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Article: Eco Anxiety: About the Fear of Doom

Eco Anxiety: Über die Angst vor dem Untergang | paigh | Fair & gemütlich

Eco Anxiety: About the Fear of Doom

Today I would like to educate about "eco anxiety" (and no, this is not the fear of ecos ). First of all I would like to share a little anecdote from my own life:

A few weeks ago I was sitting with my girls in the evening. We were a bit excited because we hadn't seen each other for so long. The conversations just bubbled out of us - after all, we had a lot to tell each other. When we got around to talking about the books we were currently reading, a friend of mine suddenly blurted this out:

"People, you MUST read 'The History of Water'! Since I read it, I can hardly sleep..." By this she meant, as she explained to us, that since then she had been constantly thinking about the fact that all of our lives could be turned upside down in no time. She feared the floods that the book deals with as a result of climate change and the resulting struggles for food and survival

After she gave us a rough description of the contents of the book, we all got caught up in the climate catastrophe issue and slipped into an increasingly dystopian world view: "I'm sure that's exactly what will happen..." "We'd better start gathering our food now..." "I don't even want to think about it. It was then that
I felt the so-called eco anxiety for the first time. Since then, it has been with me almost every day..

What is the meaning of the term

In the Anglo-American world, "eco anxiety" is already a coined term. In this country, I personally have hardly heard anyone say that he or she has "eco-anxiety" (admittedly, that sounds a bit silly at first, doesn't it?). Wikipedia defines eco anxiety like this

"Eco-anxiety is anxiety about ecological disasters and threats to the natural environment such as pollution and climate change. Variations to the definition exist such as the broader description explaining it as the 'worry or agitation caused by concerns about the present and future state of the environment'

Freely translated into German:

"Eco-anxiety is the fear of ecological disasters and of threats to the environment, such as pollution and climate change. Deviations from this definition consider eco-anxiety more generally; as 'concerns or agitation due to concerns about the present and future state of the environment'

The term therefore describes nothing more than a phenomenon that many of us know and gives it a name. Yet this phenomenon is certainly nothing new. Certainly, throughout the history of mankind, there have always been people with the fear of ecological catastrophes. And yet the term is highly topical: in times of plastic oceans, zero-waste efforts and "Fridays For Future" (to give a prime example), many can identify with this fear

eco anxiety streetart: ängstliche Person verdeckt seine Augen mit den Händen
Photo by Aarón Blanco Tejedor on Unsplash

A new term - so what now?

What does it mean to us now that this term is increasingly used? First of all, it makes it clear that the consequences of climate change are not limited to the environment and our planet. Our mental health is also affected. This can happen directly or indirectly:

Direct effects on mental health

We already know that experiencing extreme weather conditions is a risk factor for the development of mental disorders. Especially long-lasting natural disasters such as earthquakes can often lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes or fires are becoming more frequent and recurrent, more and more people are losing their homes, loved ones or their entire existence. As a result, more and more people are also more vulnerable to developing a mental disorder - such as PTSD or depression.

Indirect effects on mental health

Indirect effects of the climate catastrophe manifest themselves, for example, in eco-anxiety: even people who are not directly affected by a natural disaster are seriously concerned about the state of the world and can get caught in a spiral of fear from which it is difficult to escape. The focus is often on an apocalyptic picture of our planet, coupled with fear of the future and the worry that it may already be too late. Parents of small children also often experience eco-fear: on the one hand, they feel the pressure to teach their child values such as environmental protection and sustainability. On the other hand, they worry about the state of the planet and the world they leave behind for their children.

Clinical relevance

Everyone who takes the climate catastrophe seriously probably knows this fear in some form. For most of us, however, the hope of being able to make a difference prevails. The eco-fear alternates with other topics and thoughts. It exists, but it does not dominate us

A few, however, are swallowed up by this fear: an upward spiral develops and everyday life is dominated by fear. The consequences can be persistent anxiety, panic attacks and depression. In the meantime, there are even some therapists who have specialised in this form of anxiety disorder..

Of course we do not want to hope that eco anxiety will spread - whether as "everyday fear" or as a serious disturbance. However, the fact is that the climate catastrophe will sooner or later also burden us psychologically. One more reason to take environmental protection seriously!

Here you can find out how to deal with the fear of an environmental disaster and its consequences and what you can do to alleviate your worries.

If you would like to learn more about the topics of environment and sustainability, mindfulness or healthy nutrition, take a look here over.

Are you also sometimes afraid of what climate change will bring? If so, what are your concerns? How do you deal with this fear? I would be happy to hear about your thoughts and experiences!

Freunde sitzen bei Sonnenuntergang auf einem Berg
Photo by Arthur Poulin on Unsplash

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