Wildfires, drought, flooding, and more – by now, we are all familiar with images of the devastation caused by the ongoing climate crisis. If you’ve ever experienced a moment of worry caused by our rapidly changing planet, you aren’t alone. According to the APA, more than two-thirds of Americans have experienced anxiety over the effects of climate change, or what we now refer to as ‘eco-anxiety’.
While there is no medical diagnosis for eco-anxiety, it is defined by the APA as “a chronic fear of environmental doom” and can include fear of observing these changes and experiencing a concern for coming generations. Some of the symptoms include feelings of hopelessness, depression, frustration, and PTSD.
Eco-anxiety may be on the rise, but so are methods to understand the concerns caused by these events and how to handle them in a meaningful way. In the business world, understanding the impact of eco-anxiety means understanding how to help co-workers or employees who are struggling with these worries. Knowing tools to mitigate this specific stress means being able to take action and help overall employee mental health, which in turn boosts productivity and creativity within the workplace.
Here is a list of articles and resources to help manage eco-anxiety for yourself and for others:
- This article by Medical News Today discusses what eco-anxiety is, how it affects us, and how to cope with it.
- Refinery29 provides more insight into specific worries caused by climate change, especially parental guilt, generational anger, and policy despair, as discussed with a climate psychology researcher.
- Organizations like The Good Grief Network work to boost mental and physical resilience around climate change anxiety. Their platform offers a virtual, community-based 10-step program to help people work toward acceptance and recovery from eco-anxiety and climate grief.
- Finally, Ecoanxiety.com offers several ways to mitigate eco-anxiety, such as engaging with nature and nurturing your ecosystem.
Do you or does someone you know struggle with eco-anxiety? What steps do you take to refocus and recharge in today’s world? If you have resources we would love for you to share them in the comments below or our Climate Action Form.
