What is eco-anxiety?

We can’t stop climate change overnight. It’s going to take determined and sustained action from millions of people, globally. And that will require resilience.

 

Emotional resilience is our ability to adapt to stressful situations or crises. By taking care of our emotional wellbeing, we are better equipped to face whatever the future brings. It will help us to take positive actions, prevent burnout, and play our part in creating a more sustainable future.

 

Here are a few ideas to help deal with eco-anxiety and build the resilience we’ll need to take sustained and positive climate action.  

 

 

Check in with yourself

 

When we get caught up in the day-to-day, anxiety and overwhelm can creep up on us and then hit like a ton of bricks. It can be helpful to check in with yourself, as often as possible.

 

That way you’ll get to recognise when you need to up your self-care, take a break from the news, dose up on positive stories – or take whatever action you need to restore yourself and build resilience.

 

So, if you’ve just watched some footage of a forest fire, before launching into the next thing on your to do list, take time to digest what you’ve seen.

 

That doesn’t mean dwelling – it means giving yourself a moment or two to acknowledge what you’ve seen and register your reaction to it.

 

 

Acknowledge how you’re feeling

 

Having made that time to check in with yourself, it can be helpful to acknowledge how you feel. Giving yourself the space to simply acknowledge how angry, sad, or desperate you feel can help you to release some of the tension, as well as help you to figure out what you need to do to find some emotional balance.

 

And try to be kind to yourself, whatever you’re feeling. None of us have ever had to navigate a climate crisis before and it can feel complicated, messy and overwhelming.

 

 

Take a pause

 

Being aware of when it’s all getting too much means you can press pause. Take a break from the news, put your phone away for a fixed period of time, and make some time to do whatever makes you feel stronger and more positive.

 

That could be a walk in the woods, a game of football, or watching something that makes you laugh. You’ll know best what those things are.

 

 

Build your resilience toolkit

 

It can be helpful to find a few, simple tools that can help if you start to feel anxious. Different approaches work for different people, so explore what’s best for you.

 

That might be regularly practicing mindfulness or breathing exercises, learning about Emotional Freedom Technique, or building a regular gratitude exercise into your day.

 

Or you might find it helpful to learn more about resilience in general. Action for Happiness has lots of videos and podcasts on the topic.  

 

 

Talk with others

 

It can often feel that most people are ignoring the climate crisis and pretending it’s not happening. Being able to talk openly about your fears and anger can be hugely helpful in feeling that you’re not alone.

 

Parents for Future, for example, provide a supportive space for parents to talk about their fears, including an online support group. Or you could sign up for a virtual or in-person climate café organised by the Climate Psychology Alliance. These are run by professional facilitators and are a safe place to share with others.

 

 

Get professional help

 

There’s a growing number of counsellors and psychotherapists who specialise in working with eco-anxiety and the emotional impact of the climate crisis.

 

If you feel like one-to-one professional support could help you, then the Climate Psychology Alliance is a good place to start looking for a therapist specialising in eco-therapy.

 

Or the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapists has a directory of accredited and registered professionals.

 

 

Look for hope and find inspiration

 

This doesn’t mean ignoring the reality of what’s happening, it means shifting the balance. You might want to sign up for Positive News or read one of the books recommended by Greenpeace to turn eco-anxiety into action.

 

There are people all over the planet, doing amazing work. Focusing on their success stories and breakthroughs can help to fuel your own hope and build resilience.

 

Take a look at some climate change community projects that have inspired us or read from climate leaders about what brings them hope.  

 

 

Focus on what you can change – and take action

 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it can help to focus on what you can change, not what’s out of your control.

 

Taking one small action to lower your carbon footprint can help to build your resilience and feel more positive.

 

Take a look at Greenpeace’s ‘take action’ page for inspiration or target one thing on the Wildlife Trust’s list of ‘things you can do about climate change’.