While eco-anxiety isn’t considered a disease or mental illness just yet, this could change in the future. It’s still a relatively recent term that is still being researched. However, psychologists and scientific organizations believe that the internalization of environmental problems could cause significant psychological consequences.
The causes of eco-anxiety
Eco-anxiety is caused when an individual internalizes an environmental issue. For example, this could be climate change, rising sea levels, or even the impact of extreme weather phenomena like tornados or fires.
The individual doesn’t need to be personally impacted by the environmental issue to develop eco-anxiety. The condition can be caused by an individual considering how an environmental problem, like water pollution, will affect future generations or their future children.
How is it different to eco-anger or guilt?
Although the causes are similar, eco-anger and eco-guilt are different from eco-anxiety and it’s an important distinction to make. Eco-anger refers to the angry or frustrated emotional response an individual or group may have towards climate change.
Eco-guilt on the other hand is typically described as feeling guilty because you could have done an action to help the environment, but chose not to. It could also refer to feeling guilty or powerless when you can’t help positively contribute to change an environmental issue.
How does eco-anxiety affect people?
Eco-anxiety is quickly spreading and becoming an increasing problem around the world. In a recent survey conducted in 2023 on climate action, over 50% of the staff and students who responded stated they were ‘worried’ about the climate crisis.
The condition, eco-anxiety, is sometimes also referred to as climate anxiety. Common symptoms are similar to other types of anxiety, including sleeplessness, a heightened emotional state, irritability, and loss of appetite.
In serious cases of climate anxiety, it can lead to panic attacks, or be a contributing factor for other mental health disorders, such as depression.
Recent studies have shown that eco-anxiety is more prevalent and felt more deeply among certain groups of people. These include young people, first responders for climate-related disasters, as well as climate scientists and activists.
Overcoming eco-anxiety
If you’re suffering from eco-anxiety or helping someone overcome it, we’ve got a few tips to help you out. The first step to overcoming eco-anxiety is addressing it. It’s important to understand what is causing it.
- Acknowledge and investigate your emotions
It’s normal to feel anxious about the potential threat of climate change. Reminding yourself that is the first step to managing any anxiety or negative feelings.
- Research strategies to help keep yourself grounded and present
It’s easy to get lost in news articles about the latest environmental concerns. It’s okay to take a break from social media and disconnect.
- Do your part
It’s normal to feel overwhelmed by the sheer scale of some environmental problems. So, just take small steps and do your part to contribute wherever you can—it may help ease your anxieties.
- Confide in a friend or talk to a professional about your anxieties and worries
Talking to someone else may help you gain a new perspective or help you develop effective strategies for coping.
Practical eco-anxiety
It depends on the individual, but one effective strategy for coping with eco-anxiety is through practical eco-anxiety. You can start channeling the anxiety and strong emotions you feel about climate change into something productive and take action.
Eco-anxiety can be used as fuel to take part in activist events and help revert the climate crisis. The anxiety from reading about environmental problems can be channeled into participating in events to increase awareness and do more environmentally responsible actions.
Coping with the climate crisis
When it comes to psychology, unlike most stressors—which are typically personal, anxiety from the climate crisis is external. It can be an extreme stressor, and it’s not something an individual can control or manage by themselves.
If you’re struggling with any sort of climate-related anxiety or depression, it’s important to talk to a professional. A psychologist can help you with coping strategies, like adopting a problem-solving attitude, or help you with coming up with diversion tactics when the anxiety becomes too severe.The world is currently in a climate crisis, and not only does it threaten the future of the Earth—but it’s also having a massive impact on people’s mental health and well-being. This psychological impact is a phenomenon known as eco-anxiety.
Eco-anxiety refers to the emotional distress, anxiety, and other mental health symptoms that are experienced in response to ecological crises. If you’re studying a program like an MCHD-clinical mental health counseling course, or you’re already working in the field, it’s important to understand eco-anxiety and how to help people manage symptoms.
We’ll be covering the psychology of eco-anxiety and similar conditions. If you’re someone who may be suffering from eco-anxiety, our tips may be able to help you manage the symptoms. We also recommend speaking to a mental health professional like a psychologist or a counselor if you have any concerns.
What is eco-anxiety?
The American Psychology Association (APA) has a great definition of eco-anxiety. The organization describes it as “the chronic fear of environmental cataclysm which comes from observing the seemingly irrevocable impact of climate change” and the impact it has on one’s future and the next generation.