

Some clinical psychologists call these feelings "climate grief."

I'm Starla Sampaco.

Find Nonprofit Northwest News every day on crosscut.com.

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