Climate Anxiety

Key Takeaways

• A sense of sad, loss and grief over climate change is a reasonable and even heathy reaction.

• When our feelings about climate change interferes with our functioning, such as keeping you awake, gets in your way of enjoying your life, or becomes our predominant thought, it is healthy to talk with other.

• If you are having difficulties finding friends and family to discuss climate issues, there are Climate Cafes or Climate circle where you can attend online sessions.

• When concerns about climate change causes a persistent interference with daily life, a pervasive sense hopelessness or despair or intense or prolonged emotional distress, it may be time to seek specialized support.

• If you are feeling intrusive thought or high levels of physiologic stress such as a racing heart rate, thought of self-harm or a strong interference in our relationships with people crisis support is available by calling 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.

• Caring for Yourself Is Part of Climate Action.

What Can I do When Climate Grief Becomes Too Heavy?

As awareness of climate change deepens, so does its emotional weight. For many people—especially those who care deeply about the ocean, ecosystems, and future generations—climate change is not only a scientific or political issue, but a profoundly personal one. Feelings of anxiety, grief, guilt, and despair are increasingly common, and they are not signs of weakness. They are human responses to real and ongoing loss.

At the same time, there are moments when these emotions begin to overwhelm our ability to function, connect, or act. Recognizing when to seek mental health support is essential for sustaining both personal well-being and long-term engagement in climate action.

Is it Normal to feel a Sense of Anxiety or a Sense of Loss Due to Climate Change?

Bearing witness to environmental decline can feel relentlessly heavy. Many people experience climate anxiety—a persistent unease about the planet’s future. Others carry eco-guilt, measuring their own actions against those of scientists or activists who seem to give everything. Some feel crushed by the scale of the crisis and haunted by the fear that it is already too late.

These responses are not irrational. They reflect empathy, awareness, and care. But when climate grief or eco-anxiety consistently disrupts daily life—making it hard to sleep, concentrate, work, or maintain relationships—professional mental health support can be an important and healthy next step. Seeking help is not a personal failure; it is a way of protecting your capacity to stay engaged over time.

Climate grief exists on a spectrum. Many people move through waves of sadness, anger, fear, or guilt while still maintaining their routines and sense of purpose. Others find that their usual coping strategies—activism, creativity, learning, exercise, or community involvement—no longer provide relief.

This does not mean something is wrong with you. Climate distress reflects connection, not fragility. However, when these emotions become persistent and overwhelming—interfering with daily functioning or leading to withdrawal and hopelessness—professional support can be a vital form of care.

Seeking help does not mean stepping away from climate action. It means tending to the emotional foundation that enables sustained engagement.

What You Can Do Now?

• Acknowledge and express
  Talk openly with trusted friends or family, or participate in climate-focused support spaces such as Climate Cafés, https://www.climatepsychology.us/climate-cafes where shared experiences reduce isolation.

• Take meaningful, grounded action
  Engage in small, tangible efforts—such as local restoration, community organizing, or advocacy—to rebuild a sense of agency and purpose. See

• organizations which provide volunteer opportunities Individual actions.

• Set healthy boundaries
  Limit exposure to distressing news and social media to prevent emotional overload.

• Seek specialized support
  Look for therapists experienced in eco-anxiety, climate grief, or trauma-informed care. These therapists can be found in the US by looking up the Climate Aware therapist Directory https://www.climatepsychology.us/climate-therapists. These emotional responses are rational reactions to a real global crisis.

How can Mental Health Support Help?

Mental health professionals can offer a safe, nonjudgmental space to process climate-related distress. Therapy does not aim to remove care or concern—it helps people care sustainably.

Support can help by:

• Validating emotions
  Naming and normalizing climate grief reduces isolation and self-blame.

• Building coping and resilience skills
  Therapists can help manage anxiety, process grief, regulate emotions, and prevent burnout.

• Reconnecting distress to purpose
  With support, overwhelming emotions can be channeled into grounded, values-aligned action rather than urgency or despair alone.

What are the Signs It May Be Time to Seek Professional Support?

You may want to consider reaching out for help if you experience one or more of the following:

• Persistent interference with daily life
  Climate-related worries make it difficult to work, concentrate, maintain relationships, or care for yourself.

• Pervasive hopelessness or despair
  You feel chronically overwhelmed, powerless, or unable to find meaning or agency, even when trying to take action.

• Intense or prolonged emotional distress
  Ongoing anxiety, sadness, panic, or intrusive thoughts and nightmares that do not ease with time or self-care.

• Solastalgia
  Distress caused by environmental change to places that feel like home—grieving landscapes that are still physically present but no longer familiar or safe.

• Behavioral changes
  Significant fatigue, sleep disruption, emotional numbness, withdrawal from activities, or extreme mood swings.

• Compounding losses
  Climate grief intensifies alongside personal or societal stressors, leading to emotional overload or shutdown.

These are not failures to cope. They are signals that the emotional weight you are carrying deserves additional support.

What the Crisis and Support Resources?

If climate grief or eco-anxiety feels overwhelming, confidential help is available. You do not need to be in an immediate crisis to reach out.

If you are in the United States

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
  Call or text 988, or use online chat. Available 24/7.

• Crisis Text Line
  Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.

If you are outside the United States

• International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP)
  Use international directories to find local crisis support.

• Local emergency services
  Contact your local emergency number if you feel unable to keep yourself safe.

Caring for Yourself Is Part of Climate Action

Sustained climate engagement requires emotional resilience. Seeking mental health support is not stepping away from the work—it is a way of staying grounded, connected, and able to continue.

Climate grief is a healthy response to an unhealthy reality. Reaching out—for crisis support, therapy, or community—is an act of care that supports both personal well-being and the long arc of collective climate action.

If you ever find yourself wondering whether your distress “counts,” that uncertainty alone is reason enough to talk with someone.