How to deal with Eco Anxiety caused by the challenge of climate change

The headlines of extreme weather, rising temperatures, bleached reefs, sea levels rising & choking oceans are all over the news and your socials. Being constantly surrounded by negative news can lead to the effects of Eco Anxiety.

What is Eco Anxiety?

Eco Anxiety is feeling overwhelmed by the challenge of climate change and the survival of our planet. Feeling powerless, thinking that there’s only so much you can do as one person on a planet of billions. This feeling can lead to panic attacks, lack of concentration and difficulty sleeping. It’s real, and we want you to know that we’re here for you.

It breaks our heart that people feel this way. However…

We live in an age where individuals have more power than ever before.

The last thing we want is for you to feel overwhelmed. Everyone has to start somewhere and each zero impact journey is at a different pace. Like every journey, there are setbacks, the café lady might forget you gave her your keep cup, just like you may trip and hurt yourself on a hike. The way a person reacts to setbacks is a great way to judge their strength. Dust yourself off, support a café that supports your end goal, and keep going! 

How to overcome Eco Anxiety

1. Take a break from the media, surround yourself with positive news about climate change (it does exist)
2. Surround yourself with people and businesses that support your end goal
3. Focus on one thing at a time, once you’ve mastered it, move onto the next
4. Use your voice & spread the word
5. Share your reduced waste journey with others for support and motivation.
6. Give yourself a pat on the back, by reading this article you’re doing more than you were doing yesterday!

If you’re feeling harsh symptoms of eco anxiety, the best thing you can do is talk about it and seek help. Feeling stressed out and overwhelmed can cause you to fall into a hole and hold you back from doing anything positive at all. There is still soooo much we can all do to make a change, so don’t feel helpless.

Making a change is powerful, exciting and rewarding. We can all do this together!

If you have any questions about this topic please feel free to contact us at askusanything@goforzero.com.au

Stay strong,

The Go for Zero team xx

Sources: ABC / BBC / Bustle