Three ways to fight climate anxiety
So many feel the pressure of climate change, but there are ways to push back
Climate anxiety is real. In 2019, the American Psychiatric Association issued a position statement saying “climate change poses a threat to public health, including mental health.” Less than two years later, Great Britain’s esteemed Imperial College published a report on how “climate change is negatively affecting the mental health and emotional wellbeing of people around the world.”
Earlier this month, a survey of 10,000 people, ages 16–25, found that 45% suffer so acutely from climate anxiety that it has impacted their daily lives and ability to function.
No doubt, record-setting high temperatures, droughts, floods and hurricanes have given us good reasons to fear. That said, we can combat this anxiety. Here are three tools we can use to push back against climate-related malaise.
Act
The most obvious way to address climate is to lean into finding solutions. As dark as climate predictions are, the most recent report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) offers hope that we can still mitigate the problems humanity has created — but we must act now.
On a personal level, you can make an incremental difference in both large and small ways. For example: shifting from a gas stove to induction heat options. The gas we burn in our stoves is primarily made of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that warms the planet with 28 times the strength of carbon dioxide.
Or you can make the move from a fossil-fuel-powered car to an electric vehicle. The transportation sector is the greatest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. So taking any gas-guzzler off the road will bring us one step closer to cleaning up our ways.
You can also put solar panels on your roof. With today’s technology, America already has the capacity to repower itself 75 times over from the energy produced by the sun.
While these personal actions will help (and, perhaps, quell some anxiety), supporting groups that are working toward systemic change could assist even more. We speak louder and wield more power when we join together, and, truth be told, solving climate change’s big underlying societal problem requires rewiring how we approach many policies.
So, when it comes to shifting from gas stoves’ 19th and 20th century technology, we need the government to nudge people toward cleaner, healthier options with incentives and regulation. Similar action can aid macro difference-making in the transportation and energy spaces.
By combining your time, energy and/or support with others to press for big change, you can not only contribute more to societal transformation, but you can also assuage a lot of fear — both yours and that of like-minded individuals.
Experience the outdoors
When it comes to climate stress, reminding yourself about nature’s great majesty can be a great emotional boost. In fact, a large body of evidence correlates time spent outdoors with improved physical and mental health.
One study found that “heart rate, blood pressure, and self-report measures provide the most convincing evidence that spending time in outdoor environments, particularly those with green space, may reduce the experience of stress, and ultimately improve health.”
Other research concluded that participants who went outdoors more regularly were less likely to suffer depression and generally enjoyed improved functional and psychosocial status. A third study determined that spending two hours in nature a week “is associated with good health and wellbeing.”
Along with its medicinal value, there may be an added tangible bonus. One study concluded that focusing on the “pursuit of true happiness can lead people to lifestyles that will not only be satisfying but will be better for the environment.” Deriving enjoyment in nature can mean feeling less need to seek satisfaction in consumerism — and the less stuff we consume, the less we contribute to global warming.
Beyond that, being outdoors is also an inspiring reminder of what you’re fighting for when it comes to climate change. If we lose our wild spaces to erosion, drought or overdevelopment, we can’t get them back.
Embrace good news
It’s easy to focus on the current impacts and long-term dangers of global warming, but we should celebrate our victories — no matter how small — when we win them. While we recognize a lot needs to be done, give yourself room to cheer when there is progress in the right direction. It’s cathartic.
For instance, nine states from across the country are on the path to a sustainable carbon-free future. Goal-setting leads to a virtuous cycle in which concrete plans accelerate progress and, ultimately, lead to even greater goals than the original commitments. Paying attention to that is a great way to boost morale.
Newsletters that home in on good environmental stories can be a good place to find those pick-me-ups.
Climate anxiety is real, but we can proactively push back against its dark shadow. How to do that may be different for everyone, but continuing to press for change, appreciating our natural world and embracing hope is a formula that is hard to beat.
