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Melting glaciers. Rampant wildfires. Flooding and tornadoes. Food shortages. The effects of climate change are difficult (if not impossible) to ignore. These devastating events can lead to what climate scientists refer to as ecological grief.
Eco-grief often arises from witnessing or anticipating the irreversible damage being done to our planet, says Alexandra Stratyner, a psychologist based in New York City.
“It’s more and more difficult to deny or to look away as summers go from being a time of rest, relaxation, and pleasure to a time where the weather is so extreme that you can’t go outside,” says Saba Harouni Lurie, a licensed marriage and family therapist and owner and founder of Take Root Therapy in Los Angeles. “We are confronted with the consequences of not just our actions, but the actions of giant corporations and our ancestors.”
What is Ecological Grief?
Ecological grief, or eco-grief, is the despair you feel when you lose places, species, and landscapes that are important to you. Perhaps you’re mourning the loss of wildlife at a national park or fearing that your future grandkids won’t be able to swim in a nearby lake due to drought or pollution. Also, there is the grief held by, and for, indigenous communities as floods and wildfires cut off access to sacred sites and resources, including traditional fishing waters and medicinal plants.
Recognizing the signs of ecological grief and finding ways to manage it can help improve your mental health and well-being. Some signs include:
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- Helplessness: Feeling like you can’t make a difference because of the sheer scale of environmental crises
- Sadness or Depression: Experiencing a deep sense of sorrow or despair in response to events such as drought and earthquakes
- Hopelessness: Believing that the future is bleak and won’t get better
- Anger or Rage: Feeling angry because of the actions of corporations or political leaders who put profits before the environment
- Guilt: Feeling directly responsible for lifestyle choices (e.g., your carbon footprint) that contribute to climate change
- Disconnection from Nature: Not being able to participate in outdoor activities or hobbies that have personal or cultural significance, whether due to lack of access or willingness
How Does Ecological Grief Compare with Anxiety and Depression?
Though eco-grief and eco-anxiety are closely related, the latter tends to involve persistent worry or fear about the future. This distress over climate change can lead to intrusive thoughts about future disasters and their impact on human existence. In contrast, Stratyner explains eco-grief as “tied to personal or collective experiences of loss, where people mourn what’s already gone or what may soon be lost.”
The emotion shares some traits with depression, including feelings of sadness and anger. But whereas eco-grief may come in waves, clinical depression is associated with persistent or long-term feelings of despair, hopelessness, and guilt, says Harouni Lurie. If you’re depressed, you may also have a hard time functioning at work or find yourself sleeping too much or little. In addition, you may isolate yourself and withdraw from activities you once enjoyed.
As with other types of grief, eco-grief can slide into depression, particularly if not addressed. “Grief can turn into depression when the sadness and mourning persist for an extended period and interfere with daily functioning,” says Stratyner. If you’re feeling hopeless or worthless, this can be a sign that grief has deepened into depression, she adds.
What to Do If You’re Experiencing Ecological Grief
“If all you’re seeing is negative news coverage, it’s easy to overlook the grassroots progress, activism, and research in support of the environment that don’t make the headlines,” says Steven Allison, a professor of ecology at the University of California Irvine who studies how changes in temperature and precipitation, especially drought, affect local ecosystems.
If you’re struggling with ecological grief, experts recommend a few ways to focus your attention as you care for the planet.
1. Focus on What You Can Do
It’s tempting to think of climate change as this big, abstract problem. But there are things that fall within your control.
“Everybody has the power to do something even if it’s a small thing,” says Allison. “As dedicated residents, citizens, and neighbors, we have power and agency to make our own decisions and tackle the problem.”
Having researched climate change for more than 20 years, Allison notes that coping mechanisms are essential in order to remain hopeful. One way he’s navigated the current situation is by being more deliberate about applying his research to solving problems and considering how ecosystems can be resilient to climate change. This brings him a sense of agency. “Because it’s really up to us to work along with nature to tackle the problems that we’re causing as a human population,” says Allison.
He encourages students in his classes to think of what they can do—collectively and individually—to preserve the environment, whether conserving water, taking public transit, or riding their bikes.
2. Get Outside
Losing environmental ties also contributes to the experience of eco-grief. “If we lose that connection to nature, it’s even harder to get through grief and motivate us to tackle the problem,” says Allison. His advice is to head outside for running, biking, yoga-ing, hiking, or stargazing.
Harouni Lurie recommends outdoor activities that allow you to work with your hands while also doing something good for the planet, such as gardening. Even better, find a community while doing so as a reminder that you inhabit this world with others who share your grief, she says, and your desire to initiate change.
3. Practice Grounding
When emotions feel overwhelming, it can be a struggle to remain present. Grounding practices, including naming or touching things in your direct sphere, brings you into the here and now, says Harounie Lurie, who suggests splashing cool water on your hands as a simple example.
Stratyner recommends incorporating nature into your grounding with the following exercise: Head outside and place your bare feet on the ground, noticing the texture. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, feeling the stability of the earth beneath you. Imagine the earth’s energy rising into your body. Touch the leaves of a tree or bark and notice their texture and temperature.
4. Engage in Mindful Movement
Similar to grounding, mindful movement can shift your focus to the present. It can be as simple as taking a walk while remaining conscious of your surroundings.
“As you walk, focus on the sensation of each step, the movement of your feet, the feeling of the ground beneath you, and your breathing,” says Stratyner. A hike can be a fantastic, organic opportunity to engage in this sort of movement.
5. Ask for Help
It’s okay to need—and ask for—support. Accepting help from friends, family, and others reminds you that you’re not alone in grieving the effects of climate change, nor are you solely responsible for fixing these problems, says Harouni Lurie.
Although grief is a natural response to loss, if it interferes with your enjoyment of life, that could signal a larger issue that would benefit from counseling. “Likewise, if you are experiencing suicidal thoughts in response to ecological grief, it’s important to seek professional help,” says Stratyner.
6. Focus on the Good
Keeping your energy positive may be difficult, but it can have an effect on your inner and outer world. Imagine sending good wishes to yourself, people in your life, and all the living creatures on the planet.
“Engaging in a loving-kindness meditation can help cultivate feelings of self-compassion, compassion for others, and connectedness to others,” says Stratyner. This can also foster gratitude, which can redirect your focus to what is going right in the world and improve your mental atmosphere.
Remaining hopeful in the face of climate change doesn’t invalidate the loss of things that aren’t replaceable, says Harouni Lurie. Instead, it can help you move forward. During the recent Los Angeles fires, she heard bird calls as they were moving and finding their way to safety. It was a powerful reminder that most of life goes on with or without us, which is, in some measure, reassuring.
