How to Cope with Eco Anxiety

About a decade ago, when returning to Chile from a few months in the northern hemisphere, I was awestruck to find the evergreen forest around my home streaked with shades of auburn color. Some native trees were dying after a brutally dry year and the creeks weren’t singing the song of life anymore. My heart wept and my belly ached for days and weeks. The afflictions of climate change had reached my own little corner of the world.

Before that moment, I had experienced great sadness related to wildfires and hurricanes or to the extinction of animal and plant species due to human destruction and pollution. However, from this point on, I began suffering eco-anxiety—chronic fear of environmental doom and distress associated with the anticipation of the harmful impacts of climate change.

In the midst of these lingering preoccupations I felt lonely. At this point, most people were still ignoring the predicaments of this ever-increasing disastrous situation, and even as some individuals recognized the seriousness of it all, they did not feel empowered to do much about it or perhaps perceived it like something far away enough to keep ignoring.

Nonetheless, as increasing visibility of climate-related catastrophes and of scientific reports on the rapid degradation of ecosystems, awareness of global environmental crises has grown and with it, eco-anxiety. In 2021, the Pew Research Center found that 72% of people in 17 advanced countries were concerned that climate change would personally affect them at some point.

News of wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and the extinction of species has become a constant presence in the media, making climate change and the over exploitation of resources no longer a distant threat but a current reality. Feelings of helplessness, fear, anger, grief, and guilt are widespread, especially among the younger generations who grew up exposed to this topic.

According to another global survey in 2021 published by The Lancet, 84% of young people aged 16 to 25 were at least moderately worried about climate change, with 59% reporting that they were very or extremely worried. “Respondents rated governmental responses to climate change negatively and reported greater feelings of betrayal than of reassurance.”

How can we cope with eco-anxiety?

Although eco-anxiety has distressing effects on our lives, we need to connect with the underlaying message of this feeling in order to turn the pain into a source of strength. In my view, this begins by acknowledging eco-anxiety not as a cry from isolated individuals, but as a cry from the natural world that is being afflicted by the exploitative values of modern society.

The question is not why people worry about the ecosystems, instead we should ask how some people remain oblivious to all the harm created by consumerism and greed. Perhaps the more disconnected we are from our elemental nature, the less empathy we have for the terrible consequences of eco devastation.

Another way of easing eco-anxiety is to spend time in nature for its calming and revivifying effects on mind and body. At the same time remaining committed to protect the land, at any level that is possible for us, restores the sense of connection with nature and the feeling that one is co-creating balance for the Earth. For this is important to join communities, whether online or in-person, of like-minded individuals who share our concerns about the environment and are actively being part of the solution.

There are other things that one can do to transform anxiety into positive feelings including a sense of purpose and a sense of community. Keeping informed of stories of environmental restoration, technological innovations, and successful policy changes can maintain our hope and resilience.

After a decade of these practices I no longer feel alone on my journey and I have come to understand in my bones what sages call ‘the interconnectedness of all life’. Eco-anxiety is not just about managing my own mental health; it’s also about contributing to the broader effort to restore and protect our planet for our children’s children and all beings on this beautiful Earth.

Blessings!

Marcela Lobos