Is the Climate Ruining Your Sleep?

The American Psychological Association (APA) defines eco-anxiety as “The chronic fear of environmental cataclysm that comes from observing the seemingly irrevocable impact of climate change”. Obviously, the idea of our climate getting worse isn’t making people ecstatic, but why is eco-anxiety so serious that psychologists are warning us about it?

In some cases, eco-anxiety gets so bad it can cause you to have symptoms such as poor sleep, an increase in general anxiety (as if we don’t have enough of that already in the general population) as well as increases in the occurrence of panic attacks and depressive episodes. However, it’s important to understand that eco-anxiety doesn’t affect everyone the same way.

Eco-Anxiety Doesn’t Discriminate

Eco-anxiety can affect anyone and everyone, but you can’t be anxious about what you don’t know, which is why some say that the more you know about the impacts of climate change, the more anxious you’ll be. I disagree with this notion and instead propose the idea that eco-anxiety is caused by knowing too little about possible climate solutions.

The way we are fed information about various things by mass media is very problem centred because as human beings, we are drawn by and are intrigued by conflict. Fear can be an effective tool in writing to keep the reader interested, reading in hopes of conflict resolution. I think that a major part of people trying to “increase climate awareness” is people trying to use fear to make you aware of the dangers the world faces.

This is not necessarily a bad thing since being afraid motivates us to work towards reducing that fear by solving our issues. But if the only information you’re reading or hearing is fearful and pessimistic, how can you be expected to remain hopeful for solutions as you process these issues?

In a report by the APA, the researchers warn us that public concern is already growing, and this will very likely increase as climate issues increase. It follows then, that we should also accept that climate issues will get worse before they get better but that with effort, they can get better. If we allow our mental health to decline in proportion to the health of the climate, everybody will be too busy coping with their own anxiety to focus on climate issues.

Reducing Eco-Anxiety

Personally, when I found myself wanting to read up on modern environmental issues to raise my own awareness, I started with the book The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells and I’m thankful that I didn’t end my reading there. If you’ve read this book, I think it’s safe to say I don’t need to explain to you how eco-anxiety feels. 

Thankfully, Bill Gates came out with a gem called How to Avoid a Climate Disaster in 2021. Reading this book made me a lot less anxious even though How to Avoid a Climate Disaster did not contradict The Uninhabitable Earth at all.

The title of these books says it all, as The Uninhabitable Earth was solely focused on why the world we’re living in is headed toward impending doom. How to Avoid a climate Disaster also illustrated the issues we face and the nature of those issues, but a significant portion of the book was also dedicated to actionable solutions that people can take on a small scale as well as on larger scales. I highly recommend both books, but I wouldn’t recommend The Uninhabitable Earth alone.

If you find yourself anxious about the future of the environment, or that “eco-anxiety” might describe what you’re feeling, then it is vital to increase your education on the problem at hand which in turn, will increase your education on the solutions available and the possible actions you can take. Regardless of how you may feel, one person can make a difference. However, you will never come across a solution if all you stare at and think about are the problems ahead.

By Sepehr Borji