If You Can’t Stop Worrying About Climate Change, Try This
Ways to manage your worries about the state of the planet.
Posted August 30, 2023 | Reviewed by Ray Parker
It’s all over the news these days.
Forest fires in Canada. Extreme heat in Arizona and Texas. Flooding in Vermont, droughts in the Midwest, and tropical storms in California. It’s getting hard to check in on current events without being bombarded with the latest catastrophic effects of climate change .
Increasingly, Americans are worried about these trends: In 2020, the American Psychological Association found that more than two-thirds of U.S. citizens felt some kind of climate-related anxiety . British medical journal The Lancet has reported , as recently as December 2021, that 84 percent of young adults they surveyed, between the ages of 16 and 25, were at least “moderately worried” about these issues, and almost 60 percent were “very or extremely worried.”
That same year, Google indicated to several news organizations that Internet searches for “ climate anxiety ” had increased by over 500 percent.
That search phrase says it all. If you find yourself ruminating about the health of the planet in the near future—for your own sake, or the sake of your children—you may be feeling what’s known as climate anxiety , or alternately, eco-anxiety .
You could be experiencing intrusive, distressing thoughts about the kind of climate-related disasters you’re already seeing in the news, or you might be worried about the long-term future of humanity on the planet. Perhaps you also have physiological symptoms like shortness of breath or a racing heart rate; maybe these worries have already begun to intrude on your sleep, your relationships with others, or your ability to do your job.
If this describes you, you may benefit from learning to incorporate some general anxiety-reduction strategies into your routine.
First, the basics, as many professionals will tell you, healthy sleep is important to mood regulation. Try to get enough rest each night, and exercise as regularly as possible, which in turn can help you sleep.
You might also consider making healthy changes to your eating habits, as well, because treating yourself to sweets too often or trying to soothe your anxieties with high-calorie rewards, isn’t likely to work over the long term.
The same can be said of alcohol . Instead, identify some activities that will help you “change the record” in your mind. Reading fiction, playing video games, or going for a walk in the park (or in the woods, if you have the chance) could help you bring down your overall anxiety level.
Because none of us can stop the apparent onslaught of climate change-related news, other, more specific strategies might be necessary to manage it.
Whatever you do, please don’t feel you must suffer climate anxiety alone. Find a way to connect to others who share your concerns; it will help you feel better, and will likely allow you to work toward positive change, as well.
To find a therapist, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.
APA.org. (2020, February 6.) Majority of US adults believe climate change is most important issue today. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2020/02/climate-change
Hickman, C. et al. (2021). Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey. The Lancet, 12(5), E863-E873.
Peterson, M. (2021, July 23). How to calm your climate anxiety. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/23/well/mind/mental-health-climate-anxiety.html
Yoder, K. (2021, October 5). It’s not just you: Everyone is Googling “climate anxiety.” Retrieved from https://www.salon.com/2021/10/05/its-not-just-you-everyone-is-googling-climate-anxiety_partner/
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Loren Soeiro, Ph.D., ABPP , is a psychologist in private practice in New York City, specializing in helping people find success, fulfillment, and peace in their relationships and their work.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.