Eco-Anxiety

What is Eco-anxiety?

Most people can understand how pollution, sickness, and food waste caused by climate change affect people’s physical and emotional health.Continuous concerns about the condition of our planet and the life it sustains are referred to as “eco-anxiety.”

It recognises that anxiety often affects people’s daily activities and includes symptoms other than anxiety.

Image:The Psychological Impact of Climate Change

Where did it originate?

Climate change and what it entails for humanity is both a global issue and a personal worry.Everyone is aware of this relationship in daily life even though they may not be consciously aware of it.

Let’s examine some of the additional contributing causes of eco-anxiety.

Lived experience

Learning about climate change is one thing; dealing with its long-term implications is quite another. Storms and wildfires have pushed people out of their houses or entirely destroyed them, forcing them to evacuate; some may have even lost loved ones. Extreme weather events, such as high temperatures and protracted periods of rain, can have a significant impact on people’s lives.

Additionally, those who use medications that may affect how well the body regulates temperature are more susceptible to heat stroke. Rain reduces serotonin levels, a hormone linked to decreased anxiety and depression, by increasing the quantity of sunlight available. When there isn’t enough sunlight, people are more prone to have mood-related symptoms, such as seasonal depression.

Media coverage

The fact that there is greater media coverage of climate change is a sign of progress since it inspires people to act.Doomscrolling and avoiding the news, however, might be harmful to the general public.Your sadness may grow if you are frequently reminded of the diminishing rainforests and the loss of natural resources.

This melancholy has the potential to reduce people’s ability to behave under certain situations.

Regret your own actions

It’s easy to judge your own actions harshly for lifestyle practises that contribute to climate change, for example:
1. Plastic usage
2. Air conditioner usage
3. Having a diet that includes meat
One can certainly take steps to reduce their carbon footprint, but it’s not something that one person can solve by themselves, as it’s a large-scale problem that requires a global commitment and a collective effort from everyone. One might think their efforts seem like a drop in an ocean, and this sense of powerlessness can play a major role in eco-anxiety.

I hope you enjoyed the read. Tune in and let me know your thoughts💡

Reference:

www.psd.gov.sg. (n.d.). Eco-Anxiety: The Psychological Impact of Climate Change. [online] Available at: https://www.psd.gov.sg/challenge/ideas/trends/eco-anxiety-the-psychological-impact-of-climate-change.

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