From Anxiety to ASURE: How Eco-Positivity Coaching Works

Rachel Bailleau
May 17
3 min read

Eco-anxiety is a natural, human response to a world in crisis. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, helpless, or heartbroken in the face of climate change and ecological loss, you’re not alone. These feelings are valid. But are they sustainable for you or the planet?

As the Eco Positivity Coach, I developed the ASURE framework to help people like you transform climate grief and eco-anxiety into a force for good. By following the ASURE framework, we can move from fearful paralysis to making concrete contributions to a better world.

woman hikes in the woods — With ASURE, we move from paralysis and despair to a concrete contribution to the world. And we get to reconnect with nature and our communities on the way!

You can make your most powerful impact when you're healthy and happy. So if you want to make a positive difference to Earth's living systems, you need to charge up your wellbeing batteries so you've got extra energy to pour into your communities. If your batteries get depleted by anxiety and despair, you will end up burned out, unwell, and unable to do your bit for people and the planet. Plus, you'll be miserable. Where's the fun in that? Here's how Eco-Positivity Coaching implements the ASURE framework.

ASURE is the heart of Eco-Positivity Coaching:

🌍 Acknowledge

🌿 Soothe

🔍 Understand

🤝 Respond

🌬️ Exhale

Let's break it down.

🌍 Acknowledge

Step one is acknowledging and welcoming our feelings about climate change and biodiversity loss. This can be the hardest part. It means setting aside distractions and facing how we truly feel. It’s about listening to that little voice in your head that shouts, “THE WORLD IS BURNING,” and instead of turning away, gently asking if it has anything more to say. When we begin to understand our grief and eco-anxiety, the rest of the work can begin.

🌿 Soothe

When we’re anxious, burned out, or fearful, it’s hard to think clearly or act with purpose. That’s why we work with gentle tools to soothe the nervous system: breathwork, time in nature, rest, movement, or even just pausing to notice the birdsong outside your window. This stage is about finding small, steady ways to restore our health and happiness. When we soothe our system, we begin to recharge our wellbeing batteries, so we’ve got the fuel we need to think clearly, act wisely, and help create a better world.

🔍 Understand

Understanding helps us shift from confusion to clarity. In this stage, we explore the roots of the ecological crisis, how Earth’s systems function, and what realistic solutions already exist. Many of us carry a deep sense of dread or horror about the state of the world, but we don’t always have clear understanding about what’s happening, why it’s happening, and how people are already working to create change. We also turn the understanding lens inward, exploring what motivates you, what drains you, and where your energy is best spent. This isn’t about knowing everything. It’s about building a clearer picture of what’s really going on, so you’re better prepared to respond with purpose and direction.

🤝 Respond

Now you've acknowledged the extent of your feelings, soothed your nervous system, and increased your understanding of climate and biodiversity. You're ready to respond. Now is when we explore how you can contribute in small and bigger ways to a greener, fairer, more peaceful future for everyone. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. What matters is that your response feels doable, meaningful, and sustainable for you.

🌬️ Exhale

Finally, we exhale. We breathe out and release what we can't control. This isn’t giving up, it’s letting go of perfectionism, guilt, and pressure. You don’t have to carry the whole world. You can't save the world by yourself. This step is about finding peace with what we cannot influence. We know that we are doing everything we can, and we trust that billions of other people in the world will pick up whatever pieces we can't. We're going to look at profiles of some of the most incredible people who are doing so much to create a brighter future. We'll thank them, thank ourselves and move forward in peace.

There you have it. The ASURE framework: a steady, compassionate shift from paralysis to participation.

If you’re feeling stuck, exhausted, or unsure where to begin, know this: you don’t have to figure it out alone. Eco positivity coaching offers a space to reconnect with yourself, your values, and your power to make a difference, without burning out in the process.

If you'd like to book individual coaching with me, use the links below. Otherwise, sign up for the newsletter on my homepage for monthly free resources like PDF exercises that follow the ASURE framework. Take care of yourself!