Let’s talk about eco-anxiety and burnout: mental health and sustainability

By Ariana Lim

Photo by L.W. on Unsplash

For many of us who are eco-conscious, it’s not uncommon to feel stressed or anxious about environmental issues. There can be a sense that it’s too late to save the planet, or that change is happening too slowly, or that what you do doesn’t matter. It can be difficult to navigate these feelings, so let’s talk about them.

We were taught at a very young age about climate change. The fact that I learned about it by kindergarten and it is still one of the most pressing global issues stresses me out. It’s been more than a decade and I haven’t seen anyone save the world. There have been plenty of advancements and I have found many joys in reading about the newest technologies that will stop the melting of the arctic or remove microplastics from the oceans. The newly proposed single-use plastics ban in Canada is a sign we’re taking the issue seriously. I enjoy hearing about them, but I never seem to see any actual improvements. We never seem to get to a point where the environment is not a concern. For me, this is what causes a good amount of stress. It may be different for everyone, but eco-anxiety is ultimately a feeling of unease about environmental issues, combined with the overwhelming feeling of responsibility to save the planet. Burnout is the feeling of exhaustion caused by an overwhelming amount of new information or trying to do too much too quickly.

Obviously, none of us can single-handedly solve the issue of climate change. It is simply impossible. Being only one human of nearly 8 billion on this earth, it may seem like individual actions don’t matter, but they do! Yes, corporate greed seems to be a driver of a number of issues, not just environmental, BUT the majority of the time individuals support these corporations by purchasing their products or using their services. My belief is that if we got ourselves into this mess, we can surely get ourselves out through collective individual action (and also applying pressure to corporations and governments, but that can be its own blog post). Anyway, the point is that individual actions do matter, but don’t make it your responsibility to do everything.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

So what do we do about it? Here are a few ways to manage eco-anxiety and burnout.

1. Recognize that it’s okay to give yourself a break. There’s too much going on in the world for you to be in the loop 24/7. STOP DOOMSCROLLING! Stepping away from your news feeds and environment-related content can help you feel more energized when you get back to it.
2. Take small actions every day. Something as small as resisting the urge to get takeout for dinner can still be impactful. These small actions build up over time and before you know it, you’ll be everyone’s go-to sustainability expert.
3. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with news, try telling someone about it. I try to do this often and it helps me feel a bit better talking about it and putting my thoughts and feelings into words. What makes this even better is now someone else knows what you know. Double the impact :)
4. If you’re constantly feeling stressed and anxious, consider seeking help. I’m not an expert here, but if you’re already doing so much while feeling burnt out, just imagine how much more you can do when you are taking care of your mental health. There are some great resources both on and off-campus available to students and staff.
5. Lastly, don’t only inform yourself of the bad news in the world. Learn about the positive actions that others are taking. I promise there are so many people out there with the same mindset as you. Hearing about what others are doing will make you feel more inspired and hopeful once again.

Those are all the tips we have for now. Remember to take care of yourselves during these tough times, and just do the best you can!