<ul>
<li>We are increasingly faced with global issues related to politics, climate change, war, and other existential threats.</li>
<li>The normal tendency is to worry endlessly and repeatedly think about things that have happened, which can lead to depression.</li>
<li>The troubling fact is that if the threat is massive, we feel helpless and end up thinking more about the same.</li>
</ul>

Existential Angst And Our Future

<p><strong>The American Psychological Association (APA) defines <em>Eco-Anxiety</em> as a mental health issue due to climate change.</strong> This and other existential threats are processed in the <em>anterior cingulate cortex</em>(ACC), a region of our brain that is also responsible for our behaviour.</p>
<p>Eco-Anxiety cannot be treated as it is not a specific mental health problem (yet), and we need to calm our mind by taking affirmative action. We need to concentrate on what can be controlled, taking step-by-step action, no matter how small it is, like recycling or buying second-hand, to minimize our environmental impact on the planet.</p>

Anxiety Due To Climate Change

<ul>
<li>Restrict our news consumption.</li>
<li>Spend more time with nature</li>
<li>Read a diverse range of material.</li>
<li>Spend time with friends and loved ones.</li>
<li>Be aware of the effects of constant worry on your health.</li>
<li>Eat healthily.</li>
<li>Sleep well.</li>
<li>Get adequate exercise.</li>
</ul>

Steps To Overcome Eco-Anxiety

Understand yourself and those around you.

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Eco-anxiety: How does the human mind deal with existential threats?

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<p>From politics to climate change, there’s a lot in the news to cause existential angst at the moment. Is it possible to think helpfully about these issues or are they too big? </p>

<p><span>By </span><span><a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/author/lucymaddox/">Lucy Maddox </a> </span> </p>

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How does the human mind cope with existential threats?

<p>Faced with a big problem it’s normal to try to think our way out of it. Whilst sometimes problem-solving can be helpful, this can tip into repetitive worrying over things that we can’t solve by ourselves in our own heads. </p>

<p>A similarly repetitive thinking style, but one focussed on the past, is ruminating – chewing over and over things that have already happened. This can also be problematic, as it’s a thinking style linked with depression. </p>

<p>Another way of coping is to avoid thinking about existential threats because they feel so massive. This can then mean that they seem even more overwhelming when we do think about them, or that we feel helpless to change anything. </p>

<p><strong>Read more about climate change: </strong> </p>

<ul><li><a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/uk-carbon-emissions-cuts-are-slowing-down/">UK carbon emissions cuts are slowing down </a> </li><li><a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth/christiana-figueres-on-climate-change-net-zero-carbon-is-our-only-option/">Christiana Figueres on climate change: “Net zero carbon is our only option” </a> </li> </ul>

<p>Brain scan studies suggest there is a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17470919.2017.1308880">particular brain region in the processing of existential threats </a>: the anterior cingulate cortex (Acc). This area is also involved in our behavioural inhibition system (BIS) – a system which encourages us to stop <em>doing </em>and pay attention to something (in this case the existential threat). </p>

<p>Researchers have suggested this is related to common behavioural reactions to existential threats: that feeling of being paralysed to act in the face of something looming, and the tendency to consume a lot of information about the threat without changing our behaviour. </p>

<p>‘Eco-anxiety’ is a term that’s been used by the American Psychological Association (APA) in a report about the <a href="https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/03/mental-health-climate.pdf">effects of climate change on mental health </a>, but it’s not an official diagnosis. </p>

<p>Psychologically speaking, anxiety about anything arises from how we perceive a threat, and so ‘eco-anxiety’ makes sense, even though the threat it relates to is real. </p>

<p>Since it’s not a specific mental health problem, eco-anxiety can’t be ‘treated’ as such. However, if worries about climate change are creating significant distress and getting in the way of us being able to do what we want, some things might help. </p>

<p>Often it’s a case of doing the opposite of what our anxious state of mind might be encouraging us to do (or avoid), instead of letting our worry thoughts paralyse us. For example: </p>

<ul><li>Working out what things we can control and taking step-by-step action on those things can increase our sense of agency, e.g. thinking about our recycling habits, energy consumption, travel and diet to minimise our environmental impact. </li><li>Balancing news on worst-case scenarios with other information and activities, including time in nature and with others. </li><li>Staying connected with people we love and communities that care so we feel less alone with our worries. </li><li>Paying attention to the effects of how we are thinking about the problem so we can change this if it’s unhelpful. </li> </ul>

<p>When we’re really scared about something, it’s also common for our sleep, diet and exercise to suffer. Making sure we’re eating healthily, that we have a regular sleep routine and that we’re moving can make a real difference to how overwhelmed we feel. </p>

<p>Though this might feel selfish, we won’t be able to do much about climate change if we don’t take care of ourselves. </p>

<p><strong>Read more from <em>Reality Check </em>: </strong> </p>

<ul><li><a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth/carbon-offsetting-a-solution-to-flying-emissions-or-just-passing-the-buck/">Carbon offsetting: a solution to flying emissions, or just passing the buck? </a> </li><li><a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/hygiene-is-there-such-thing-as-too-clean/">Personal hygiene: Is there such thing as ‘too clean’? </a> </li><li><a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/whales-and-dolphins-why-are-more-of-them-beaching-around-the-uk/">Whales and dolphins: Why are more of them beaching around the UK? </a> </li> </ul>

<p>While it’s important not to try to diagnose our way out an uncomfortable reality, at the same time, it’s important to recognise if anxious or depressed thoughts, feelings and behaviours have become an overly large feature of our lives. </p>

<p>There are evidence-based treatments for <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/generalised-anxiety-disorder/">anxiety </a>and <a href="https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg90">depression </a>if you think you might be experiencing them, and it’s worth reaching out to seek help. There is also <a href="https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate-change/what-can-I-do-to-stop-climate-change">information </a>on how we can reduce our environmental impact, which can help us to feel less helpless. </p>

<p>Visit the BBC’s <em>Reality Check </em>website at <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cp7r8vgl2rgt/reality-check">bit.ly/reality_check_ </a>or follow them on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCRealityCheck">@BBCRealityCheck </a> </p>

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Eco-anxiety: How does the human mind deal with existential threats? - BBC Science Focus Magazine

Existential Angst And Our Future

Anxiety Due To Climate Change

Steps To Overcome Eco-Anxiety

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