How to Cope With Eco-Anxiety: 8 Ways to Care Without Burning Out

You read about another record heatwave, a flooded town or a vanishing species, and the day feels heavier. You think about the future, perhaps your children’s, and your chest tightens. You put the phone down, pick it up again and wonder whether it even makes sense to worry about something so large.

If that sounds familiar, you are experiencing something that researchers now take seriously: eco-anxiety, also called climate anxiety.

What eco-anxiety is

Eco-anxiety is distress, worry or grief connected with environmental change and the threat to the natural world. It is not a formal diagnosis. The psychologist Susan Clayton, who has written widely on the topic, describes it as a range of responses, including worry, anger, sadness and a sense of helplessness. Panu Pihkala’s analysis of the term emphasises that it covers several feelings, such as anxiety, guilt, grief and anger, and that it can motivate as well as overwhelm.

Importantly, many psychologists regard it as a reasonable response to a real problem, not a sign of illness. It becomes an issue for wellbeing when it is constant, overwhelming or paralysing.

How common is it?

A global survey of 10,000 young people aged 16 to 25 in ten countries, published in The Lancet Planetary Health by Caroline Hickman and colleagues, found that a large majority were at least moderately worried about climate change, and over half said they felt sad, anxious, angry, powerless or guilty. Many reported that these feelings affected their daily life, and distress was linked with the belief that governments were failing to respond adequately. Adults experience it too, often alongside concern for their children and communities.

What it can feel like

• persistent worry or dread about the future,
• grief or sadness about loss of nature, places or species,
• anger or frustration at inaction,
• guilt about your own footprint,
• helplessness or hopelessness,
• difficulty sleeping or concentrating,
• avoidance of the news, or the opposite, constant checking.

If constant checking is part of the pattern, see how to stop doomscrolling.

Why it hits so hard

• Scale and uncertainty. The problem is huge and its details uncertain. See how to stop worrying about the future.
• Lack of control. One person cannot fix it, which feeds helplessness. See how to stop worrying about things you can’t control.
• Constant news. A steady stream of bad stories keeps the alarm on.
• Sense of betrayal. Feeling that those with power are not acting adds anger and grief.
• Care for others. Worry for children, grandchildren and vulnerable people deepens the concern.
• Existing anxiety. People already prone to anxiety may feel it more.

8 ways to cope with eco-anxiety

1. Name it and allow it

Say: “I’m feeling anxious and sad about the climate, and that makes sense.” Accepting the feeling as a normal response, not a flaw, lowers the extra layer of worry about worrying. See how to name what you feel.

2. Limit how you consume news

Stay informed, but set boundaries: check reliable sources once or twice a day, not constantly, avoid news before bed and unfollow accounts that drive panic without offering understanding. Choose evidence-based sources over sensational ones.

3. Separate what you can control from what you cannot

Make two columns. The second, such as global policy, is not yours to fix today. The first might include your habits, local involvement, voting, conversations and how you spend money. Focus your energy on the first column.

4. Take small, meaningful action

Action is one of the most reliable antidotes to helplessness. Choose something concrete and sustainable: reduce food waste, switch a household habit, join a community project, plant something, write to a representative, support a local organisation. The size matters less than the feeling of acting.

5. Find your people

Talk to friends, join a local group or an online community of people who care about the same issues. Shared worry is lighter, and groups turn private distress into purposeful work. You will often find that others feel the same.

6. Spend time in nature

Time outdoors can ease stress and remind you what you are protecting. Even a short walk in a park helps. See how to build a daily walking habit.

7. Hold hope as a practice

Hope is not the belief that everything will be fine; it is the choice to act toward a better outcome. Notice stories of progress, such as local successes, new technology and communities making change, alongside the bad news.

8. Look after your basics and watch for burnout

Sleep, food, movement and rest keep you able to care. Activism and concern can consume you. If you feel exhausted or numb, step back for a while. See why you feel emotionally drained.

A worked example

Rae, 36, a parent of two, finds herself checking climate news every night and lying awake.

1. Name it: “I’m anxious and grieving, and it makes sense.”
2. News boundary: she reads one trusted source once a day, in the morning, and no news after 8 p.m.
3. Control: her list includes cutting food waste, joining a local group and voting.
4. Action: she starts a school garden project with other parents.
5. People: she tells two friends how she feels and joins a local climate cafe.
6. Nature: she goes for a weekend walk with her children.
7. Hope: she keeps a note of local progress.
8. Basics: she moves bedtime earlier and takes one night off each week.

Her concern does not vanish, but it becomes something she acts on instead of something that wakes her up.

Common mistakes

• Trying to switch off all concern. It is a reasonable response.
• Doomscrolling. More news rarely helps.
• All-or-nothing thinking. Small actions matter, and perfection is impossible.
• Carrying the whole world alone. Share the load.
• Guilt-tripping yourself. Shame wears you down and rarely changes behaviour.
• Ignoring burnout. You help most when you are well.

When to seek help

Consider talking to a doctor or therapist if:

• worry is constant, uncontrollable or disrupts your sleep, work or relationships,
• you have panic attacks, persistent low mood or hopelessness,
• you feel numb, avoid everything related to the environment or cannot enjoy life,
• you are struggling to function,
• you have thoughts of harming yourself.

Some therapists specialise in climate distress, and organisations such as the Climate Psychology Alliance list practitioners. The National Institute of Mental Health has information on anxiety. If you are in crisis, contact your local emergency number or, in the United States, call or text 988. See our disclaimer.

Frequently asked questions

What is eco-anxiety?

Distress, worry or grief about environmental change and its consequences. It is not a diagnosis but a recognised response.

Is eco-anxiety a mental illness?

No. Many psychologists see it as an understandable reaction to a real threat. It becomes a problem when it overwhelms your daily life.

How do I stop worrying about climate change?

You may not stop caring, but you can limit news, focus on what you can control, take small action, connect with others and look after your wellbeing.

Is it okay to have children given climate worry?

That is a personal decision. If worry about it is weighing on you, talking with a counsellor or trusted people can help.

How can I talk to my children about climate change?

Be honest and age-appropriate, listen to their feelings, emphasise what people are doing and give them ways to take part.

When should I seek professional help for eco-anxiety?

If it is persistent, disrupts sleep or daily life or comes with panic or hopelessness.

The bottom line

Eco-anxiety is a sign that you care about something real. Name the feeling, limit your news diet, focus on what you can control, take small action, find others, spend time in nature and look after yourself. You do not have to fix everything to make a difference.