We humans live in an interactive environment called ecosystem, this environment is subjected to multiple natural changes. Therefore, we have to adapt to the changes to live our lives smoothly.
Eco-anxiety is defined by the American psychological association (APA) and eco-America as “a chronic fear of environmental doom”.
Eco-anxiety is simply the fear or worry of the negative climate change that may affect social wellbeing. Fear of environmental doom such as flooding and wildfires that may occur will result in eco-anxiety.
Whenever there is a fear in people's mind about their social environment of life, then the consequence is emotional unrest that may lead to severe health problems.
Eco-anxiety may include but is not limited to shock, anger, difficulties in school or workplace, sleep difficulties, fear of the environment or nostalgia. As the saying goes to every action there is a cause, so the same with eco-anxiety.
The causes of fear of environmental doom are looking for environmental threat information all the time, living or working in affected areas.
Therefore, here are the best helpful tips to overcome eco-anxiety at a time and if it persists, meet a psychological therapist.
10. Connect With The Environment
Connecting yourself with the environment is one of the best ways to overcome eco-anxiety, feel free around the environment you stay in, interact with the environment and all your anxiety will vanish.
Being part of the environment and interacting with it creates a positive mind. Eco-anxiety Researchers have clearly stated the benefits of connecting with nature, walking through a garden and around trees makes you less anxious.
Liza Jachens, PhD, a psychologist and lecturer at Webster University in Geneva, Switzerland eco-anxiety researcher says :
"Interventions focused on connecting with nature are helpful in the healing process".
Types of Environment To Connect With :
i. Connect yourself with these environments to take away your fear.
ii. Environment like Garden, Park, Holiday or vacation resort Park will be very friendly. Conserved forest or Tourist natural environment will be comfortable for interaction.
9. Avoid Media That Focus Exclusively On Environmental Change
Avoiding media that exclusively talk on environmental change will lessen your anxiety. Because whenever you connect to media that talks solely on climate change, you might easily get worried.
"Don’t mistake being informed by trusting the media. The most trusted information you can get is from your gut". Charles F Glassman
Forms of media to avoid :
i. Do not tune to TV stations or radio stations that mostly talk on climate change.
ii. Avoid social media groups or news that deals with climate change. Only watch TV or radio stations programs that provide solutions.
8. Discuss With Neighbors In Your Community On The Solutions Of Environmental Doom
If there is news of an environmental threat, meet your neighbors and discuss the possible solutions of the forecast environmental doom. Doing so will ease your worry and make you feel lonely.
Discussing the past solutions employed by individuals that might be your neighbor or a story of someone that uses the solution to overcome the disastrous situation the climate change brought.
Talking with your neighbors will strengthen your confidence and take away your anxiety, this was what a climate activist said about discussion with neighbors.
"The most reliable way of ensuring that you’re going to be safe, and that the people around you are going to be OK, is knowing each other’s strengths". Christine Nieves Rodriguez
Discussions of the solutions :
i. The solutions to discuss with your neighbors should include Preparation made to face climate change.
ii. Government intervention, non-governmental effort, Self efforts to cope with the situation and awareness of the solutions.
7. Look Out For Solutions Not The Threat
Keep your eye on the environmental change solutions by watching environmental change TV programs or engaging in social media platforms providing climate change solutions.
Instead of focusing on the threat, information outlets focus on the solutions. Lookout for solutions such as avoiding too much media consumption on environmental threats, being angry, involved in environmental related solutions and mind focusing solutions.
"Focus on the solution, not on the problem". Jim Rohn
also,
"If you’re not a part of the solution, you’re a part of the problem". African Proverb
6. Get Involved In Environmental Change Advocacy
Be found in environmental change advocacy groups or volunteers on the environmental change causes. Doing so will let you breathe comfortably as something is being done to address the environmental doom.
Engaging yourself in the advocacy group will take away your anxiety while you execute your civic duties.
If you live in the UK, Australia, US or any part of the world you can join the climate change advocacy group as there are numerous climate activist groups.
5. Be Aware Of The Eco-anxiety
The fear of environmental doom is real, as described by researchers. Caroline Hickman, PhD, a lecturer and eco-anxiety researcher at the University of Bath in England said; "We’re not going to reduce a person’s anxiety by telling them this isn’t terrifying, because that’s a lie".
Being aware of it is by learning to tolerate it and overcome it, in her natural words she added, “It’s about learning to live and tolerate and accept what you’re feeling, so you can move forward positively.”
Being aware of the eco-anxiety is to cope with it by taking the necessary measures. The report made by CNN on their website has covered the reality about climate anxiety, but it emphasized on the solutions.
So whenever you are faced with eco-anxiety, the best way to get rid of it is to manage it. Know that “You don't have to control your thoughts. You have to stop letting them control you.” Dan Millman
4. Get The Right Professionals Therapist
Getting the right professional therapist is one of the best tips to overcome eco-anxiety. Not all psychological therapists can give the required guidance or manage it, but the professional ones can give the most required.
Even though the professional therapists on eco-anxiety are not as much as expected. Reaching out to them is not a difficult task, reaching to them as they will provide you with all the therapeutics of eco-anxiety.
Steps Therapist Should Take In Managing Eco-anxiety
Steps therapists should take as reported by psychological therapists are realizing that the fear is not pathological.
It is a normal response even if the client is highly disturbed, the fear may be heightened and knowing the symptoms may help.
3. Use Humor To Keep Your Mood Excellent
The use of humor on the anxiety of environmental change will do you more good and even make you forget about your worries.
Have fun around, visit places that you can have fun. Play games that you love if you are a game lover, gist about the climate in a humorous manner.
A group of researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder has published many findings on the impact of humor on eco-anxiety related to issues related to climate change.
The findings were recorded in a Journal Comedy Studies, it shows that humor reduces a lot of eco-anxiety and provides positive thinking on overcoming climate change fear.
Always surround yourself with environmental comedy movies and try to share those comedy movies with your neighbors. Because, community interaction is a step forward to overcome eco-anxiety.
Climate comedy helps individuals become more aware of environmental change, shows some ideas like problem-solving and brings positive emotions to the environmental conversation.
2. Always Think In Hopeful And Positive Manner
Losing hope in the efforts to overcome environmental doom will worsen your anxiety situation. Think positively about changing the effect of climate, even though it is hard to do so sometimes.
Negative thinking can only add more health problems to your body in its previous state, thus thinking positively all the time on climate change. "The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible." Winston Churchill
1. Know The Necessary Emergency Techniques
Knowing emergency techniques will do an immense help to your anxiety situation, emergency techniques are like halfway solutions to the problem of climate change.
Follow the necessary emergency techniques provided by the government emergency agency or non-governmental agency that manages emergencies that involve climate change.
Don't keep yourself in a fear zone when you need to apply the necessary emergency techniques you know.
Whenever there is a climate threat the government and scientists make a climate emergency declaration and whenever such announcement is made follow the outline processes.
"Those who prepared for all the emergencies of life beforehand may equip themselves at the expense of joy". M Forster
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