August 13th 2023.
Climate change is a terrifying reality that we have to live with, and this has an impact on our mental health. A survey by Gumtree found that 74% of British participants said they feel climate anxiety, with the strongest results coming from 18-24-year-olds.
Broadcaster and author Britt Wray believes climate change is a form of trauma that threatens our ability to feel safe in the world. It can manifest in many different ways, from chronic distress to fleeting feelings of worry and overwhelm. It can also affect our relationships, sleep, work, and even the decisions we make.
Seattle-based therapist Andrew Bryant has a website called Climate & Mind, which explores how climate change affects our thoughts, emotions, and behavior. He notes that everyone experiences climate anxiety differently. It can manifest as nervous avoidance, manic action, hopelessness, or denial.
Tim McLoughlin, an eco-psychotherapist, believes that a sense of powerlessness is the biggest source of anxiety for many people. This can lead to frustration when they feel like they are doing more than large corporations.
Counselling Directory member Kate Graham believes that climate change anxiety is similar to other forms of anxiety, but it can’t be argued away since it’s a real issue. She believes that feeling worried about climate change is essentially a positive, healthy thing to do.
Andrew notes that it’s difficult to measure how many people suffer from ecoanxiety. According to the Yale Program on Climate Communications, 26% of those surveyed in the US express alarm and 28% express concern about the climate. He believes that this anxiety can be overt or subtle, and that it’s hard to grapple with such a huge issue.
Climate change is real, it is here, and it is terrifying. The feeling of stress and dread that comes with it is completely understandable. In fact, a survey conducted by Gumtree found that 74% of British participants felt climate anxiety, with the majority of participants being 18-24-year-olds.
Broadcaster and author Britt Wray puts it best when she says climate change is a kind of trauma that threatens our ability to feel safe in the world. It can manifest itself in a variety of ways, from chronic and severe distress to fleeting feelings of worry and overwhelm. It can have a lasting effect on personal relationships, sleeping patterns, and work-related decisions.
Seattle-based therapist Andrew Bryant, who manages a site called Climate & Mind, says everyone experiences climate anxiety differently. It can range from quiet avoidance to manic action, depression, denial, and guilt for existing in the first place.
Tim McLoughlin, an eco-psychotherapist and Counselling Directory member, says the feeling of powerlessness is a common theme for those who are most anxious about the climate. He adds that while some people may become motivated to do their part to help, they can eventually become frustrated when they perceive others, including large corporations, as not doing enough.
Kate Graham, another Counselling Directory member, agrees that feeling worried about climate change is essentially a positive, healthy thing to do. However, some people find it harder to cope with such an overwhelming fear, which can lead to depression, despair, cynicism, and apathy.
Andrew Bryant himself admits to experiencing climate dread, but he also believes it is hard to measure how many people actually suffer from ecoanxiety. He encourages us all to be more anxious and take the issue more seriously, as the fact that we are not doing so is indicative of how hard it is to grapple with such a huge issue.
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