How to Reduce Eco-anxiety: Five Simple Actions to Take Now!
- Rachel Bailleau
- Apr 7
- 8 min read
Updated: May 13
There are some simple and practical steps you can take to reduce eco-anxiety. Even if it doesn’t feel like it right now, I promise that the chronic feelings of dread, sadness, grief, and panic related to climate change and biodiversity loss can get better. And when you feel better, you can transform the helplessness and paralysis that comes with eco-anxiety into a force for good - taking concrete and constructive actions to make the world a better place.
You’re not alone…
I get it. Ice caps are melting, forests are burning, and species are going extinct. I understand that unbearable pull to keep refreshing the news cycle, hoping to find spectacularly good news like “BREAKING: the world is saved.”
Instead, we see images of climate-related disasters or a very wealthy dude flinging another personal rocket into space while we’re running around the supermarket, closing fridge doors behind strangers to try and save a bit of energy. (Sometimes I'm not sure if the idiot is on a tourist space ship or looking back at me from the mirror).
Caring can feel pointless and painful, but you are not alone. In October 2021, 75% of adults in Great Britain surveyed by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) said they were either very or somewhat worried about the impact of climate change. (The numbers are a little higher for adult women at 79%).
Less than 5% of people said they weren’t worried at all about climate change. So even if eco-anxiety can seem like a lonely feeling - you are actually in the majority! The most anxious group of all was people in the age range of 25-34. (There wasn’t much in it, though - people of all ages expressed eco-anxiety and fear for the future.)
And you’re not crazy…
Secondly, there’s nothing wrong with you. If you feel climate grief and eco-anxiety - it’s a sign that you are a sane and caring person in a seemingly insane and uncaring world.
In the ONS survey I already mentioned, the people who were most worried about climate change were the most likely to have made practical lifestyle changes to contribute to the solution. So, eco-anxiety can serve a purpose, helping us find the motivation to do good by ourselves, our families, and our communities!
But in my experience, eco-anxiety can be so overwhelming that it prevents us from living a happy and healthy life. At the same time, worrying about the future of the planet too much can prevent us from contributing to a solution. When we get too overpowered by our fear and sadness, we can become stuck in the muck of dread and despair. But you know what? You deserve to be happy. And the world deserves your contribution. So, for the sake of yourself and the living planet, here are four ways to reduce the intensity of your eco-anxiety and climate grief.
Get support.
...Like Therapy!
If you are at risk of harm, you need to get professional help. Talk to your doctor and see how they can support you. I know these conversations can be really tricky, but your safety and well-being have to come first. (We need you here on planet Earth contributing to a better world!)
Waiting lists for therapists can be really long on the NHS, so if you can possibly afford it - don’t hesitate to see a therapist privately. Even 4-6 sessions could make a huge difference. I think in-person therapy can be particularly beneficial because connecting face-to-face can make the experience more authentic. But if going online would be better for you, you can consider platforms like BetterHelp.
And maybe even (gasp, horror) medication!
If therapy isn’t possible, ask your doctor if they have any other solutions to help you. I spent years avoiding antidepressants, and I don't regret it! I was able to support myself with meditation, exercise and herbal medicine like St John's Wort for much of my life. But there came a point when I (very reluctantly) accepted conventional medication.
After giving birth to my daughter, the hormonal crash combined with sleep deprivation was too much to cope with, and I was totally submerged in panic and grief about the state of the world. I was devastated to think I needed medication to help me… wasn't it just a way to shut up my authentic emotions?! Honestly, the meds helped me so much. I was able to use medication like a crutch while my emotional bones were broken. For example, it gave me the energy to sort out my daughter’s sleep problems so I could finally get some rest. With a clearer mind, I was able to find a therapist - so I could stop spiralling into negative thought patterns about the climate.
I’m sharing my experience in case it’s helpful to someone in a really dark place. But only you know what’s best for your body - there are no rules!
Get outside and get active.
...For a dopamine hit
Getting outside can help us feel more connected to the natural world and bring a lot of joy into our lives, leaving less space for eco-anxiety in our bodies. If you’re able to get your heartbeat pumping, the exercise can also have a concrete impact on your anxiety levels, releasing happy hormones and giving you that “runner's high” that makes some people feel so good.
But there are no rules! If the best first step for you is to drink your cup of coffee on a bench in the park before work, that totally counts. Or maybe it could look like getting off the bus a stop early and walking 15 minutes every day.
And to reconnect with nature!
Personally, foraging for food was how I started getting outside more. I found running uncomfortable, and learning the names of different plants (especially the ones I could eat!) was fun.
A few years ago, all that green I saw outside was just “plants.” Now, I can see nettles to make pesto, elderflowers to make a cold and flu relief tea, or hedge garlic to stir into a potato salad. It gives me a nutritional boost and a dopamine hit every time I make dinner with something wild.
Over time, I naturally got fitter and started going trail running with my dog. I love it! A few years ago, I would have recoiled at the thought of running! (To be fair, being pulled along by a 35kg dog does make it a little easier).
Get off the news. (But also be informed!)
How many times a day are you checking the news? It can be none, you know!
We can feel a strange kind of responsibility to witness the horrors of the world. Like somehow, the sadness we feel can whisk people and animals out of their hell and into our warm arms. But it won’t.
In the long history of humankind, we haven’t been expected to witness every horror in every corner of the world unfolding in real time. We aren’t designed to cope with that. We are designed to respond to concrete threats in our local communities, and our brain can’t meaningfully differentiate between abstract or future threats and a lion leaping out of the long grass. For the sake of your sanity, stop doomscrolling! If something really important happens, someone else will inevitably tell you about it. Set a screen time limit on your phone (I allow myself 2 minutes a day on the BBC to check headlines as a maximum).
Instead of consuming headlines designed to scare you to get your clicks, inform yourself from balanced sources that present context to our challenges and the existing solutions, instead of only showing us mass casualty events.
A really good start would be to read the book Not the End of the World by amazing data scientist Hannah Ritchie. After reading it, you should have a solid foundation of our problems and a realistic but optimistic view of how we might solve them.
Unfollow toxic accounts
On the topic of doomscrolling, how else can you banish toxic energy online? Are you subscribed to email accounts that leave you feeling anxious and doomed? Unsubscribe! Are you following accounts on social media that give you a rising sense of dread? Unsubscribe!
Make sure you follow accounts that bring you at least as much energy as they suck out of you. Connect with accounts that inspire you to take concrete actions instead of curling up in a ball to cry. You might wish to set screen time limits on social media or even deactivate your accounts for a few weeks and see how you feel afterwards.
The average person spends more than 2 hours a day on social media. What else could you do with that time? Personally, going for a swim in the river brings me more joy than comparing myself to people I’ve never met.
Get it off your chest with journaling
My final tip for this blog post is to give journaling a go. There are a couple of different ways to approach this
… Make a gratitude list
Whether I'm feeling great or awful, I list 10 things I’m grateful for every day in a notebook. It can be something really small, like the lovely smile the old lady on the bus gave you, or something bigger, like all the people working hard to solve the climate crisis.
It might feel a bit challenging initially, but give it a go! Thank you for the clean water in the tap. Thank you for my lovely dog. Thank you for the sunshine today. Just get ten things on paper every day. Keep it positive and make sure you really are grateful for what you’re writing down.
It will get easier and easier, and you’ll start automatically looking for things to add to your list. This practice of gratitude can help balance out the climate-related doom.
… Or use an emoji tracker
If you’re too busy to make a gratitude list, try downloading an app where you can just mark your overall mood for the day. This can be especially interesting for women with period cycles.
I used to think I was anxious and depressed about the planet nearly all the time. But when I started tracking my feelings along with my period, I realised my morale about the world was so closely linked to my cycle. I’d have a mini depression on the clock when I ovulated and when I menstruated. Armed with that knowledge, you can take better care of yourself on the days that might be harder.
Even if periods don’t apply to you, it can be useful to have this overall snapshot of your mood. You might realise you’re generally happier or lower than you realise, and knowledge is power.
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