I’m no expert, but if you have ever found yourself worrying about the climate crisis and the associated impending doom, you’ve probably experienced eco-anxiety.
Before I give my unsolicited advice, let’s stay anxious for a bit longer. Here’s an incomplete list of things my brain decides to bring up before I go to sleep:
Worrying about what happens when bees become extinct
Global warming
Rising seas and worrying about people who have waterfront property (weird, and also, they’ll be ok)
Polar bears having no icebergs
Elephants
Ok, the extinction of ALL animals
The icebergs
Plastic in fish
Plastic in humans
Actually all single use plastic
Feeling bad about the times I forgot my reusable cup but really wanted a coffee
Overfishing
Lack of government and big business action
Fossil fuels
Fracking
Never remembering exactly what fracking is
The Amazon, the Great Barrier Reef, Micronesia, Polynesia, Melanesia (all the esias), the other places in crisis that I don’t even know about
Oh, deforestation
The ozone layer
Pollution
Carbon emissions
Black carbon in placentas
Worrying about the planet for the next generation
Speaking of that, over-population
Not recycling properly
Greenwashing
Food crisis
Not being vegan
Burger guilt
Methane from cows and excessive water usage to make the above burger
Helium (yes, really)
Drought
Enjoying warm weather in winter and then feeling guilty
The fact I don’t know how to grow my own food
Worrying about one day not having access to the internet to look up how to grow my own food
Ok, I need to stop. But you get the picture.
Eco guilt/anxiety/depression is a precarious and real thing. Because, you know, the climate crisis is real and is happening now. One minute you can be walking along with your reusable cup, picking up rubbish and stopping to appreciate the native bees (dammit we need them). Then, you see a bird with a cigarette butt in its mouth, find out the Amazon is on fire and spot someone putting a banana in a plastic bag and wonder what the point of caring is.
“There’s a ripple effect in caring. One becomes ten, ten becomes ten thousand. Ten thousand becomes, well, you get the picture.”
Well, there is a point. Because if everyday people didn’t care, we’d really be in trouble. There’s a ripple effect in caring. One becomes ten, ten becomes ten thousand. Ten thousand becomes, well, you get the picture. Collectively, we can make a difference, so focus on all the other people caring rather than the irritating ones that don’t.
So here are some things to do when you start panicking about the state of the planet and the impending doom.
Stop reading the news for a bit
There’s no quiz coming, so if it’s getting you down, stop reading the news. And if you must read something, it’s ok to read positive news stories. There are some.
Find some green buddies
No one likes saving the planet alone, not even Captain Planet. So if you’re a lone rubbish pick-er-upper-er, get some friends to do it with you. And while you’re at it, talk about how you’re feeling. A problem shared, and all that.
Do a stocktake of the companies you give your money to
Supporting companies that invest in renewables or give back is one of the easiest and most powerful ways to feel good about making large scale change. So do a stocktake of your bank, insurance, superannuation, electricity and gas.
Give yourself a break
So you got takeaway in a single use container. It’s ok, you’re forgiven, move on.
Make something or do something new
When you’re feeling down, you sometimes you just need a win. So make one for yourself. Start that veggie patch you’ve been thinking about for ages, buy some native bee friendly planters for your home or go for a walk in nature, get your eco reluctant mother to sign a petition Do something that makes you feel back on top of the ‘doing something’ scale.
And if all fails, talk to a professional. Or move to New Zealand.