So many of us suffer from the anxieties of day-to-day life: struggling against the unknown (and unknowable), the future of our jobs, relationships, health and happiness. We might have performance anxiety or experience imposter syndrome at work; we might experience persistent worry in social situations or about falling ill; or we might have a phobia of a particular object or situation. When these anxieties become so intense that they result in emotional distress and impact upon our ability to live a normal day-to-day life, they are deemed to be pathological - meaning, a mental disorder that should be remedied.
But what if our fears about the future expand so far beyond concern for ourselves and our loved ones, that they are truly global in nature? What if our greatest fears are for, and about, the future of the world itself? And, what if these fears actually helped us save the world?
Eco-anxiety - or climate change anxiety - describes the chronic fear of environmental doom many individuals now experience, given that the public has become increasingly aware of the dire consequences of climate change in recent years. The American Psychological Association (APA) notes that fears of environmental catastrophe are often accompanied by feelings of loss, helplessness, depression, anger, shame and frustration. Unsurprisingly, these negative feelings can exacerbate pre-existing mental health difficulties and may contribute to secondary issues like sleep problems, appetite changes, difficulty concentrating and interpersonal difficulties.
If you are experiencing eco-anxiety, you are certainly not alone. In 2021, the APA reported that 67% of Americans acknowledged feeling “somewhat” or “extremely anxious” about the impact of climate change on the planet. Our client population at CTWPS reflects these findings, as many express significant worry about existing in a world of frequent and intensified natural disasters, and increased economic upheavals, health crises and political instability - all closely tied to the effects of climate change.
Moreover, as mothers, or women who imagine they might one day wish to bring children into this world, so many of our clients at CTWPS struggle with the responsibility of introducing their children to a planet on the potential brink of collapse. While once thought of as a distant or unlikely threat by many, sadly, this is no longer the case. Thus, for women of all ages - those approaching child-bearing years as well as those who already have children - the choice to bring children into this troubled world, or the regret at having done so, is very real.
For better or worse, women with older children or with children who are young adults, might find that their fears about their children’s exposure to the climate crisis have already been confirmed. Older children who attend science class, have access to social media, or watch the news are likely well aware of the devastation wreaked by rampant wildfires, earthquakes, floods and hurricanes caused by climate change. In therapy sessions with us, many mothers report that their children are expressing distress, anger or even resentment over the bleak future they are inheriting from previous generations. Likewise, a recent survey of 10,000 respondents aged 16 to 25 reported that a staggering 77% feel the future is frightening due to climate change. When so much of a mother’s life is dedicated to providing a safe, happy and healthy future for her children, hearing such expressions of existential dread and doom is an understandably heartbreaking experience. There may be one “silver lining” to eco-anxiety, though. In fact, eco-anxiety might just help save the world.
Unlike many of our (pathological) day-to-day anxieties centered around “what ifs” at work, relationships and in our own minds, our fears about climate change are rational and appropriate to the data we have at hand. We should be anxious about climate change and the future of our planet! Thus, eco-anxiety is actually adaptive. Eco-anxiety is a rare case in which anxiety functions as it is intended - as a signal to our body and mind to respond to a threat. In this context, eco-anxiety functions as a motivator for survival: Ideally and hopefully, it spurs us into “fight mode” and propels humankind to seek out solutions for climate change.
Perhaps you can start there, by thinking about what your go-to “fight moves” are: how have you reconciled with other sizeable opponents in the past? Did you take them on alone, or did you organize and rally together others who felt similarly? Did you lead the charge, or join an existing movement and use your existing talents to fill in existing gaps in their organization? And importantly: did you over-burden yourself with responsibility and quickly burn out tasking yourself with singularly “solving” a problem much bigger than you, or did you size your goals appropriately to what you, one scared and angry individual can be reasonably expected to accomplish?
If you find yourself struggling with the emotional distress of eco-anxiety, please reach out to our clinicians at CTWPS. We would love the opportunity to help transform your eco-anxiety into adaptive, productive action toward saving our planet and protecting our (collective) futures!