Module 10
~30 minEco-Anxiety & Wellbeing
Learning Objectives
- Understand what eco-anxiety is and recognise its symptoms
- Develop emotional resilience strategies for climate concerns
- Channel environmental worry into positive, constructive action
- Support others who experience eco-anxiety
Eco-Anxiety & Emotional Resilience
If you have ever felt a knot in your stomach after reading a climate report, a sense of helplessness watching footage of wildfires or floods, or guilt about not doing enough for the environment, you are not alone. These feelings have a name: eco-anxiety, and they are experienced by a growing proportion of the global population.
The American Psychological Association first used the term eco-anxiety in 2017 to describe a chronic fear of environmental doom. Importantly, eco-anxiety is not a mental illness. It is a rational emotional response to a real and scientifically documented threat. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation are genuinely occurring, and feeling distressed about them is an understandable reaction, not a sign of weakness or irrationality.
However, the way we experience and manage eco-anxiety matters enormously. Unmanaged, it can lead to paralysis, despair, burnout, and withdrawal from the very actions that could make a difference. Managed constructively, it can become a powerful motivator for meaningful engagement, deepened relationships, and purposeful action.
Different generations experience eco-anxiety differently. Young people, who will live with the consequences of today's decisions for longer, report particularly high levels of climate distress. But eco-anxiety is increasingly common among adults of all ages, especially those with children and those who are already witnessing environmental changes in their own communities.
In this module, you will explore the science behind eco-anxiety, learn evidence-based strategies for coping, discover how to channel environmental concern into constructive action, and find resources for support when feelings become overwhelming.
The Psychology of Eco-Anxiety
Research into eco-anxiety has expanded rapidly in recent years, providing important insights into how environmental threats affect mental health and well-being.
A landmark study by Hickman et al., published in The Lancet Planetary Health in 2021, surveyed 10,000 young people aged 16 to 25 across ten countries. The findings were striking: 75 percent said they thought the future was frightening, 56 percent said they felt humanity was doomed, and 39 percent said their feelings about climate change negatively affected their daily functioning. importantly, the study found that distress was strongly associated with perceived government inaction, suggesting that a sense of being abandoned by those with the power to act amplifies emotional suffering.
The concept of solastalgia, coined by Australian philosopher Glenn Albrecht, describes the distress caused by environmental change in one's home environment. Unlike nostalgia, which is longing for a place you have left, solastalgia is the pain of watching the place where you still live being degraded or destroyed. It is experienced acutely by communities affected by drought, deforestation, mining, or coastal erosion.
Ecological grief, another related concept, describes the mourning we experience in response to environmental loss: the extinction of species, the destruction of landscapes, the disappearance of familiar seasons and natural patterns. These losses are real and deserve acknowledgement, even though they are often invisible or minimised in mainstream culture.
From a neurological perspective, chronic environmental concern activates the same stress-response systems as other threats: the amygdala fires, cortisol and adrenaline are released, and the body enters a state of heightened alertness. When this activation becomes chronic without resolution, it can contribute to anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, and difficulty concentrating. Understanding this physiological dimension helps explain why eco-anxiety feels so physical and why it cannot simply be reasoned away.
When Eco-Anxiety Becomes a Force for Good
Not all eco-anxiety is harmful. Research increasingly distinguishes between 'functional' eco-anxiety, which motivates action, and 'dysfunctional' eco-anxiety, which leads to paralysis and despair.
Studies by Ojala et al. (2023) and others show that people who experience moderate levels of eco-anxiety and engage in meaningful climate action, whether personal, community-based, or political, report significantly higher levels of well-being than those who suppress or avoid their feelings. The key mechanism is what psychologists call the action-anxiety feedback loop: taking meaningful action reduces feelings of helplessness, which in turn reduces the debilitating aspects of anxiety, which makes further action more likely.
Importantly, the action does not need to be dramatic or world-changing. Joining a community garden, writing to a local representative, teaching a neighbour to compost, or simply having a conversation about climate change with friends can all provide the sense of agency and connection that transforms paralysing worry into purposeful engagement. The goal is not to eliminate concern but to channel it into something constructive.
Healthy Coping Strategies for Eco-Anxiety
Managing eco-anxiety effectively requires a combination of strategies that address both the emotional experience and the external circumstances that give rise to it.
Acknowledge and name your emotions. Simply recognising and labelling what you are feeling, whether it is fear, grief, anger, guilt, or helplessness, reduces the power of those emotions. The climate emotions wheel, adapted from psychologist Robert Plutchik's work, identifies a range of feelings people commonly experience in response to environmental issues and can help you articulate your experience more precisely.
Connect with nature. Ecotherapy, the practice of spending intentional time in natural environments for mental health benefits, is supported by a growing body of research. Regular contact with green spaces reduces cortisol levels, lowers blood pressure, and improves mood. Importantly, connecting with the natural world can also remind us of what we are working to protect and rekindle motivation and hope.
Find community. Eco-anxiety thrives in isolation and diminishes in connection. Sharing your feelings with others who understand, whether in person or online, reduces the sense of being alone with your worry. Community environmental action groups provide both social support and a channel for meaningful engagement.
Take meaningful action, but set boundaries. Choose one or two areas where you can make a real difference and focus your energy there. Trying to address every environmental issue at once leads to burnout. It is also important to recognise what is within your control and what is not. You can change your own behaviour, influence your community, and advocate for policy change, but you cannot single-handedly solve the climate crisis, and expecting yourself to is a recipe for despair.
Manage your media diet. Constant exposure to alarming environmental news, especially through social media algorithms that amplify anxiety-provoking content, can be overwhelming. Set boundaries around news consumption: choose specific times to check environmental news, follow solution-focused outlets alongside alarming ones, and take regular breaks from screens.
Seek professional support when needed. If eco-anxiety is significantly affecting your daily life, relationships, sleep, or ability to function, consider speaking with a mental health professional. Climate-aware therapists understand the specific dynamics of environmental distress and can help you develop personalised coping strategies.
75%
Young people globally who say the future is frightening
Hickman et al., The Lancet, 2021
67%
European adults who report feeling anxious about climate change
European Investment Bank, 2023
3x
More likely to report well-being when engaged in climate action
Ojala et al., 2023
Climate Cafes: Spaces for Sharing Climate Feelings
United Kingdom & EuropeClimate Cafes are informal, facilitated gatherings where people come together to share their feelings about climate change and environmental breakdown. Inspired by the Death Cafe model, where people discuss mortality over tea and cake, Climate Cafes were developed by the Climate Psychology Alliance in the United Kingdom and have since spread to over 30 countries.
The format is deliberately simple. A small group gathers in a comfortable space, often a community centre, library, or someone's living room. A trained facilitator opens the session with a brief introduction and some simple ground rules: listen without judging, share without advising, and respect the range of emotions in the room. There is no agenda, no expert presentation, and no expectation to find solutions. The purpose is simply to be heard and to hear others.
What emerges in these spaces is often deep. Participants discover that they are not alone in their feelings of grief, fear, frustration, or guilt. The simple act of speaking one's climate feelings aloud and having them witnessed by others can be deeply therapeutic. Many participants report that after attending a Climate Cafe, they feel lighter, more connected, and more capable of engaging with environmental issues rather than avoiding them.
Climate Cafes are therapeutic without being therapy. They are peer-led, free to attend, and open to anyone. They require no expertise in either psychology or environmental science. The model is intentionally accessible and replicable: all you need is a space, a facilitator who has read the basic guidance, some refreshments, and a willingness to be present with whatever comes up.
The Climate Psychology Alliance provides free resources and training for anyone wanting to host a Climate Cafe, and the movement continues to grow as more people recognise the need for spaces where environmental emotions are welcomed rather than dismissed.
6 Tips for Managing Eco-Anxiety and Building Resilience
- 1
Name your feelings. Instead of saying 'I feel bad about the environment,' try to be specific: 'I feel grief about species loss,' 'I feel anger about corporate inaction,' or 'I feel helpless about rising temperatures.' Precision reduces overwhelm.
- 2
Limit doom-scrolling. Set a specific time and duration for reading environmental news, choose quality sources over social media feeds, and balance alarming content with solution-focused journalism and positive stories.
- 3
Take one meaningful action this week. It does not matter how small: write to a local politician, join a community clean-up, plant a tree, or have a conversation about sustainability with a friend. Action is the antidote to helplessness.
- 4
Spend time in nature regularly. Even 20 minutes in a park, garden, or forest has measurable benefits for stress and mood. Pay attention to what you see, hear, and feel. Let nature remind you of what you are working to protect.
- 5
Find your people. Connect with others who share your concerns, whether through a local environmental group, an online community, a Climate Cafe, or simply honest conversations with friends and family. Shared concern is more bearable than solitary worry.
- 6
Be compassionate with yourself. You cannot solve every environmental problem, and feeling guilty about imperfect choices is counterproductive. Focus on progress rather than perfection, and remember that caring about the environment is itself a sign of moral strength.