Climate change is the biggest issue the world is facing today. Like many, 13 Reasons Why actress Katherine Langford has been advocating for Climate Sustainability on social media.
Recently, she shared a series of photos on her Instagram feed with the hashtag ‘Waste-free Wednesday’. She captioned the photo, “Living zero-low waste and never been happier (well, maybe if we had net zero by 2030).”
She further drew the attention of her fans towards “climate anxiety” and said it is “real” and further wrote, “We are seeing in regards to climate inaction, and although we need real policy change to cement our future.”
“I found that at least being able to control the climate impact of decisions in my day-to-day has really helped…I’m still growing and learning, but excited to talk more about this space as we push the conversation around climate action forward (if anyone has any tips, I’m here for them!),” she concluded her post.
So, what exactly is Climate anxiety?
Harvard has stated that climate anxiety or eco-anxiety is distress related to worries about the effects of climate change. It is not “a mental illness”, though anxiety is rooted in uncertainty about the future and being alarmed about the dangers of a changing climate.
Talking with The Indian Express, Dr Divya Jain, Sport and Counselling Psychologist Head, Psychological Services in Fortis Healthcare said that the environment has a significant impact on the mental impact. “There is growing evidence that an increase in air pollution is likely to have an impact on our brain and mental health,” she added.
How to deal with it?
To deal with Climate anxiety, Dr Jain suggested that one can work in their capacity to deal with the situation and make choices that adhere to their belief system.
It is also important to be aware of climate change but reading and hearing about it for 24 hours will cause more damage. Shift to more selective news sources or follow famous personalities who are avid advocates of climate change and its sustainability.
An individual should share their worries with a trusted friend or a therapist to help out the anxiety.
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