Is Climate Change Causing ‘Eco-Anxiety’?
When it comes to any lifestyle change it can be daunting at first. You can easily feel displaced, stressed, overwhelmed, and start to develop anxiety from all the real-life changes happening around you. This is also the reason why checking in with others is so crucial, but most importantly checking in with yourself too is an all-important step to make. Always remember you are significant.
Self-love and mental health are two components that continually need addressing and formulate a normalization around them. Many people suffer from self-doubt, insecurities, and self-destruction. The promising news is we all are acknowledging the importance of having dialogues around these subjects now and beginning to open up and bring more attention to these areas of our lives.
Lizzo is an incredible example, one who is all about self-care. She won 3 grammy and a BET award; she has such an extraordinary outlook on life and self-love. Beneath is just some of her self-love chart she keeps reflecting on to boost her mental state.
Lizzo’s 10 Self Love List:
- Accept who you are
- Speak positive words to yourself
- Count your blessing
- Exercise self-care
- Eat nutritious food that is best suited for your health demands
- Define your beauty
- Surround yourself with positivity
- Talk kindly of yourself and others
- Enjoy who you are
- Care for others kindly with love and respect
Climate Change health risk
Many may still be in disbelief about climate change, nonetheless, sea levels are increasing, economic devastations are happening due to hurricanes, and overall extreme weather is coming to be the new normal. Very worrying for many. There have been considerable studies and debates done around sea levels rising, extreme weather, and climate change in general. Climate change is bringing such a huge shift to our global economy which is also contributing to the increase of what the experts are now calling “Eco Anxiexty” which could take an enormous toll on your mental health. Many phrases are being used presently regarding this topic such as eco-trauma, eco-angst, and ecological grief, all of which bring a feeling of anxiety. Several people are aware of climate change and the impact it has on our physical health such as pollution, diseases, food scarcity, and mental health, but some are finding ways to execute the small modifications that can help your community and practically help the world as more people choose to make the small changes in their own life. If each person decides to make one change, that can be so impactful than not making any difference at all.
Potential symptoms to look out for if you’re experiencing eco-anxiety:
- Anger
- Guilt or Shame
- PTSD from encountering the effects of climate change
- Depression or Panic
- Sleep Problems
- Difficulty focusing and concentrating
Keep in mind, that several of these symptoms can lead to certain substance and alcohol abuse to coop with climate change. If you ever feel you’re going in this direction, don’t hesitate to speak to an expert or someone you can trust for some comfort and guidance. It’s important to keep yourself safe.
Carbon tools & Trash Talk:
On the EPA’s website they have a carbon footprint calculator that can be helpful with calculating your household carbon footprint. Many daily activities in our lives contribute to the carbon footprint such as driving a car, disposing of waste, the use electricity – which are some examples of greenhouse gas emissions.
Our viewpoint even on trash has to change. Plastic goes through several lifecycles; it begins with extraction, refining, consumption, and then disposal. These cycles pollute the land and oceans, and completely affect the marine ecosystem and human health. The talking trash campaign motivates brands and designers to reuse 90% of their packaging on the market. As we shift into this sustainable direction it can even assist with product redesign, a better way of collecting, and a strong push towards a circular economy.
Developing healthier habits
Being conscious of climate change is the first important phase to making a difference in your life and community. The more you’re aware of the results climate change has and how simple the steps are to reduce the carbon footprint in your lifestyle you could begin to reduce the levels of anxiety and related symptoms.
This is the change that will not happen overnight, but you can focus on one reversal per month or even once per week. Don’t overwhelm yourself and be forgiving to yourself because there will be times that you might make the wrong choice and that’s ok. The important thing you can do is if you mess up just make better choices the next day.
Conclusion:
Never be afraid to ask questions about topics you’re just unfamiliar with. Your small sustainable lifestyle will ultimately become a lifestyle full of purpose. Take care of yourself because your health is worth fighting for. Thanks for reading or listening to me,
