Practical Ways to Cope with Climate Anxiety

Have you ever felt angry, frustrated, helpless, or apathetic because of the condition of our natural environment?

Climate anxiety is real and manifests as worry or fear about the future of our planet and climate disasters. Related experiences, such as eco-grief, can cause sadness over the loss of ecosystems and species, as well as the negative impact on human lives.

Climate anxiety is different from other types of anxiety because it is rooted in real external threats and is more than just a healthy environmental concern.

Symptoms of climate anxiety can include, but are not limited to, feelings of existential dread, difficulty seeing a long-term future, intrusive and persistent thoughts about the climate future, and hypervigilance around climate news.

If you’ve felt this way about our environment, you’re not alone.

Climate anxiety is something many people experience, specifically certain groups of people who are more likely to be impacted by climate anxiety and eco-grief. These groups include:

• Individuals with pre-existing anxiety, depression, or trauma. 

• Young people and adolescents who have grown up with uncertainty about their futures.

• Indigenous communities.

• Those residing in parts of the world most impacted by climate change in the present.

• Environmental professionals and activists who repeatedly encounter the data.

• Highly empathic individuals.

• Those who are connected to nature.

• Parents who worry about their children’s future and the world they will inherit.

If you find yourself in one of these groups or experiencing climate anxiety, I want you to know that the emotions you feel are a normal reaction to climate news. Climate anxiety is a clinical phenomenon that many therapists are seeing and continues to be researched.

While we do our part to take care of the environment, here are seven tips to help cope with climate anxiety and eco-grief:

Name and validate the emotion.

Identify what you are feeling as climate anxiety and eco-grief, then normalize the experience of anxiety and sadness. It is okay to feel overwhelmed, anxious, angry, or sad about the state of our environment.

Grieve intentionally.

Create space to experience your emotions through journaling, art, or ceremony. Giving yourself a safe space to feel will help keep climate anxiety manageable.

Curate and limit your social media consumption.

Set boundaries around social media, be mindful of the accounts you follow, and avoid doomscrolling. Only use social media during certain times, and choose trusted sources of information to follow. 

Reconnect with nature.

Research has repeatedly shown that spending time in nature helps reduce anxiety by lowering cortisol levels, regulating the nervous system, and increasing mindfulness. Reframe your relationship with nature to one of ongoing connection and reciprocity. 

Take meaningful action.

Feeling helpless increases anxiety. Connect with local organizations and make manageable changes in your own life. Taking meaningful action will help you focus on what you can control.

Build community.

Connecting with your community can offer opportunities for co-regulation and meaning-making. Find people who are like-minded and have similar interests, and build relationships with them.

Practice present moment grounding.

Challenge future-focused dread with present-focused practices like mindfulness, breathwork, and yoga. These practices help shift your focus to the present moment and release stored emotions in your body.

As you use these practices to cope with climate anxiety and eco-grief, be patient with yourself. Give yourself space to feel, and when you’re ready, support is available.

You can contact me here to learn more about therapy sessions to help with climate anxiety and eco-grief.

My blog posts are not a replacement for therapy, and the information provided does not constitute the formation of a therapist-patient relationship. The information in my blog posts is general information for educational purposes only and is not intended to be therapy or psychological advice. If you are a current or former client, please remember that your interactions with my blog may jeopardize your confidentiality. Please consult your physician or mental health provider regarding advice or support for your health and well-being.

If you are in crisis, please call your local 24-hour crisis hotline or 911. I am not able to respond to comments or answer questions about your specific situation online. If you are interested in working together, please inquire about appointment availability here.