Posted by I feel sad, angry, and desperate. There’s nothing I can do, and it is better to try to forget all this – cope, let it go and, go on. I cannot forget, but what I do would not matter anyway, right? If I tried to help, would that ruin my joy? I cannot take any more burden because life is so hectic anyways. But oh my Gosh, someone should do something. All this suffering, it’s a lot.
So yeah. I watched another documentary earlier this week, and I felt just like I wrote above. When we see dying whales, starving polar bears, ruined oceans, children in extreme poverty, and all the nets of corruption, it is pretty natural to feel like this. It is tolerable only in denial.
These devastating estimates and continuous bad news about the climate and the world are sometimes hard to take in. Some of us get anxious or depressed, have feelings of guilt and despair. Why wouldn’t we? What we see is so unfair, and it threatens our future. These feelings and thoughts are not necessarily present around the clock – thank God – but they appear in attacks instead. This phenomenon is also called eco-anxiety. (You might want to check eco-depression, eco-guilt, or eco-despair.) Those are not productive states of mind because those paralyze us and take away joy. Eco-anxiety takes us nowhere and does not help the world.
What might help to win the eco-anxiety?
I have overcome the paralyzing anxiety phase. I decided to take action instead of lying in the puddle of these negative feelings. The decision to take action does not help only the Earth and everyone else, but it also helps me personally. It directs my energy into something good. I have a daughter who will be on this planet much longer than me, so of course, I want to try to fix this situation as much as I can. And not only for her but for all those who are suffering. I don’t want to waste my energy trying to push all this negative information out of my mind, which is doable only for so long. Trying to silence your brain and thoughts is hard work!
I know that so many of you have felt like me. Some of us are stuck with eco-anxiety. Some of us can push the lingering feeling of the threat away – most of the time. But you know what? We could turn all that energy into something good. Start fixing the problems. Small steps are enough.
The positive senses occurred first
So, do you recognize the eco-anxiety or too many disempowered and negative feelings related to the environmental and climate issues in yourself? First of all, congratulations! We have admitted that there is an existing problem. Not your anxiety but the state of the environment. And we know that someone has to fix the situation. You find yourself feeling not only sadness and guilt but also empathy and compassion. Those last two occurred first! The world needs people who can do that. These senses can nurture everything for the better.
I mentioned earlier “to help the Earth and everybody else.” By helping Earth, we help everyone. The reason is not “Because we all live on this planet.” The ongoing eco-catastrophes directly increase the problems such as famine, homelessness, epidemics, inequality, wars, crimes, and slavery. In addition to the obvious consequences, of course. They are all connected. When knowing all this, why feel powerless? You are doing so much good when “just helping nature.”
As usual, a disclaimer is worth putting here. I am not a therapist or such. Any long-lasting, disturbing, or somehow alerting feelings, moods, symptoms, or states of mind are worth telling your healthcare provider. If my posts encourage you to try diet change, please be sure you are well informed about the nutritional facts and consult your doctor, dietitian, or nutritionist if needed. Additionally, I only write about the products and solutions that I have tested or found good or bad myself. The opinions are mine. I am not responsible for the ingredients or any qualities of these products or solutions. If needed, please consult the manufacturer or seller.
Featured image: free-photo from Pixabay
Monks: Alexandra ❤️A life without animals is not worth living❤️ from Pixabay
For the Earth and Us 