Suffering from Eco-Paralysis? Here's What You Can Do
Climate emotions are the gateway to meaningful action.
Updated April 22, 2026 | Reviewed by Hara Estroff Marano
In February, near Boulder, Colorado, snow was scant on the mountains. The daytime temperature required only a sweater, not my usual puffy jacket. At a coffee shop, locals gathered around a firepit, licking wounds from a sluggish ski season, whispering in worried tones about what the mild winter (at least the second in a row) might mean for wildfires this summer.
The warm weather was having a chilling effect, but so was the tenor of their unspoken worry: that there was nothing they could do about it. Feeling powerless in the face of seemingly obvious climate change consequences is slowly becoming a nationally shared consciousness.
Across our country, immense climate shifts are increasing: abnormally heavy winter storms on the East coast, brutal heat waves in the Southwest, tornado outbreaks in new regions of the Midwest, and reduced snowpack in the West that is threatening water shortages and increasing wildfire risk. Climate scientists sound the alarms year after year, warning that to avoid worsening climate disruption, ecosystem collapse, and mass migrations, our government must swiftly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and scale up clean energy. The response often seems to be an official shrug. In fact, the opposite is happening: the Trump administration has reignited domestic oil and gas drilling while loosening regulations and engaging in oil conquests abroad.
Many Americans are aware of the double bind: Everything looks bad and our leaders have no good solutions underway. So why are we complacent? Why aren’t informed people who value science doing, well, something? Anything?
The answer is easy: Most of us feel stuck. The solution, however, is more complicated.
As a therapist specializing in climate psychology, I hear: "I’m glued to the depressing news," "I feel guilty about flying but do it anyway," or "I don't want to spoil a good time by bringing up what's really on my mind."
Such helpless disengagement and paradoxical behaviors represent what some call "eco-paralysis." Many are grappling with a lack of control, an impending sense of inevitable doom. Young people are questioning their futures: "If we're all gonna die anyway because of climate change, why bother…" (fill in the blank: having a baby, doing anything individually to save the planet, worrying about things we can’t change).
Feeling stuck, numb, or overwhelmed is a rational response to our climate emergency. But eco-paralysis is also a signal to pay attention to what’s underneath. If we acknowledge those deeper emotions, out of the catharsis comes a clarity of mind, a welling of empathy, and finally: a desire to act, to do something.
Recognizing and sharing the pain and frustration of the climate emergency with others and not bearing this burden alone is exactly what's needed. Once done, individuals can regain agency.
A new report shows that nearly 8 out of 10 Americans want the United States government and the country's companies to address climate change. Miraculously, the desire spans party affiliation. Beyond this, one study revealed that the vast majority of the global population—89%—supports government action but consistently underestimates their fellow citizen's willingness to act. Such a cynical tendency is a trap, luring us into too much intellectualizing of conflicting data and too little action.
While it’s often immensely helpful for individuals to address climate emotions behind closed doors, how fruitful is that really for the country as a whole? The world? Healing a fractured planet requires many caring hearts beating together, in the fight together. That requires collective focus, planned action by many individuals acting as one.
Systems level change can happen in different ways, but it most surely needs to happen now. But first, let’s collectively acknowledge what, in the emergent field of climate psychology, we call the range of "climate emotions": eco-anxiety , grief , anger , guilt , betrayal, hope, empathy, and so on. They are all rational and necessary. For many, honoring these emotions is the starting point that will lead from paralysis to action.
Many spaces already exist where people can safely share their range of emotions: climate cafes , climate aware therapy or coaching ; groups like Joanna Macy's Work that Reconnects and the Good Grief Network; art-based workshops . The Climate Emotions Wheel is also a helpful tool.
The stereotypically American "tough it out" mentality leaves little room for crying or grief over climate change. But after a good cry, most humans feel better and find they can then take the next step. So let’s all have a good metaphorical cry about our continued ravaging of the planet—from the melting glaciers to the decimated bumble bee population—but use that as the bridge to action.
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Ariella Cook-Shonkoff, MFT, is a licensed psychotherapist and registered art therapist based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.