Oxford’s word of the year for 2019 was ‘climate emergency’ — a situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt climate change and avoid potentially irreversible environmental damage resulting from it. Since then, the search for this term (and all related topics) has been increasing. A significant online interest has also been observed towards phrases such as ‘climate crisis’, ‘climate actions’, ‘climate change denial’, ‘net zero’, ‘global warming’ and… ‘climate anxiety’, all of which are intrinsically linked.
What these terms and phrases have in common is the following: at the heart we have the changing environment and the consequences from this — meteorological, political, social and last but not least: psychological.
When we talk about vast and very serious topics such as those about the climate and the planet, one usually takes a step back and feels like a speck in the Universe. Hopelessness, disheartenment and despair are also part of the range of mental conditions. This emotional state could become even graver and give rise to various ‘pallets’ of emotions which are directly related to anxiety about the future of the Earth.
Eco anxiety is a term which describes extreme anxiety about the current and future damages to the environment as a result of human activity and climate change.
I conducted a survey on Instagram so that I can discuss the topic with my followers, whilst acknowledging that this is a representative sample of a group of Bulgarians who care about nature, and we tried to paint the picture for our geographical location. Out of the 1000 people I reached out to, 250 participated. The answers to the first question ‘Have you felt any negative emotions with regards to nature and our future?’ were as follows: the majority (134 respondents) said they had experienced such feelings, 82 felt that way on a daily basis, and only 12 admitted that they do not have such thoughts.
‘In the range of emotions which one do you relate to the most and experience most often in the context of how we imagine the future of nature and the world?’ — for 35% this is helplessness, 23% feel fear of the unknown, 7% experience depressive disorders, and each of the feelings listed above resonates with 35% of the respondents.
‘Do you sometimes feel like you are not doing enough?’ — 97% (238 respondents) believe that they can always do more, whilst 3% (or 8 respondents) feel confident in their actions.
In order to provide some context, I asked them how they perceive themselves in general, i.e., our mindset affects us on a daily basis in all other aspects of our lives. 45% of the respondents are optimists, 47% are realists, and 8% are pessimists.
I needed these figures in order to obtain some context about this disorder — eco anxiety — which is still unofficially proven.
Then I decided to turn to a platform which is not traditionally used to communicate messages on the topic — LinkedIn, where professionals share their career success stories and thoughts on our mental and physical health (often work-related even in the green sector). This is how I indirectly got to know Katharina Hellmann, a certified coach specialising in climate change therapy. ‘At one point I realised that I was so busy blaming everyone else for not doing anything about the climate crisis that I failed to take constructive action myself. And I learned that I was giving away all the power over my own mental and emotional well-being to things I have absolutely no control over. Today, my emotions about the climate crisis are not paralysing me anymore. Instead, they have become my source of strength and motivation to make my contribution to the world, to help others do that as well.’
WHO SUFFERS FROM ECO ANXIETY?
Emotions are subjective and my feelings can be completely different to those of the person opposite me. Eco anxiety is often experienced by people who love nature and understand the ‘situation’. A series of studies show that the younger generations, children and the youth are most affected by this condition. A group of people who feel a personal responsibility to solve the problem which has been 'transferred’ from previous generations and which is the result of the lack of actions on the part of governments. This is often experienced by young couples who have decided not to become parents because they do not want to create a generation which will live in an uncertain future.
SYMPTOMS AND MANIFESTATIONS
Some of the behavioural symptoms of eco anxiety are related to:
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anger, rage and/or disappointment with other people’s ignorance and idleness;
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Criticising family members and friends or strangers;
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A paralysing feeling, having a mental block because of the excess of information, news;
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A feeling that you are part of a minority or the only one who understands the problem;
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Overwhelming — a feeling of insurmountability;
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Feeling helpless because of the vastness of the problem;
Our attempts to encourage others to take action and understand the issue sometimes have the opposite effect — disagreement, arguments and conflicts, and even isolation, as well as avoiding a certain group of people. Is it worth ruining our relationships with others?
There are, of course, some physical symptoms on an individual level such as sweating, increased heart rate, sleep deprivation, suffocation and overthinking.
Whilst trying to list the key words for this topic (eco anxiety), I highlighted the following: chronic fear, underestimation, lack of productivity, anxiety, apocalypse, rational and irrational, collective eco mindset, anger, terror, sadness, guilt, shame, etc.
These emotions are directly and indirectly related to:
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extreme weather conditions — heat, wildfires, cyclones, typhoons, earthquakes;
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litter;
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increasing pollution and deterioration of human health;
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loss of biodiversity;
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limited access to fresh water;
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depletion of natural resources;
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deforestation;
.. and our individual contribution to these vast problems and issues. Eco anxiety can take over a small part of us or completely engulf us by making us think that our actions are a drop in the ocean, pointless, and/or are not enough; this feeling makes us apathetic or angry/embarrassed in relation to other people’s actions (or lack of such).
‘We as humans tend to try to relieve stress and decrease negative feelings through defense mechanisms and coping strategies so that we can return to our normal way of functioning as soon as possible. The terms ‘defense’ and ‘coping’ are often used interchangeably in psychology, this is explained in the publication ‘Facing up to ecological crisis: a psychosocial perspective from climate psychology” by Nadine Andrews and Paul Hoggett, dedicated to climate psychology.
The publication explains the above-mentioned behaviours and there is a categorisation of 'adaptive’ and ‘non-adaptive’ ones: ignoring and denying the ecological crisis, distorting facts, transferring responsibility, suppressing emotions, apathy VS looking for information and facts, connecting with nature, attempting to find a collective solution to the issues, etc.
ORIGIN OF FEAR
In order to understand the origin of our thoughts and feelings, to start ordering them and become familiar with them, it is only fitting to introduce some theory about the origin of fear in humans. To make things easier, I will use the full range of ‘fear of the unknown’ and ‘fear of apocalypse’ as synonyms and words related to eco anxiety.
We feel fear when we are in danger. We feel anxiety when danger is near and when we are thinking about it.
If we go back in time and rely on what experts have shared, once again we fall back on the good old Evolution. It turns out that humans have built-in instincts on which our ancestors’ lives depended when they were hiding from predators in caves and holes. Our brain programmed us to feel FEAR in order to protect ourselves and survive.
Nowadays this is sometimes unjustified — this ‘fear’ no longer works in every situation and situations which are not/ not always/ a matter of life and death. Our body can always tell the difference between real and imaginary threat.
We also feel comfortable when we save energy and are ‘safe’ because the situation outside, the danger, would not bring us pleasure or a reward. Taking action (in this case in relation to climate) is not ‘sexy’ and is outside our comfort zone. It is completely normal to want to give up and not start fighting at all — this is our first reaction to ‘fearsome things’ in life.
The ‘fight or flight’ reaction is the natural response to life-threatening situations or factors. The sympathetic nervous system is activated and releases hormones (adrenalin and cortisol) which prepare our body to face danger or to run away from it. The term ‘fight or flight’ and the concept for this were introduced by Walter Cannon in 1915 when he described how our ancestors were hiding from predators. Scholars have further developed the ‘fight or flight’ theory and have added a few other mechanisms — freeze (inability to act) and fawn (being polite in order to avoid a conflict). The main goal is not to react in an extreme way but to remain calm and approach the problem rationally, think it through and take mindful actions (instead of attack, anger, crying, aggression).
SOLASTALGIA
You know what nostalgia is. The term originated in the 17th century when sailors were feeling homesick, but it has undergone changes in meaning and nowadays we understand it as a form of longing for something which is in the past, a sentimental feeling. The Australian professor on sustainability Glenn Albrecht introduced the term ‘solastalgia’ (solastalgia = solace – conformt+ algos, pain) which refers to people who have directly experienced or are experiencing the consequences of natural disasters and climate change.
Solastalgia relates to pain/ stress caused by the loss or damage to a place which brings us calmness — home or a place where we have grown up. We get this feeling, whether it is conscious or subconscious, when this home/land becomes a victim of construction projects (roads, dams), deforestation, ‘nature deficit’, etc. This type of ‘invasion’ is taken personally and it is perceived as an attack on our sense of belonging. In other words, solastalgia is a severe form of anxiety (anger, grief, guilt, loss of identity, hopelessness) which is the result of frequent drastic changes in a person’s home and/or a larger part of their environment which increase due to climate change.
A report by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) studied this issue among the survivors of the hurricane Katrina (2005), and it showed that people who have experienced a natural disaster are 4% more likely to have mental health problems in addition to the post-traumatic stress disorder associated with this type of event.
Kriss Kevorkian introduced the term ‘ecological grief’ in order to describe the feeling of grief related to losing ecosystems and other consequences of human actions.
WHERE TO NEXT?
Experts recommend calming techniques for the body as well as practicing sports or yoga, meditation and breathing exercises, and social strategies. Humans feel the need to share and this should bring us a sense of security and support. Following such encouraging content on social media also brings the feeling of support albeit from a distance. Apart from friends we can ‘talk’ to a diary and, if needed, to therapists** who would understand us.
For me, however, the best results can be obtained through setting a personal example and changing one’s lifestyle. The everyday habits which have already become a norm for Rada and surrounding myself with new and positive examples and inspiring stories. The individual contribution can be broadened by participating in organisations which tie their activities with conservation and biodiversity; signing petitions, taking part in protests when necessary — depending on the region, country or the community in which you live or which you associate yourself with. To sum up — find a cause which is close to your heart and take actions in this field because there is no way you can be active and helpful in all spheres of life — for example for both soils and water and litter and plastics.
‘It is difficult to overcome these feelings (guilt, despair, etc.) and so we build a defense mechanism through denial. This in turn makes us underestimate our own abilities’, says Paul Hoggett, psychotherapist and lecturer at UWE Bristol.
I realised I am good at communicating, finding and sharing stories and messages and that is why this blog has undergone so many ideological changes, that is why I started ‘Radini valnenia’ podcast 3 years ago not in the form of monologues but as theme-based conversations with competent guests.
Magdalena Aleksandrova @magisanvlog, vlogger and content creator, has also recently touched on the topic among her followers. She made a parallel between eco anxiety and the Kubler-Ross model for the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. She shared her coping methods which include mindful everyday choices which sometimes mean making compromises and putting an end to self-blaming. ‘A friend of mine recommended I do the following: understand what I have control over and what I do not. What I did for my eco anxiety was to make a list of world problems which I do not have DIRECT control over and solve them. I always keep the list nearby on my phone. Unfortunately, I have to include world hunger, access to fresh water, wars and other hard topics. It was very difficult but it helped me a lot.’
The psychologist Petya Georgieva - Miller approaches the issue by ‘attacking’ the topic through children. Together with the illustrator Ivelina Vasileva they created ‘Healthy Earth’ — a children’s colouring book which contains additional information about some simple everyday activities even children can do in order to help nature. This is a creative and accessible way to engage children with the topic of conservation and to teach them mindfulness from an early age. Here are a few quick references as to how we can talk to children and the youth about these topics: here, here and here
See: Hear our episode with Petya here
AND FINALLY
It is completely normal to experience thoughts related to eco anxiety and to feel in one way or another. This is a natural reaction to ‘threatening’ events because we feel a connection with the environment and we cannot turn a blind eye. As a person who suffers from anxiety, I try to channel my feelings about the present and future of the Earth — I try to rationalise them, understand them and embrace them, and act according to my abilities and I try not to let them consume me. I wish we could replace vulnerability, sadness, weakness, despair, confusion with hope, motivation, empathy, connection.
Climate change is often portrayed as something big and complicated, something which is difficult to explain and fathom. This leads to a sense of uncertainty in society and this feeling finds a different way to manifest itself from inside out. Encouraging good examples, frequent conversations with friends and in society, education and awareness, proactive behaviour and collective connectedness can prove key not only for solving local but also large-scale issues and personal internal sufferings.
Of course, I am not a medical expert and I do not specialise in psychology but if you find your condition to be more serious and you experience it more frequently, then you should seek professional help. This article is part of the ‘Eco dictionary’ rubric in which I explain different concepts about sustainable lifestyle.
*This article was created with the financial help of the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation ‘Climate Game On’ project within the framework of the European Commission’s DEAR programme. Thrift Sheep is responsible for the contents of this article and it may not reflect the views of EC or BBF.
**In 2019, a summit was organised in Portugal on the topic of the links between mental health and global warming, and earlier that year British psychologists signed a petition to bring politician’s and society’s attention to the gravity of the consequences for mental health due to the changes in the environment.
In 2004, Marcella Danon became a co-founder of an eco-psychology school Ecopsiché in North Italy. The method which they apply is based on understanding the connection between people and nature and that these are not two separate things but rather are inextricably linked. Here you can find out more about eco psychology in the ‘Resources’ section.
***The illustrations in this article (each author is indicated underneath them) are part of the Fine Acts & TED Countdown – “Artists for climate” campaign.
Resources:
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Albrecht, Glenn; Sartore, Gina, Solastalgia: The Distress Caused by Environmental Change, 2007
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American Psychological Association, Psychology and Global Climate Change: Addressing a Multi-faceted Phenomenon and Set of Challenges, 2010
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American Psychological Association, Mental Health and Our Changing Climate: Impacts, Implications, and Guidance, 2017
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Climate Psychology Alliance, Solastalgia:
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Frothingham, Mia Belle, Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn: What This Response Means, Simply Psychology, 2021
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Hickman, Caroline, Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change, University of Bath, 2021
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Hickman, Caroline, Young people’s voices on climate anxiety, government betrayal and moral injury: a global phenomenon, 2021
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Hoggett, Paul; Andrews, Nadine, Facing up to ecological crisis: a psychosocial perspective from climate psychology, 2019
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Oxford Languages,Word of the year 2019
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Royal College of Psychiatrists, The climate crisis is taking a toll on the mental health of children and young people, 2020
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Schwartz, Sarah; Benoit, Laelia, Climate change anxiety and mental health: Environmental activism as buffer, 2022
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Seaman, Elizabeth, Climate change on the therapist’s couch : how mental health clinicians receive and respond to indirect psychological impacts of climate change in the therapeutic setting, 2016
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Science for people, Fight or flee: 3 stress mechanisms, 2019