Eco-Anxiety and How to Cope With It
Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast
Episode 91
Eco-Anxiety and How to Cope With It
You have likely heard me say before that we are in fact living in unprecedented times. We now live in a world that is changing so rapidly that even the most sound minded person is likely having trouble feeling some sense of security.
If that is how you feel, you can rest assured that you are not alone. If your concern for the state of the planet has you deeply worried then you may be suffering from eco-anxiety. That is the topic of this episode. Eco-Anxiety and how to cope with it.
Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E 91 which is called Eco-Anxiety and How to Cope With It.
Most likely a good percentage of you have observed or at least heard that talks, discussions, and concerns about climate change are becoming increasingly serious. And I personally believe there is good reason for that. However, I also believe that in general the media tends to exaggerate just about everything.
But regardless of whether or not these concerns are valid psychologists and other mental health professionals are talking more frequently about “eco-anxiety” which is a term used for distress, fear and other negative emotions brought on by the thoughts of climate change and impending disaster. And it of course does not help when there is the general perception of human inaction.
As I stated before, I do believe that there is reason to be concerned about climate change. But what I want to explore in this episode is whether or not those concerns are valid, whether or not our world is actually coming to an end here very shortly, whether or not reports by the media are actually exaggerated, and if we do in fact have reason to be concerned what should we be doing.
But, you must know up front that I tend to approach things from a pragmatic or practical perspective. I try to look at facts, read articles, inform myself and then make a decision on my own. And as such, that is how I am going to approach this topic.
A good example of my typical approach to things is how I choose to deal with COVID vaccines. I waited until millions of people were vaccinated and until the CDC, which is the Center for Disease Control had published articles and had statistics regarding the effectiveness of the vaccines. Armed with that information, I then got vaccinated.
Validity of Climate Change
Now since this episode is focused on anxiety about climate change, let’s first talk about whether or not there is reason to be concerned.
I have mentioned in previous episodes that the first seminal paper about climate change was published in 1896. Other prominent scientist had mentioned this before but 1896 was the first time anything had been published with quantitative data. And here we are over 125 years later and we are starting to see the obvious results of climate change.That said, while doing research on material for this episode I did find several articles that worked hard at debunking the entire science behind climate change.
And speaking of that I found this wonderful article a couple of days ago, published by the New York Times, that explains all the science behind climate change. In fact, I found it interesting enough that that is going to be the subject of the next episode. But, I don’t want to go into that here. Being a pragmatic, science based person with a medical background, I tend to focus on data and numbers instead of the fear mongering meaningless rhetoric blasted out via the media.
The bottom line for me at least is that there is reason for concern. But you should know that one of the arguments widely published opposing this idea of climate change is that for millennia the Earth’s climate has always fluctuated, warming by
11 degree F at times and cooling by at least that much at others.
But if this is truly the case, and we are not dealing with permanent climate change at all, that still means the Earth’s climate is warming. That warming trend is producing obvious detrimental affects on water supplies, crop production, ocean populations, coral reefs, and of course people. And if a cooling period is in our future then that will happen on a geological time scale. That means no one that is alive today will be around to experience that cooling period. All we will experience is the warming trend and the detrimental affects of that.
Is the world going to end anytime soon?
But one of the things I have come across is this idea that the world only has another 12 to 15 years before it all starts to fall apart. But if you look at the science, you will see that despite our warming trend speeding up so to speak, that trend is based on the last 150 years of weather data. So, it is unlikely that much is going to change in the next 12 to 15 years.
Now as far as something unexpected happening, that is always possible. For example, people commonly ask me if I have someone watch over my cabin when I travel. I tell them no because there is no reason. I live in the middle of the forest and everything gets shuts down. Barring lightning strike, forest fire, or a tree falling on the cabin, none of which I can control anyway, there are no real concerns.
The same is true for the fate of our planet. If someone starts a nuclear war, the fate of the planet will be decided in less than 2 hours. If a giant asteroid is headed our way and our fate is the same as the dinosaurs, we cannot do anything about that. If there is a massive volcanic eruption that blankets the atmosphere with sufficient ash to cool the climate of the entire planet, we cannot predict that either. In my opinion if you want to sit back and worry about such possibilities then you will never go outside.
So unless there is some unexpected, unimaginable turn of events that is completely out of our control, the Earth will still be spinning along in another 12 to 15 years.
Anxiety About Climate Change
Regardless of that people still worry. A recent survey showed that 72% of Americans believe that climate change is real. But only about 1/3 of us talk about it regularly. Another survey in the UK revealed that 75% of adults in Great Britain were worried about climate change. And these worries are sufficient enough that mental health professionals are seeing the end result in the form of anxiety. The term being using to describe this particular development is called eco-anxiety.
But let’s first start by examining anxiety. What is it? Is it normal? When it is abnormal? I am going to be somewhat brief on this topic because I am veterinarian, not a psychologist.
First of all anxiety is a normal, healthy emotion. Everyone occasionally feels anxious about something. For example, when you start a new job, if there is a problem at work, just before taking an exam, going to the doctor or dentist about a potential problem, or before making some sort of an important decision. Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread and uneasiness. It may even cause you to sweat, fell restless and tense, and even elevate your heart rate.
Occasional anxiety is a perfectly normal thing. But anxiety that does not go away is a problem. Persistent anxiety can cause you to avoid work, school, family gatherings, and even social events.
Common triggers for anxiety are trauma, persistent stress, self neglect, money, drugs, alcohol, not getting enough rest, as well as numerous other things. Unfortunately, part of everyday life is a certain amount of stress. But it is how we manage it that makes the difference. But there are also cultural things that tend to promote our stress. It is well known that constant exposure to stress leads to anxiety and that in turn is directly connected to an increase of many mental health disorders.
One of the most obvious things in our culture that leads to increased stress is our constant exposure to negativity from the news media. This constant consumption of bad news that we are exposed to directly contributes to anxiety and increased mental health problems.
Besides the plethora of bad news concerning the various things going on around the planet we also get a constant barrage of bad news about the environment and climate change. Consequently it is no big surprise that people are developing what mental health professionals are calling eco-anxiety.
Now before we move on here I think it is important to discuss something else that is a major influence on all of us almost everyday. This is something we experience in our culture and something we need to be acutely aware of because it affects the decisions we make. What we are commonly bombarded with is what I am going to call “exaggerated importance.”
For example, health messages that we are exposed too, whether that is through advertising, public service announcements, or even media reports, are often exaggerated, meaning the importance of that message is often exaggerated. These messages often inflate the significance of the health problem or they simply overstate the benefits of the course of action that they say is best.
But if you think about this it is easy to understand why this happens. It all has to do with the market. Advertising focusing on presenting products and services in the most favorable fashion possible. The end result is increased sales and increased profits. If a pharmaceutical company wants to make sales on a new medication, the advertising is going to exaggerate the benefits and downplay the side effects.
The same holds true with public service announcements. If the value of getting a flu shot, getting vaccinated for COVID, monitoring your blood pressure, or getting screened for specific types of cancer if overstated, then it tends to persuade you to do that that particular organization wants you to do.
And finally we get around to the media. There never seems to be a shortage of exaggeration when it comes to the news media. But once again it serves a function. Numerous organization, working professionals, and even scientists stand to make enormous financial gain by being associated with exciting news. For example, strongly favorable news reports on the particular medication, product, or service increases sales, profits and return on investment.
Good publicity benefits everyone even the news media. Exciting news sells papers, magazines, subscriptions, and attracts attention to the journalist that wrote the story. So, obviously there are beneficial reasons to exaggerate which then becomes a self perpetuating cycle.
In the mean time, the news media greatly influences how people perceive climate change because their reporting is slanted in one way or another. For example, the UK based news media, called the Guardian, is well known for its reports on climate change. Skeptical opinions about climate change are rarely found in their reporting. However, right leaning news media, for example the US based Wall Street Journal, are far more likely to carry skeptical opinions and editorials about climate change.
And all of these variable opinions of course tend to confuse the public. No one knows for sure what the truth really is. All we know is that we constantly hear reports of devastating wildfires, melting sea ice, rising sea levels, droughts, and increased frequency of hurricanes and other strong storms. Every time there is some sort of natural disaster it now gets blamed on climate change which or course makes people worry even more. I distinctly remember about 15 years ago when I was working a lot on the South Carolina coast when I got evacuated several times due to hurricanes. After the third evacuation I inquired why anyone would tolerate such a lifestyle. I was told it was simply one of those bad years. It comes in cycles and some years there are no hurricanes at all. At the time, no one even thought to blame the weather on climate change.
Review
So at this point we have discussed whether or not I think climate change is real. And I have made it clear that I think it is a valid concern. In fact, if you want to learn more then listen to my next episode that is going to focus on the science behind climate change.
We have discussed whether or not the world is going to end anytime soon. Most likely that is not the case with the exception of some unforeseen dramatic even such as an giant asteroid or an alien death ray.
Then we talked about the causes of anxiety and how that relates to eco-anxiety.
Now the question becomes, what exactly should we be doing?
What Should We Be Doing?
Disconnect
In my opinion, by far one of the best things you can do for yourself from a mental health perspective is to simply disconnect yourself on a regular basis. This means have some quiet time, turn off the television, turn off your phone, get off the internet, stay away from social media, get away from friends, family, spouses, and children. Do all of this on a regular basis. It will clear you head, calm you down, and do wonders for your mental health.
Every morning when I get up I start my day off with an hour of quiet time. I drink coffee, pet the dogs, sit out on the deck watching the sunrise and enjoying the total absence of any sort of man made sound. I often think if the rest of the world could start their day just like I do there would a whole lot less anger.
Spend time in nature
And along those same lines, take a break and spend some time in nature. The mental health value and healing value of spending time outside has been proven in numerous studies. Read articles, start a garden, learn about local wildlife, learn about how to predict the weather by looking at the clouds. The point here is to spend some time learning about the very thing you are worried about, that being the natural world.
Additionally, if you have not yet listened to E28, which is called A Walk in the Woods, and E60, which is called The Value of Reconnecting with Nature, I go into a lot more detail about the value of spending time outside.
Look at the science
The next thing I would recommend if you are really worried about the fate of the planet is look at the science. Read articles about climate change and what is going on in the world. Instead of forming an opinion on climate change based on the latest report from the media, read something from Scientific American, National Geographic, Nature magazine, etc.
Furthermore, learn to be a healthy skeptic. Read something that is unbiased and not politically slanted in one direction or the other. Do not depend on media as the basis of forming your opinion. Look at things critically. Look at commonly used methods of exaggeration designed to produce a specific emotional reaction from you. This usually means someone is looking for financial or personal gain at your expense.
Say no to denial
My next tip is to just say no to denial. Climate change can be a terrifying thing to think about. It is perfectly normal to experience some sort of anxiety about it. But putting you head in the sand in denial is no way to cope.
Get Involved
Additionally, one of the best things you can do is get involved. Anxiety is often linked to feelings of uncertainty or a complete lack of control. Getting involved and taking action will not only empower you but your deeds may in fact have a positive impact on someone else. Getting involved will also help you connect with people who have similar concerns and show you that you are not alone. Don’t passively accept the situation and feel as if we are all doomed. Do something about it.
Look at your personal habits
The next best thing you can do is look at your personal habits. I know sometimes this can be difficult. It is easy to judge yourself and feel guilty about using plastic and styrofoam, eating a big steak dinner, running your air conditioning, taking extra car trips when you could walk or ride your bicycle. But judging yourself and feeling shameful simply promotes feelings of having no control. Instead of judging yourself, take a critical look at your personal habits and make the commitment to change.
I can tell you from personal experience and 25 plus years living off the grid, I am still learning things. Living sustainably is a lifestyle choice not an instant cure. You can’t just take a pill and have it be over. There are numerous online resources to help you in your journey to living more sustainably. Not to mention I now have 90 podcast episodes online full of valuable tips to help you along your way.
Summary
I do want to say once again that I personally believe that climate change is a real phenomenon. Despite the media reports that Earth only has a few years left, or we are at the tipping point of no return, nothing could be further from the truth. Our climate future has not yet been decided. The simple fact is that the climate of our planet does not change over night. It takes centuries for that to actually happen.
Reversing climate change is a global issue. It is going to require sweeping changes, direct involvement from big business and big government. Many, many people are recognizing the importance of that and are taking some pretty drastic action. And if you want a dose of encouragement then go back and listen to E74 Growing the Next World Wonder.
Despite all that, recent surveys of younger people found that 45 percent of them have negative feelings about climate change. Regardless, we still have the ability to alter our future. We just have to disconnect from all the noise, spend time in nature, look at the science, say no to denial, get involved, and take a look at our personal habits.After all we have the ability to take control of our sustainable future one choice at a time. Just as with climate change, preventing one piece of trash from going to the landfill is not what is going to save the planet. But a life time of sustainable habits will.
George Washington Carver once said “When there is no vision there is no hope.”
Greta Thunberg said “When we start to act, hope is everywhere. So instead of looking for hope, look for action. Then the hope will come.”
Obviously our best hope against climate change is to take action. And we can take action by living sustainably.
This is your host Patrick signing off until next week. Always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future.
Patrick
Resources
Beware of Exaggerated Importance, National Institute of Health
Anxiety Disorders, WebMD
Things That Worsen Anxiety , Mayo Clinic
The Climate Crisis and Rise in Eco-Anxiety
Climate Change Taking a Toll On Your Mental Health?
Therapist Are Reckoning With Eco-Anxiety
Patrick
