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In my second home of Puerto Rico, more and more sargasso—seaweed—has been washing up on the beach the past couple of years. Running to the shoreline is punctured with dodging rotten-egg-smelling sargasso. These are the memories that churn in my head when I’m trying to sleep at night.
And if you are feeling burdened by climate change too, and want to shout from the rooftops and change your entire life but don’t have a clue where to start or turn, you’re not alone.
You are having an appropriate response—eco anxiety. It’s real, and it’s ok.
Let’s explore some tips, advice, and rambling philosophies and/or vent sessions on how we can take eco-anxiety head-on and allow our appreciation for the memories, people, and places that the planet has offered us to transform us into little lights of hope.
The toll eco-anxiety takes—on a global scale
It is a completely natural response to be worried about everything that’s happening.
Biodiversity has decreased 68% since 1970 all over the globe. The Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate. Flooding, wildfires, heat waves, extreme cold periods are all signs of how the Earth’s warming causes the natural cycles to go out of whack. Violent conflicts are more and more likely to occur as water, food, and Earth’s natural resources run out.
A study showed that eco-anxiety caused greater impact on function and stress in the Phillippines, Nigeria, and India—where climate change is felt much closer to home—and is much greater compared to the U.K., the U.S., and Australia.
Finally, across all countries, 51% reported that they felt “helpless”, 62% feel “anxious”, while only 31% feel “optimistic.”
Helpful tips for eco anxiety
1. Identify your “why”
Thinking about plastic bottles floating in the ocean and stranded-on-an-ice-floe polar bears can spur change, but climate action is even more powerful and rooted when it’s to a specific personal memory, experience, or people.
So what’s the reason why you want to help? Do you want your kids to keep on seeing amazing animals when camping? Maybe it’s hard to see your grandparents suffer during a heat wave and you’re far away. Or maybe you’re in the heat wave itself. Will the rains come like they always have to continue the family farming business? Will the annual skiing trip even be possible with snow in a shorter and shorter window? Or maybe you no longer remember the birdsong when you go out for a walk.
Take a journal and immediately just write all the things you are worried about with the world—and it doesn’t have to be just about climate change. Let your mind run free. Then, write the emotion that you feel with eat thing that you wrote down. Do not judge, simply see them. The act of acknowledging your feelings is a release and a way to see the feelings for what they are—natural emotions as a response to everything that is happening. This is also the beginning of identifying of what you can change and what will be most impactful for you—see tip #3.
2. Talk about it! Conversation starts change
Letting our feelings out is essential—whether in a protest or in a quiet conversation. Even just casually mentioning that “Well, with climate change happening more, [that event] and others are happening…so that’s why I’m working on biking more!” can lead to an engaging conversation
I know what you’re thinking . . .
But what if . . .
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My mother-in-law thinks I’m weird (again)
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Everyone says “Welp, that’s just the way it is”
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Everyone thinks I’m a downer and glass-half-empty person
Sacha Wright, Research and Curriculum coordinator the youth NGO Force of Nature, says,
“By expressing that you care about the future of our planet, you are acting in solidarity with a global community of people inheriting a world at risk. Share what you are worried about but focus more on why you are worried about it. Anchor your anxiety or fear in the love or appreciation you feel for something the planet holds.”
But where to start in a conversation?
The book Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by Katherine Hayhoe illustrates beautifully that talking about climate change is the best way to get action rolling, and there are strategies to talk even with the most die-hard climate-change skeptics.
First, don’t talk about the polar bears; talk about your “why”. Make it personal to pique the other person’s interest. Always end with a note of hope (“So that’s why I’m trying to eat less meat”, or “There’s this cool city initiative for public transport I just heard about…” for example).
Remember, there’s nothing like grounding your reasons in climate change about wanting to help your friends and family that makes it personal and meaningful.
3. Change your habits, slowly
Kind of like the New Year’s, everyone is pumped for change. Then . . . a couple days (or weeks) in, old habits take the wheel. It’s essential to start slow. What can you change that’s in your power that’s grounded in your “why”? Some examples include:
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Making a recipe at home instead of driving to go out to eat
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Exploring the library and watching movies at home instead of buying books and going to the movie theatre
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Sustainably traveling with community tourism (with traveling, you learn not just about others, but a lot about yourself and the way you live)
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Eating less meat (Meatless Mondays are a great start)
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Using the dryer less (hang up the clothes in a line during the summer!)
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Adjusting your thermostat
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Biking and walking more (try biking or walking to a favorite place to make it actually enjoyable!)
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Exploring your interests—cooking, hiking, badminton, dancing to bad music, underwater basket weaving, volunteering—because happier people leave less impact on the planet
4. Buy sustainable, but buy less!
Handmade soap crafted by the Junpajal Otanil (Harmony of the Heart) cooperative of rural indigenous Mexican tzeltal women
The best step for the environment is to simply use less—it’s great for your wallet too! Practice delayed gratification and set saving goals so that impulsive buys are harder to make. Make grocery lists before going to the store.
Then, when it does come time for high-quality everyday items, buy from indigenous-owned-and-led and from small businesses. These high-quality products are far more likely to be fashioned with love and care for the environment in mind.
5. Go outside!
When people grow up in nature, they are more exposed to its wonders and thus more excited to care for it. It comes a little easier.
Just look at George Washington Carver, a botany scientist who spent his childhood roaming forests and fields; Jane Goodall, who as a child once spent an entire afternoon in the chicken house trying to figure out how to chickens make eggs; or Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, who through seeing his parents’ activism and through seeing life through his indigenous heritage was inspired to speak publicly; and Autumn Peltier, indigenous-clean-water activist who grew up amongst the waters in Manitoulin Island, the world’s largest freshwater island.
These were all ordinary people who were inspired by extraordinary nature.
Where's a good first place to start? Go outside. Go to the science museum. Go camping. Or hiking. Or to the zoo. Treat your kid-self, too. Where have you always wanted to go and explore?
Moving forward with hope and action
Sometimes, with something as huge as climate change, it’s very hard to know where to even start. But there’s so many resources out there—people are growing through this, just like you, too.
Start small. Share your thoughts. Practice self-care and explore your passions.
By transforming our eco-anxiety into concrete action, it is a bit easier to bear the burden. And one day, perhaps future kids’ kids’ kids will run to the beach, the sand between their toes and the sun shining down, the air smelling of salt and hope.
