Eco-anxiety - How to Cope with your Stress about Climate Change

If after a record-breaking summer of heatwaves our warming planet is weighing heavily on your mind, you are not alone. Climate anxiety is on the rise, especially among young people, but what makes it different from “ordinary” anxiety, and how should we respond? 

In this episode of Change Your Mind with New Scientist Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson talk to psychotherapist and climate-aware therapy expert Caroline Hickman about why eco anxiety is a rational response to a warming world, how it is reshaping young people’s lives and decisions, and what her global research reveals about sadness, fear and a sense of betrayal. They explore practical ways to live with climate distress without being overwhelmed from reframing anxiety as care, to building resilience, to using imagination to create hopeful visions of the future. 

Produced by Emily Bird

We want to hear your thoughts, leave a comment or send in your ideas for future episodes to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠changeyourmind@newscientist.com⁠

Find out more about Climate Anxiety at New Scientist:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2424806-what-is-eco-anxiety-and-how-can-we-overcome-it/

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/14/four-in-10-young-people-fear-having-children-due-to-climate-crisis

https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2290232-younger-generations-are-the-most-fatalistic-about-climate-change/

https://www.cell.com/one-earth/fulltext/S2590-3322(24)00100-3

https://imagine5.com/interview/rob-hopkins-the-future-is-beautiful-but-to-get-there-we-have-to-believe-in-it/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23774240607&gbraid=0AAAAA9TOeEgsQNAaHACtVCr7BZGz_jAoM&gclid=Cj0KCQjwm8bTBhDWARIsAC9Hi8lmbg6K7Ou7MYIHqmk2QBhqm52Ggr8V_ffnWSc-RLjqf_flePH7_o8aAhLBEALw_wcB