Eco Anxiety: What It Is & How to Deal With It

What Is Eco Anxiety?

In 2017, the American Psychological Association (APA) and ecoAmerica coined the eco-anxiety definition as “Chronic fear of environmental doom.”¹ In the last decade, there has been significant research on the impact of ecological disasters on mental health, and more symptoms have been reported in just the past three years.² Specific fears include anxiety about climate change, pollution, deforestation, floods, extinction, lack of access to food, and more.^1,2

Eco Anxiety vs Ecological Grief

A lot of research has been done to differentiate between experiences of eco-anxiety vs. ecological grief (accepting something is gone as a result of an event).¹ While eco-anxiety focuses on the fears surrounding ecological events and threats to the planet, climate researchers also frequently discuss solastalgia, which is defined as, “the lived experience of negatively perceived change to a home environment.”^1,2,3,4,5

“There is no question that we are currently facing climate disasters and will continue to experience those hardships (not only for humanity but for countless other species) for the foreseeable future. That said, every action taken to mitigate our environmental impact can have profound effects and we have a great responsibility to do whatever we can to live in a more sustainable manner. Planet Earth will continue to spin, and life will be on it, but we have such a strong influence on the ecosystems and species that survive through this ‘Anthropocene.'” – Daniela Shebitz, Ph.D., Executive Director and Associate Professor at the School of Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, Kean University¹⁷

Is Eco-Anxiety a Medical Condition?

Currently, eco-anxiety is not a separate mental health condition recognized by the American Psychiatric Association. It can surely feed into and trigger other mental health conditions, though. For example, someone could have a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or specific phobia surrounding the impending doom of the planet. These diagnoses are important as they can reduce barriers to effective treatment.

Is It Normal to Feel Anxiety About the Planet?

Feeling anxious about the state of the planet is a perfectly normal human experience. The problems come when the anxiety begins to negatively impact your physical health, mental health, and overall well-being. Caring about the environment is a great quality, but if it stops you from actively enjoying your life, your relationships, and the world, it is not helpful. Using your feelings to find helpful ways to get involved is the challenge.

Symptoms of Eco Anxiety

Symptoms of eco-anxiety include feelings of shock, sadness, anger, and helplessness. Research observed that 25% – 50% of people who experience ecological disasters also experience mental health disorders.^3,4,5

Some symptoms of eco anxiety include:^1,2,3,4,5

• Shock
• Heightened stress
• Interpersonal difficulties
• Sadness, low moods, or hopelessness
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Feeling helpless
• Grief regarding Earth’s ecological health
• Continuous or interrupting fixation, worry or anxiety
• Sleep difficulties
• Fear or solastalgia
• Anger
• Verbal or physical aggression
• Difficulties at school or work, potentially related to focus
• Feeling like you are losing control and personal choice
• Feeling displaced like there is no safe place available
• Increased substance use or abuse
• Suicidal thoughts and/or attempts

5 Causes of Eco Anxiety

There are a number of causes that can influence eco-anxiety, such as personal experience, constant media coverage, concern about your own impact, or living/working in an area where climate change may impact your safety.

“Eco-anxiety is brought on by awareness of worsening environmental problems, such as those associated with pollution and climate change. We see eco-anxiety especially among the younger generations, who have now taken it upon themselves to lobby for more responsible environmental action. Young people are anxious about the state of the planet they will inherit.” Dr Mucha Mkono, Faculty of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Queensland¹⁸

Here are five potential causes and contributing factors of eco-anxiety:

1. Experiencing an Ecological Event

When someone experiences a trauma like an ecological disaster, it can change their perception of their safety. Similar to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it can be difficult to feel like the world is a safe place after experiencing something traumatic.^3,4,5

2. Constantly Reading or Watching Information About Environmental Threats

When something bad happens, it’s often all over the media. This can overwhelm people, leaving them feeling like they can’t escape or don’t have control.^4,5,8  People with eco-anxiety also tend to engage in doomscrolling, and research reports that this leads to heightened feelings of depression and anxiety.^6,7

3. Experiencing Concern About Your Ecological Footprint

In the past decade, awareness around ecological issues has increased significantly. While pro-environmental trends and actions are positive, they can become overwhelming, leading to feelings of guilt, shame, and hopelessness.^2,8

4. Living or Working in an Area Affected by Climate Change

Many haven’t experienced a major ecological disaster, but this doesn’t mean their area hasn’t been impacted by climate change. People may experience droughts, limited access to vegetables and meats, loss of ecosystems, impacted tourism, and more. Events like this can influence feelings of solastalgia, especially regarding grief about the home and life they knew.^3,4,5

5. Being Part of a Vulnerable Population

A number of researchers noted increased risk of eco-anxiety in younger, more vulnerable populations, including indigenous groups or communities that rely on land and sea for their wellbeing (e.g., Native Alaskan, Inuit, and Sami tribes). In general, other groups with heightened eco-anxiety include women and people who had experienced homelessness, lower income, chronic health issues, or significant exposure to obtrusive media about crises.^4,5

How Does Eco Anxiety Affect People?

Eco-anxiety can affect people in ways that mirror anxiety disorders. Some people will keep their eco anxiety in check and go about their daily routines, while others will really struggle to maintain their daily functioning.

Some of the common effects of eco anxiety include:

• Higher levels of mental stress and anxiety
• Higher rates of physical tension
• Poor concentration and focus
• Being unable to relax
• Feeling uneasy and restless
• Trouble sleeping
• Poor appetite with weight loss and poor nutrition

In the most extreme situations, eco-anxiety will affect someone’s work performance, education, and relationships. It can stand in the way of feeling happy and fulfilled.

15 Ways to Cope With Eco Anxiety

Although eco-anxiety isn’t an official mental health diagnosis, it shares symptoms with anxiety and trauma disorders. There are a number of suggested ways to help cope with and reduce these symptoms, including taking a break from social media, getting more involved in activism, building resilience, and attending therapy.

Here are 15 ways to cope with eco-anxiety:

1. Limit Your Media Consumption

Doomscrolling and enmeshing yourself in the media (including social media, television, movies, news coverage, etc.) about ecological crises can leave you feeling helpless.^4,12,14 Psychologists suggest limiting and disengaging from media coverage and other ecological exposure by taking a social media break to give yourself some relief.^12,14

2. Stick to a Few Key Topics

It’s helpful to limit your focus to a few ecological topics to keep from becoming overwhelmed. Researchers note that by educating yourself, increasing your awareness, and setting healthy boundaries and limits, you can make active, realistic strides to reduce climate change.^4,9

3. Get Angry & Involved

Researchers found that getting angry can lead to more stable emotional well-being in dealing with eco-anxiety. Anger, when used wisely, encourages people to become active, engage in advocacy and civil action, and organize groups.^4,9,10

4. Explore Realistic Lifestyle Changes

Eco-anxiety often influences feelings of helplessness. By exploring and engaging in realistic changes, you can help the environment. Examples of this include figuring out your carbon footprint, using public or physical transportation (if possible), reducing or lowering use of AC and electric, using reusable over plastic, or starting a garden.^1,3,10

Dr. Shebitz recommends, focusing on the small, relatively easy and cost-saving things you can do:

• Reduce: Cut down your consumption. Ask yourself before buying something (ranging from food wrapped in plastic to clothing and large furniture, toys, and electronics): Do I really need this? Is this the most sustainable choice?
• Reuse everything you can – No more single-use materials/plastics.
• Shut off all electricity when not needed – including power strips.
• Limit (or even eliminate) meat consumption – That makes a huge difference!
• Conduct an energy audit of your home and see where you are wasting energy – Insulate, replace old windows and doors.
• Fly less
• Carpool and take mass transit

Finally, consider making big, more expensive changes that will have lasting impacts and can eventually save you money and limit your environmental impact:

• Switch to renewable energy
• Invest in an electric vehicle

5. Be Patient With Yourself & Others

Feeling like you have to make so many major commitments in such a short time can be overwhelming. It’s perfectly normal to feel this way. Give yourself and others time and patience to make realistic changes. Remind yourself that you’re doing the best you can.¹¹

6. Connect With Nature

Being in nature can benefit your mental health. If enjoyed responsibly, it can help you to find peace to recover from the stressors and symptoms of eco-anxiety. By connecting with nature or engaging in something like ecotherapy, you may be able to feel more deeply in touch with the world and, in turn, yourself.¹²

Dr. Shebitz encourages, “It is important to connect with nature in a way that is meaningful to you and to recognize that while there is so much at stake, there is so much resiliency in nature. We all must do what we can to limit our environmental impact, and to influence others to do the same, but there is hope in you, and in all of the others that you can inspire.”

7. Get Involved With Your Community

Getting involved in your community can help reduce your area’s impact on the environment. It also increases your sense of connection and enhances your ability to discuss symptoms of eco-anxiety. Community activities might include trash pickup, growing or adding to a neighborhood garden, recycling, or participating in food waste reduction.¹

8. Remember, You’re Not Alone

Mental health symptoms can make people feel lonely, especially if they’re not aware that others experience them, as well. It’s important to remember that you can’t fix everything by yourself, and that interpersonal connections can help you feel connected to something bigger. Connections also create a sense of cohesion with your community and support network.^1,4,12

9. Use Humor

If you’ve struggled with anxiety or similar issues, you might know that people commonly use humor to de-stress and cope. A small research survey found that while people felt best by engaging in active changes, they also reported that climate change memes and humor helped them cope.¹³

10. Journal

If you feel overwhelmed, journaling for your mental health can help you increase gratitude and provide insight into the changes you’ve made over time. Some studies observe that journaling is related to having less mental health concerns, increased insight to mental health, and heightened physical stability.¹⁵ You can use anxiety journaling prompts to help you get started.

11. Maintain Hopeful Thinking

Research emphasizes the importance of staying hopeful. By accepting the reality of the situation, acknowledging the difficult experiences and emotions, and fostering hope, you can encourage yourself and others to stay true to your mission.^9,14

12. Practice Self-care

In the process of committing to changes, dealing with ecological threats, and exploring ways to become involved, it can be easy to lose sight of yourself. You can’t pour from an empty cup, so it’s important to maintain your health (mental and physical) through self-care.^1,9

13. Learn & Engage In Resilience Techniques

Resilience is frequently documented as being effective to teach people how to take on adversity. It teaches people to feel productive, worthy, effective, in control, and flexible.^1,3,4 Resilience can bolster the community, too; so, even if only one or two people engage in resilience techniques, it can impact many others.

14. Have an Emergency Plan(s)

Prepare an emergency plan for you and your family. This kind of planning fosters feelings of security and control. Maintain a basic supply of emergency kits, food and water, first-aid, etc. to provide peace of mind. The APA suggests including things that can foster resilience and stabilize your mental health, too, such as religious or spiritual literature, books, toys, etc.¹

15. Attend Therapy

Especially when you experience mental health concerns and fear of ecological issues, it can help to reach out to a therapist to process your trauma history, explore your concerns, and better learn how to cope with symptoms. In addition, therapy for anxiety can also help you feel more in-control and regulate your emotions.^3,11 You might consider ecotherapy as a way to engage with nature and a therapeutic experience all in one.

How a Therapist Can Help

If you begin to notice that symptoms of eco-anxiety have affected multiple areas of your life, it would be wise to seek out a therapist. Furthermore, if you become aggressive, violent, or are thinking about harming yourself or others, get help immediately by calling the emergency line (9-1-1 in the US).

Therapy can help you acknowledge and process your negative and difficult feelings in a safe space, find meaning in a difficult situation, regain control over yourself, teach resilience and coping skills, and encourage you to be patient and kind to yourself throughout the process.¹¹

To find the right therapist, explore a free online therapy directory where you can search by location and specialty.

Coping Tips for Kids & Families

Coping skills are necessary to minimize and overcome eco-anxiety. Fortunately, families and children can explore these skills together to produce better outcomes.

Here are some ways you could help your family cope with eco anxiety together:

Talk About It

Anxiety breeds in silence, so you should feel free to have an open dialogue about the topic. Discuss the environment, your thoughts, and your child’s fears. Find ways to validate each other without increasing anxiety.

Take Action as a Family

As eco anxiety builds, it may convince you that you are powerless to do anything to change the situation. It may seem beyond your control. Though your power is limited, going as a family to tackle small projects is a great coping skill. Clean up part of a highway, volunteer at a local park, or start a recycling program.

Appreciate Nature Together

When people are afraid of losing something, they can spend too little time appreciating that thing. Take time to appreciate all that nature has to offer together and enjoy what you are fighting for. At the same time, remind yourself that your high anxiety is not helpful.

Final Thoughts on How to Deal With Eco-Anxiety

Eco-anxiety can be overwhelming and difficult to deal with, but there are ways to treat it and manage your symptoms. Remember, you are not alone, nor is the situation hopeless. There are options out there for eco-anxiety treatment and support that will help you feel more stable and safe.