How to Manage Eco-Anxiety: Suggestions from a Health Expert
How to Manage Eco-Anxiety: Suggestions from a Health Expert
Author: Emily Grochowski, Certified Functional & Integrative Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
In today’s world, it’s nearly impossible to ignore the growing environmental crises that threaten our planet. From climate change to plastic pollution, the overwhelming amount of distressing news can lead to eco-anxiety — a sense of helplessness, fear, and stress about the state of the environment. While these feelings are valid, they don’t have to be paralyzing. Instead, we can channel our concerns into meaningful action and self-care strategies that protect both our wellbeing and the planet. Below are practical ways to manage eco-anxiety while taking impactful steps toward a sustainable future.
Be intentional with how you consume information
While it may be tempting to avoid distressing news and the latest data on climate change, microplastics, and other topics, educating yourself with reliable, evidence-based sources can be empowering.
You may find it useful to avoid all environmental articles and news stories during the mornings or weekdays, and then set aside specific times to educate yourself when you have the attention and bandwidth to consume news content. Choose just a few reputable sources to get your news from and avoid scrolling through unreliable content on social media.
Take action within your sphere of influence
Being an informed voter and a champion for community, state, and/or national environmental protection policies are key ways to contribute to positive change. And it may help turn some of your anxious energy into productive action.
You can even make changes on a smaller scale for your own family or close social network. For instance, since air (especially indoor environments) and water are major sources of pollution and other toxin exposures, you can look into your local air and water quality (e.g. EWG tap water database) and invest in high-quality air and water filters for your space.
Invest in sustainable self-care
Our body’s many complex biochemical pathways and organ systems require specific care in order to successfully deal with harmful chemicals in our environment, stress, and more. In addition to taking actions that affect the outside world, be sure to prioritize your inner wellbeing by:
Nourishing your body with balanced, whole foods, including micronutrient-dense meals and snacks
Consume limited amounts of alcohol, concentrated refined sugars, and highly-processed items. Choosing organic, wild caught, and pasture-raised foods is also a good idea, especially when buying seafood, higher-on-the-food-chain animal products, dirty dozen produce, root vegetables, and leafy greens. Your gut health can affect your mental health, so the better you eat, the better your foundation for a happy mind.
Aiming to get as much regularly timed, restorative sleep as possible
These periods of rest are critical for allowing proper detoxification, reduction in oxidative stress, and promotion of healing from stressors. Doing your best to sync up your sleep/wake routine with the daily light/dark cycles in your area also helps regulate the body’s waste elimination functions. Ideally, get at least 7 hours of sleep daily, even if it means taking a nap.
Seeking out weekly movement
It’s important to find forms of exercise that are comfortable and enjoyable to you, making an effort to do them a couple of times each week. Try to reach a high enough intensity to break a sweat and increase your breathing and heart rates. Getting adequate physical activity not only helps your body remove toxins, but can also help you manage the mental stressors in your life.
Spending time in nature and other green spaces
While it can be tempting to stress over online images of pollution and environmental degradation, you can directly reduce your personal anxiety by spending time in green spaces near you (and picking up any trash you see while there). Just taking a moment to feel gratitude for the strength, beauty, and value of your nearby environment may leave you feeling better.
Swapping out makeup, face care, body products, and cleaning products
By avoiding products containing harsh and damaging chemicals, you help reduce the amount of those chemicals reaching water, soil, and your body. A feel-good win-win.
Seeking space, community, and skilled support
It’s critical to give yourself regular intervals of time to acknowledge the many genuinely distressing environmental issues that face our planet. Joining your local environmental organization(s), journaling, and engaging in meaningful discussions with like-minded friends can all be useful processing techniques. It can also be worth doing this work with the guidance of a trained, supportive mental health professional. Working with a counselor can be particularly beneficial in helping you have more productive discussions, providing you with specific tools to manage eco-anxiety and other related thoughts/feelings.
Eco-anxiety is a natural response to the pressing environmental challenges we face, but it doesn’t have to be debilitating. By staying informed in a balanced way, taking meaningful actions within your sphere of influence, prioritizing self-care, and seeking support, you can transform your anxiety into thoughtful action. Remember, every small step contributes to a healthier planet and a healthier you.
Emily Grochowski (MSN, RDN, CD (WA), CLT, CFIN) is a Certified Functional & Integrative Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology from UW-Madison and Master of Science in Nutrition from Bastyr University. She practices evidence-based, personalized, holistic medical nutrition therapy at the Institute of Complementary Medicine.
This blog provides general information and discussions about health and related subjects. The information and other content provided in this blog, website, or in any linked materials are not intended and should not be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
