Thatās lovely! My husband has a similar response: life always survives. Howeverā¦
Climate anxiety, or more generally, ecological grief, is common but perfectly actionable, because itās anxiety. Anxiety is a thing that you can treat. Here are some things that may help.
Treat it like any other anxiety. Iām serious. You may be like, āWell, Elodie, the difference is that [my other anxiety] is about things that ARE NOT REAL, and my Climate Anxiety is about THINGS THAT ARE VERY MUCH EXTREMELY REAL. So therefore it canāt be treated, and therefore I must feel horrible. This extremely SPECIAL anxiety is just too REAL to treat.ā And Iām like: hey! first off, donāt act like [your other anxiety] needs to be āreal!ā it IS real! all that matters is that you have anxiety. it literally does not matter whether youāre anxious about something ārealā or āvalidā or not, okay? Stop that mindset, it isnāt helping you (and itās really bad for other anxious people to hear.) Any anxiety that happens is here, and it affects you, and THAT is real. Treat it. Itās the same issue.
After addressing it as anxiety, the best cure for the causes of climate anxiety is climate action.
Ensure that you are getting your information from reputable sites and reliable sources. There are a lot of blogs, products, programs and influencers who have built their platforms on monetizing peopleās eco-anxiety, deliberately cultivating a state of anxiety and fear (and a neat little market to go with it). Resist this and stick to the evidence, choosing research that is meant to educate and inform.
Donāt fall into the trap of obsessing over individual actions. A lot of anxiety will come from whether you recycled a plastic spoon, and then you might get upset by seeing a person leaving their car running, and then you might be overwhelmed by how disgusting and polluted your city seems, with all these people who just donāt appear to care. Instead, convert that anxiety, energy and desire to do something into Actually Useful climate actions. Psychologists, economists, scientists and policymakers awkwardly agree that focusing on individual actions is bad for your mental health, unproductive, and ineffective. Make the decision to cut off these thoughts and treat them as intrusive.
In particular, try to stop yourself from negative hyperfocus on what everyone else is doing. If the sight of other people eating meat makes you feel ill because you canāt stop picturing them EATING YOUR CHILDRENāS FUTURE, or if you find yourself on Facebook berating people for using disposable diapers, or if youāre terrorizing your coworkers by sorting their trash, then this is a clue that this eco-anxiety is affecting your ability to relate to people and you need to stop. It is not a good road, and you can be better.
Also, you are more than just a Unit of Consumption. Humans are more than that, too.
Read about how environmental victories, such as closing the hole in the ozone layer and removing the lead from gasoline, were achieved. Whatās the difference here? What needs to be done? How do you actually win these fights? Remember that they all seemed impossible and terrifying at the start. Nobody enters a war thinking that the only outcome is victory.
There are plenty of resources to direct you to Actually Useful Climate Actions, but some good first steps include
Find your local, in-person group that is concerned about the environment and join them for literal, actual, real-life meetings/activities/protests/events.Ā
Learn about the relevant charities and choose one that aligns most closely with your interests. Some charities may have some stances that you donāt agree with, but the good thing is, researching this is a productive use of your time. Friends of the Earth? Extinction Rebellion? The World Wildlife Fund? 360Degrees? Greenpeace? The YEARS Project? Our Childrenās Trust? Survival International? THERE ARE DOZENS. Choose one that operates in your country and aligns with your own goals and values. Most of them can do a lot of good actions with a regular donation of Ā£3/$5 a month. If you canāt donate money, you can still sign up for newsletters, sign petitions, participate in their campaigns, write to your local politicians on their behalf, fundraise, and volunteer. Seriously, donāt try this alone! There are literally dozens of powerful and influential charities who can make an enormous difference, who are BEGGING you to come and participate. They NEED you.
Signing petitions and writing to politicians are honestly powerful and necessary actions that you can do, and they are often accessible if your abilities are limited. There are plenty of good reasons why your abilities may be limited, like disability/work/finances/mental health/time/energy.
If you have the resources, direct actions like marches, strikes and protests are incredibly powerful - but they work best when more than one person is involved. Who can you join? If the answer is ānobody,ā then who will join you? Do you have allies in your classmates? Would friends and family do it for love?
Learn about what is actually needed (generally, it isnāt chasing plastic bottles; but do you feel a calling to do so? Where does that come from? what can you do?) and reflect upon what you can provide.
If you have skills, experience or connections, how can you bring them to bear on climate action? This article talks about psychologists and journalists who thought about this, and the career/hobby/life decisions they made.
Ā If you are an artist/writer/creator of fiction, thereās an interesting book called āThe Great Derangementā by Amitav Ghosh, which wants to drag the entire concept of fiction for never talking about climate change. Itās difficult! Read it!
If you cannot get away from worry about your individual impacts, calculate your carbon footprint; there are plenty of easy free calculators. Then, find and research a carbon offset service that will plant a tree to suck up your carbon. It isnāt perfect, but neither is focusing too much on What One Person Can Do, and at least this way you can think about your tree. This is more a āquick cure for immediate anxietyā than an Actually Useful Climate Thing - but what a nice displacement activity!
Maybe individual displacement activities mean a huge amount to you and help your anxiety. Thatās amazing! Do them! Why not make a commitment to do them joyfully? Share a plant-based meal with your friends/family/colleagues, or plan a plant-based party (maybe a vegetarian potluck? Lots of people will actually enjoy the challenge!) Plan a super-low-carbon vacation or break. Really get into your vegetable garden as a source of pleasure. Make your individual choices as joyous additions to your life, rather than sacrifices.
Some individual actions we donāt talk about much are incredibly useful, but people donāt know they exist. If youāre lucky enough to have some, and I know that a lot of people donāt, divest your pension/retirement/savings money to green/ethical/eco holdings. (Did you know that a lot of banks use your money to invest directly in fossil fuels? Hey! Did you know that you can literally say no to that!) Change your energy supplier to renewable energy. Are eco holdings or green energy not available where you live? Fabulous, thatās your action for a week; calling your bank or power company and explaining what a good offering that would be.
Politics. SORRY BUT THERE IT IS. YOU CANNOT GET AWAY FROM IT.
Talk about it. Itās hard to be anxious about an existential threat when friends, family and colleagues may not even notice or believe in the threat. Without being a proselytizer, you can actually talk to the people you respect about your concerns, and even ask them to share in them.
Talk to a therapist. They know how to do this.
Hey, maybe this is an interesting career direction for you! If it really means a lot to you and your lifeā¦ then how can you serve? Is this your Job? Maybe it is.
STAY AWAY FROM DOOM-AND-GLOOM PEOPLE. Generally, they know fuck about shit!! They really donāt have anything useful to say!!! Also STAY AWAY FROM CLIMATE DENIERS. They know even fewer fucks about even fewer shits! Just keep away from these people! Theyāre mean, nasty, incorrect, wrong and ignorant - and theyāll drag you down with them. Donāt give them the keys to your mental health! Theyāll drive it off a cliff! Itās what they WANT to do.
There are plenty of websites talking about this, all with their own conclusions, many of which Iāve said here. Here they are:
Climate anxiety doesnāt have to ruin your life. Hereās how to manage it.
Climate anxiety is real, but thereās something you can do about it
What To Do About Climate Change Anxiety, According To Experts
Eco-Anxiety Isnāt New, and Itās Time to Deal with It
Donāt Allow Climate Change Anxiety to Ruin Your Life: Five ways to handle your (or your childās) āeco-anxietyā
Hope and mourning in the Anthropocene: Understanding ecological grief
Make a folder, Tumblr, or box full of things that reassure you and bring you joy. perhaps like this:
And here is an image that is one of the most useful and succint ways to answer this question that Iāve seen (itās strictly USA-based but you can take what applies to you). Source, which is easier to read.
Search for your region + suicide hotline on the net. Talk to family, friends, colleagues. Call the emergency services on yourself. Make contact with a therapist. If you feel suicidal then treat that as something that needs to be fixed. Because it can be. And it will.
