Coping with eco-anxiety

As soon as I spotted it, neon pink and bobbing about in the middle of the diet coke I’d asked for, I could feel myself fighting back the tears.

How could he put a plastic straw in my drink. Didn’t he know we’re in the midst of a plastic crisis? Didn’t he know it will take 200 years for that straw to decompose? Hadn’t he seen the video of the turtle having a straw just like it surgically removed from its nose? I had. I was sitting at one of the most picturesque cafes in Paris, but that turtle was I could picture and as a result all I could feel was panic.

I dried the straw in a paper napkin and brought it home with me so it didn’t end up in the bin. I wanted to research the best way to dispose of it. I felt that’s the least I could do. Even if I sent that straw back there were surely thousands more like it back in the bar just waiting to be distributed. I felt utterly powerless. 

Episodes of anxiety about environmental issues like this are becoming more and more common for me. I’d irritated enough Parisians with my terrible French all week so I certainly didn’t feel confident enough to start a conversation about zero waste and sustainability. 

I’ve always been sensitive to environmental and animal welfare issues. My brain has always worked in a very visual way and once it’s seen something that strikes a chord with my values like that little turtle, I can’t seem to put it out of my mind like lots of people can. The reaction I have causes me so much anxiety it can be hard to bear. This was the reason I became vegetarian when I was just ten years old. As soon as I realised the realities of what I was eating, that was that. 

Since educating myself on the realities of climate change I’ve been making as many changes as I can. The first words out of my mouth at the deli are ‘no plastic please’ for fear she might pick up plastic wraps before I make myself clear. I’m intentional with every purchase I make, I keep a capsule wardrobe and I’ve increased my intentionality with travel too. I’ve started using cotton sanitary towels and switched kitchen roll for cotton face cloths. You can read a list of my full efforts here. I also save a lot of the swaps I’m making on my Instagram stories. I know I’m taking action where I can but the problem is it doesn’t feel like it’s enough.

I want to help so badly I’ve gone hungry because I’ve forgotten to pack sandwiches and the only options available were wrapped in plastic. I’ll lay awake at night with stats and visions going round and round in my head. I’ll  have to turn my headphones right up on my run because the mere sound of cars going past makes me think of emissions and sends my heart rate sky rocketing. I feel guilty for taking flights. Whenever there’s a thunderstorm and I hear a ripple of thunder right overhead I’ll be convinced the end of the world has come in the form of a superstorm. I know I’m not alone. I know there are endless waves of us out there who care deeply about our beautiful planet and want to preserve it as best we can, but I’m also aware that not many of us are talking about how this is affecting us. 

I wanted to share some tips I’ve found useful when it comes to coping with eco-anxiety. I’m no expert, but as a sufferer these are the things that have helped me and feel worthy of a share in case they work for you too. 

Watch your news intake – As tempting as it can seem, switching off from the news all together isn’t always a good idea because it’s good to stay informed, but do ask yourself how much is good for you? I’ve felt so much better since removing news apps from my phone and unfollowing news accounts on social media. I’ve replaced them with a broadsheet newspaper or two at the weekend instead. The breaking news system is designed to cause us stress and anxiety so we keep watching, even though the information we’re being given is repetitive and limited. I’ve found the stories in the weekend papers are much better informed as journalists have had a while to process the story properly. 

Curate the content you consume – As well as unfollowing news accounts, I’ve also given myself permission to unfollow accounts that although they share my views and interests when it comes to the environment, they do so in a way that only make me feel worse. I know their intentions are honourable and they mean to educate but I’m already all too aware of how bad the situation is and I’m already trying my best to help. I prefer to save useful articles on my zero waste Pinterest board so that I know there’s information waiting for me to refer back to when I want to. I can be intentional with my consumption this way.

Remember you have a life to live – Sometimes I stray into periods of such deep worry it feels as though the joy is being sucked right out of my life. I feel guilty for enjoying myself when there are so many problems to solve. Ignorance might be bliss but I don’t want to be one of those people who is oblivious to the reality of the environmental crisis we’re in. 

The thing is we all have a life to live and it’s one that deserves to be enjoyed. We only get one. Reminding myself of this helps me overcome the frustrations I feel knowing there are still lots of people out there oblivious to the changes we have to make or even those who are aware and still make no effort to change. It’s good to care but depriving ourselves of joy is an act of self-sabotage and it disadvantages how well equipped we are to help. If we don’t take care of ourselves first, we’re of limited use to others. 

Accept you can only do so much – As much as I’d love to stop plastic production all together, ensure all organisations were made to be responsible for their waste and manufacturing methods and personally save every animal from suffering this is all out of my hands. I can’t solve these global issues alone. We can all have impact by making better choices and setting an example but accepting that I personally can only do so much has been a gift.

Lean into gratitude – Practicing gratitude is the gateway to joy for me. Whenever I have bad days I try to remember (and write down) what I’m grateful for. I’ve even asked those closest to me to prompt me with this question when they see me struggling. When my eco-anxiety gets really bad I like to lean into gratitude for my privilege – I’m educated enough and financially able to make the changes I want to make without sacrificing my basic needs. It breaks my heart that sustainability still equals privilege but I feel grateful that I can use mine to make a difference where I can. I’m also grateful for platforms like this blog and my Instagram where I can share my own journey and highlight these issues that mean so much to me. 

Allow yourself to feel anxious – I can feel so silly for my eco-anxiety. Like I’m over sensitive and I need to just forget about it. Part of me is so terrified of how this post will be received, of what people might think of me after reading it, I almost didn’t write it. That way of thinking and suppression of my feelings never helps. It’s far better to allow myself to feel anxious and all the other emotions that come with it. As alien as it feels, they seem to pass so much easier if I welcome them in. If I can get curious about why I feel that way and put pen to paper about my feelings, even better.

Feel proud of everything you’re already doing – When I get a DM on Instagram telling me I should be taking my own containers down to the cake shop instead of accepting their paper boxes, to save myself from actually going insane and feeling like the worst human on the planet, I to give myself a break remind myself of everything I’m already doing. I remind myself that in addition to the lifestyle changes I’ve made already I’m also child-free and vegetarian. These aren’t choices I made for environmental reasons, but they’re worth remembering because of the positive impact they have on my carbon footprint when I’m struggling. You’ll have plenty worth remembering too. I also remind myself there is no perfect when it comes to sustainable living, there is no sustainability points system game to be played and attempting it at all is really hard work. Holding yourself to the unattainable is setting yourself up to fail and you deserve so much better.

Take action – If you’re reading this I’m guessing you care about the environment too so I’m sure you’re already doing plenty to be proud of. If not, start small but start taking action. I feel much less powerless when I take action, however little. Return your plastic to supermarkets, research zero waste alternatives, email the restaurant dishing out plastic straws and let them know how it makes you feel as a customer. Just be sure to at out of kindness, both for others and yourself and know when to take your foot off the gas because it’s all getting too much to handle. 

Find empathy for others – This is where I see so many people, including myself struggle. We care so much we want to solve the problem by changing everyone else around us. This is totally understandable but the thing is we cannot control the behaviour of others, only our own. It’s a personal opinion but I think the best way to help is to lead by example and share our own journey with those around us. None of us are perfect. Judging others and venting our frustration at them will only turn them off the cause we’re trying to highlight. It’s also bad for our mental health, results in bad energy for us, arguments and potentially fall outs. Again, we all deserve better. 

As for the neon pink straw from the Parisian restaurant. I’ve since written a polite email to them to ask that they stop using straws in the name of our beautiful planet which we all want to protect. Taking action definitely feels good. 

I hope sharing my own story and what helps me to cope with my eco-anxiety will help anyone suffering to at least feel less alone with it. My DMs on Instagram are always open if you want to talk and I try to reply to as many as I can.