We Do What We Can: Coping with Eco-Anxiety and the “Worst-Case Scenario”
If you’re like me and struggle with anxiety, it is quite hard not to constantly think of the “worst-case scenario”. Whenever my car breaks down, I immediately think it cannot be fixed. Whenever I say the wrong thing at work, I immediately think I’m going to be fired. I often have to talk through this concept in therapy and still can’t quite grasp the fact that not everything is going to end up catastrophically. Admittedly, I believe I am getting better at realizing situations usually end up okay. However, when it comes to the climate crisis, I still struggle with the facts and figures displaying our planet’s (and therefore, humanity’s) imminent end. And certainly, the word “crisis” doesn’t help.
While there is no medical definition of eco-anxiety, and eco-anxiety is not the same as a clinical anxiety disorder, the American Psychological Association defined the term as “a chronic fear of environmental doom”. Most, if not all, of our global population has experienced some form of climate change’s effects, whether it is more severe fires, droughts, precipitation, or hurricanes. Study after study shows that extreme climate conditions and frequent natural disasters are tied to climate change. It is quite difficult to ignore the detrimental effects of these conditions as they happen in real-time.
So, what do we do?
We do what we can. We all have to remember that we get through every day doing what we can already, even if we feel we’re at our worst.
Big business and corporations have much control over fossil fuel use. It can seem daunting to even think about how such powerful entities control Earth’s natural resource exploitation. We think we are powerless -- but in fact, we are not. There is always power in the masses, and there is always power in the people. Thinking we are powerless is what brings out that worst-case scenario mentality.
Think about the recent snowstorm in Texas that caused massive power outages, extreme cold weather, and, unfortunately, dozens of casualties. The natural reaction is to jump to the worst-case scenario mentality. But we also have a natural reaction, sometimes simultaneous, to want to do everything in our power to help people who need it. We want to do what we can to mitigate the issue. Beto O’Rourke and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have raised millions of dollars to provide relief for Texans. Mutual aid organizations have helped thousands of Texans find food, housing, medical care, and disaster relief. The people, everyday folk like you and I, powered these mobilization and grassroots movements.
In regard to the climate crisis, maybe what we “can” do involves calling our senators and demanding environmental justice. Maybe it means joining a local protest. Or maybe it just means reusing a plastic coffee cup for water throughout the day. Reading an article about climate change. Writing in our journals about what we feel. Chatting with a friend about cutting out red meat. Or even just making a promise to yourself to try and look for smaller, ethical, BIPOC businesses to buy your next piece of jewelry from.
This mantra is a way that I have personally dealt with the tolls of eco-anxiety. Is this too optimistic and hopeful? Perhaps. But I believe that it’s better than the alternative. It also brings a sense of positivity in a daunting time. We bury ourselves in dark and existential climate change news (and sometimes not even deliberately), so to see how people mobilize can alleviate the stress associated with eco-anxiety.
Eco-anxiety won’t just “go away,” as with any anxiety disorder, but I find that this is a way that works for me. I make myself constantly think that I’m doing what I can in the moment. I am doing my best, even if it doesn’t necessarily feel like my best -- I’m still doing it. And even when my “can” is small, it’s still something.