What is Eco Anxiety?

What is Eco Anxiety?

With climate change increasingly present in our lives, taking up more time in the news, words in conversations and space in our minds, more and more people are admitting to experiencing anxiety around the idea of climate change. 

 

What is the definition of Eco Anxiety?

Climate Anxiety (also known as Eco Anxiety) is a type of psychological distress in relation to climate change. It is a feeling especially common among younger generations, namely Generation Z and Millennials.
Specifically, Eco Anxiety is he overwhelming sense of fear, sadness and existential dread due to global warming, climate change and its contributing factors.
 

How to deal with Eco Anxiety?

Our Terra Zero team is the first to admit to experiencing climate anxiety. We feel it is important to talk, learn and share experiences to help manage and act on this feeling.

How to cope with eco anxiety:

  1. Talk about it: 
    By expressing your feelings and sharing your experiences with those around you can help to reduce the symptoms of climate anxiety. Vocalising and discussing the particular aspects of climate change and its causes can not only help you to see more clearly, but also clarify the areas of climate change that affect you the greatest.
  2. Learn about it:
    Whether you want to dive deeper into learning about eco anxiety or the climate-related issues that make you feel anxious to start with, learning about what causes the feeling of anxiety can often reduce feelings of stress and empower you to act on it.
  3. Devise a plan:
    Based on the causes of climate change and areas that matter to you (or stress you) most, identify how you would like to impact the earth and how you can make it happen. For example, if you want to reduce your emissions to combat global warming (a major part of climate change) you can calculate support carbon neutral brands, shop locally (called KM 0), reduce your meat consumption and reduce your food waste. 
  4. Speak out and use your voice:
    Making gradual sustainable changes in your life can have a profound positive impact on the planet. But when you speak out and use your knowledge, passion and power to raise awareness about climate change you can empower others to take part in the climate fight. If taking to the streets Greta Thunberg style isn't your thing, another similarly effective way is boycotting. Boycott brands which go against your values and harm the environment & community, while supporting brands which are mission driven and make a positive impact in the world.
 
As part of the journey of exploring the human experience around climate change, today we learnt about what exactly climate anxiety is and how we can combat it.