Eco-Anxiety- Your Path Blog

According to the American Psychological Association, over two-thirds of Americans experience some form of climate anxiety. Eco-anxiety is another term for climate anxiety, which refers to the chronic fear related to environmental issues and climate change. Common psychological symptomatology includes worrying, fear, hopelessness, sadness, irritability, guilt, obsessive thoughts, and fatalistic thinking. Eco-anxiety is also accompanied by physical symptoms, including fatigue, headaches, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, tension, and panic attacks. 

The Psychological and Physical Effects of Eco-Anxiety

The development of eco-anxiety is commonly connected to overexposure to information and media regarding the climate and ecosystem. Becoming extremely informed of environmental issues and current impacts on the ecosystem can cause intense worry for the Earth's future. Eco-anxiety is also commonly connected to personal experience with extreme weather conditions, leading to anxiety of recurrence. Exposure to traumatic eco-incidents that cause serious injury, destruction, death of a loved one, or loss of community can lead to distress, heightened levels of uncertainty, and feelings of powerlessness.

Doomer Mentality: Recognizing and Overcoming Hopelessness

Many people who experience eco-anxiety exhibit a doomer mentality, which is known to be a state of mind characterized by hopelessness, lack of joy, and an indifferent attitude towards the world. Those exhibiting this mentality predict the impending termination of humans by extreme weather conditions. Many strategies can be practiced to help cope with eco-anxiety and doomer mentality.

• The first coping strategy is to focus on what is in your control rather than trying to fix the situation as a whole. Begin engaging in environmentally friendly behaviors to improve the earth one step at a time and reduce feelings of helplessness or guilt. Some eco-friendly habits may include reducing food waste, recycling, conserving energy, using biodegradable products, and switching to biking or walking for transportation.

• To relieve symptoms of anxiety and irritability, you can engage in activities for practicing mindfulness like meditation or breathing exercises. Being properly informed about current events and weather conditions is a healthy habit. However, seeking out problems and engaging in media spirals can feed into anxious thoughts and a doomer mentality. Therefore, those experiencing eco-anxiety should consider limiting their screen time and media use to decrease symptoms of worrying and fear.

• Additionally, seeking support from friends, family, or a medical professional can be beneficial towards improving the doomer mentality. Expressing emotions, feelings, and thoughts can minimize psychological symptomatology by releasing stress and coping with others. 

It is essential to appreciate how amazing our planet Earth is. Rather than focusing on future circumstances that are out of our control, we should be thankful for the present moments that we do have control over. Although natural disasters and unfortunate weather conditions will occur, we must help the Earth one step at a time to ensure its longevity.