Climate Change is Causing ‘Eco-Anxiety’: Here’s What You Can Do About It!

What is ‘Eco-Anxiety’?

Sooooooo, we’ve all heard of climate change: Ice caps melting, animals going extinct, more extreme summers and winters, we all know the drill! 🥵🥶🙃 It feels like every day there’s something new to worry about!

This uncertainty and potential doom can really affect our mental wellbeing… I know it definitely affects mine! 😅 I grew up in England where, in my childhood, I remember having ‘snow days’ where we couldn’t even go to school, and having beautiful summers where the sun was out and shining for the whole season. Recently? There hasn’t been proper snow in years and don’t even get me started on the summer, going from having storms one day to heatwaves the next! There are periods of time where flooding is SO bad that I can’t even leave my town. 😥

With the environment in freefall and all the negative news, I can feel my anxiety start to spiral. 🤯 I have no idea what the future holds for our planet, I’m scared that if I have children they won’t have anywhere to live and I feel so angry at the corporations not taking responsibility for their actions. I’m losing confidence in the government that’s supposed to protect us! Honestly, it looks like the people who have the power to make changes aren’t doing enough, or anything at all! And what’s worse is it feels like there is nothing I can do about it… this gives me MAJOR anxiety and sometimes makes me unable to get on with my day because, what’s the point?

Turns out I’m not alone in this! It’s called Eco-anxiety: an unsettling feeling caused by a chronic fear of environmental doom. 😱 Finding out about eco-anxiety was really bittersweet. Identifying it helped me research and understand it better, but realising it's yet another form of anxiety I'm dealing with was definitely not comforting. 🙄

I find it gets so much worse when I spend my time endlessly scrolling on social media, watching too many clips from the news or looking up the latest companies to pollute in oceans or rivers. I end up fearing the future. 😰

I’ve always been very conscious of my impact on the planet but sometimes feel like, with all the negative news, nothing I do is ever enough! It can be so hard to see the good and positive things that are happening in our world. When times are tough with the planet I resort to repressing my feelings and hiding away from the world…

Fortunately I’m hear to tell you there are things we can do to combat eco-anxiety! 💪 

So what can we do? Here are my top six RECOMMENDATIONS to calm your environmental blues:

1. Contact your MP or local government with your concerns

Lots of people, including myself, can feel hopeless when it comes to eco-anxiety. I sometimes feel like I don’t have the time, resources or ideas to make change. 😓 But, it’s important to maintain a sense of power and agency in the face of anxiety. One thing I’ve found I can do is let my local MP or governing body know my concerns - and LOUDLY! 📣 Write, email, call or even arrange a meeting to ask the important questions and get an answer to what your local representatives are doing for the environment! I personally love using Hubbub to find resources and even email templates to send to my local MP.

2. Research what you’re consuming and it’s effects on the planet

Wanna know one of the best tools we have at our fingertips? Hint: you’re using it right now! 💻 Use the internet to find out where your purchases come from, what they’re made out of, how to recycle or dispose of them and even their effect on the planet! I love doing this when I’m considering buying a new top, book or anything really. I want to know what the impact is and if it’s worth it - most of the time I find it’s not and end up buying second hand. I love shopping second-hand because not only can I find super unique and cool pieces but it is also a fraction of the price of brand new things. Plus, thrifting is totally trendy right now. 😜

3. Create a local community initiative to give back to the planet

Ever hear about local and community based projects and wonder how they get started? They always start with a bright idea and a courageous person willing to give it a go! 💡 Back in the summer my household and a few of our neighbours set up a group chat to create a ‘sharing shed’. So, if someone needed a lawn mower but didn’t own one, instead of buying one new they would message the neighbourhood chat and ask if someone had one they could borrow. Since starting it I could not BELIEVE how much my entire neighbourhood was choosing to share instead of buying new! It’s great for the planet and starting a community. If you’re in the UK, I personally love looking on Friends of the Earth to find communities near me! 

4. Make a virtual support group for others experiencing eco-anxiety

Social media moves FAST. Can’t find a local environmental group or not in the position to start your own? Start a virtual support group! I love looking on local forums on Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, X and beyond by searching for the nearest or biggest town and city with words like ‘environmentalism’ or ‘environmental group’ - and, if nothing comes up, that means there’s a place for you to start your own! 🙌 Give yourself and others all around the world an opportunity to find a community, discuss tips and ideas on how to help the climate crisis AND ease your eco-anxiety by sharing! It’s a win-win! 🎉

5. Participate or create peaceful protests & events for the environment

I have always believed in standing up for causes and people who need the most support. 👏 This is exactly why I LOVE attending peaceful protests and pro-environment events. If you’ve ever wanted to make sure your voice is heard, this is a great way to start! Finding others either locally or online to create an event or peaceful protest is a great way to combat your eco-anxiety. Actively participating in something with the potential to change the world is the same as actively doing something to help your mental health! When I was at university I attended a peaceful climate change protest and met one of my closest friends there ✊ It was great to get the chance to have my thoughts and feelings heard loud and clear. 📣 Make signs and chants and encourage others to join in! 👏

6. Surround yourself with others who feel the same

I can feel soooooooo isolated when I’m experiencing eco-anxiety - it’s like I have the entire weight of the world on my shoulders. 😢 But, when I share my thoughts and feelings with close friends and family about what’s going on in the world, I can feel my worry start to melt away. 😊 Having a community to rely on and surrounding myself with others who feel the same makes me feel so supported and really helps with my anxiety! 🙌

ready to take on eco-anxiety? you’ve got this!

Well aren’t you an eco-warrior for making it to the end? 😘 Just kidding, whether eco-anxiety affects you every day or not, it’s natural for us to all feel it to greater or lesser extents. I’ve found that having a mix of coping mechanisms and doing these six things to actively help the environment has done wonders for my mental health!

Don’t forget, we’re all in this together, and the more you talk about your anxieties the less alone, more supported and more empowered you’ll feel! If you’re struggling with anxiety more broadly, make sure to check out some of our other resources, like our article on causes and symptoms of anxiety our article on causes and symptoms of anxiety here.

Make sure you look after yourself and know that you’re doing great because you care! ❤️