Eco-Anxiety - What is it? Symptoms, Causes and How to Cope.
Like all forms of anxiety, eco-anxiety comes in levels of severity:
- You may feel a singular wave of intense anxiety after an extreme climate event.
- You may feel a constant, simmering, underlying tinge of anxiety and distress at the state of climate affairs.
- You might be having feelings of doom (thoughts of “It’s just too late!).
- You may have put plans on pause, both big and small, due to stressors from eco-anxiety
As with anxiety 'in general', symptoms may include:
-Sleepless nights.
-Constant worry.
-Catastrophizing.
– An inability to focus.
-Delaying or cancelling plans.
-Panic attacks.
-Physical upset (like hives).
-Loss of appetite.
-Mindless behaviours, like excessive social media scrolling or rewatching familiar TV shows.
What could cause eco-anxiety?
Triggers are highly personal and vary for everyone:
- It might be something that specifically affects you: Your home is flooding due to unprecedented rainfall, for example.
- It might arise from worries about bringing children into the world right now.
- It might be because of guilt from seeing news reports of struggling, ill-equipped third-world communities who are facing the affects of climate change, while battling a myriad of other issues.
- It could stem from feeling overwhelmed. Where do you begin? How can you help?
- Eco-anxiety might start by the feeling of doom. It’s just too late … what’s the point?
Rest assured:
These feelings aren’t unusual, abnormal or ‘wrong.’
Ultimately, it’s amazing that you care so intensely about our shared home. It’s just a case of channeling this anxiety and turning it into something productive and healthy.
So how can you cope with eco-anxiety?
- Talk about it! Chat with friends and loved ones (we have a great blog which may help).
- Seek out climate support groups on social media.
- Block accounts on social media that cause you stress or anguish.
- Volunteer for local environmental groups. Help plant trees, pick up litter, build bee boxes Doing something, anything, is sure to make you feel great!
- Donate to an environmental group.
- Look up webinars on eventbrite. There are some great plant-based cooking classes, gardening classes and environmental workshops.
- Implement changes in your day-to-day. Small steps add up to great things! If you’re not sure where to start, download our app: It’s chock-full of easy-non-scary eco-acts to aid you in your bid to ease eco-anxiety.
- Follow our socials. We’re a positive, upbeat group:
9. If you’re feeling incredibly overwhelmed, talk with an understanding therapist.
10. Get outdoors. Fresh air and reconnecting with nature is so important for our mental health. See our blog post for “10 Ways to Reconnect with Nature” for ideas.
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